baby ducks are not growing/feathering right?

[shelleyd2008]

I have 4 cayugas and 3 rouens. The cayugas are almost 4 weeks old. The rouens are about 3. None of them really have any feathers yet, from what I can tell? They are also a lot smaller than my pekins were at the same age. So what gives? Do they cayuga and rouens grow that much slower than pekins do, or am I doing something wrong?

Also, there is one cayuga that can't swim at all. Every time I put it in the tub with the others, it just sits in the water. (ETA: It doesn't even float, it just sits on the bottom of the tub and cries) It doesn't try to bathe or anything. Then after I take it out, it can't walk right for a while?

Oh, and they also don't look like their down is as thick as it should be? When they are wet, I can see their skin real well. I don't remember my pekin babies being like that at all, especially when they were this big.

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

I wonder if the temp they are under has anythign to do with it - maybe they need to be cooler to make the feathers/down grow in thicker?

just guessing - I have no clue about ducks - yet

 

[Katy]

That's what I was wondering too....if they aren't under too much heat.

 

[shelleyd2008]

They are in the house still, but they don't have any heat light. Just what they get from the 'furnace', and the vent is closed in that room, cause it makes my bators go nuts.

 

[Katy]

I don't know what to tell you. I've never had those breeds...just have my call ducks so I don't know if they're naturally slower feathering or not.

 

[shelleyd2008]

So what about the one that can't swim? It just sits there and cries. Then when it gets out, it can't walk right for a while. My pekins were swimming daily by this age, and these guys only get to every 2-3 days, because of this one.

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

http://www.albc-usa.org/cpl/waterfowl/rouen.html

article on rouens (says they are slow to mature)

http://www.albc-usa.org/cpl/waterfowl/cayuga.html

one on cayugas - doesn't say anything about maturation length

 

[Katy]

I don't know.....I've never had a call duck that didn't want to swim.

Can it walk alright the rest of the time? I'm just guessing, but it sounds like something is lacking in their diet.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
Yeah, other than after swimming, it can walk just fine the rest of the time. Maybe I'm not giving them enough brewer's yeast? What exactly does brewer's yeast do for them?

 

[shelleyd2008]

Mojo Chick'n :

http://www.albc-usa.org/cpl/waterfowl/rouen.html

article on rouens (says they are slow to mature)

http://www.albc-usa.org/cpl/waterfowl/cayuga.html

one on cayugas - doesn't say anything about maturation length

Yeah, I have heard that about the rouens, and the cayugas are smaller than they are. But when I had the 4 adults as babies, they all were about the same size? So I figure they should grow the same as babies?

ETA: The 4 adults that I started with were 2 pekin and 2 rouen.​