Beginners tips for ducklings?

[mypoorducky]

After the traumatic loss of my first duckling, I would like to ask for any tips, tricks, and other useful information when it comes to raising ducklings, so I do not repeat any mistakes others (and I) have made.

Here's my current plan and the knowledge I have:

I intend on getting 2 ducklings, so they have each other to play with rather than just a mirror, as my original duckling had when I was gone for school. Due to our circumstances, I can only keep them inside both for their safety and for our convenience and peace of mind, however I will try to go outside with them as much as possible. My original duckling was at first fed only bread by our neighbors before we got it, but I weaned it onto a diet of mixed vegetables, rice, and little scraps of whatever I was eating at the time (which was usually the former, but with stuff like eggs. I made sure it was edible for ducklings.) However, I occasionally gave them tiny scraps of bread once in a while as a treat, which it always seemed to love. I plan on feeding my future ducklings the same way, however I will try and look for proper duckling feed if I can find any.

Currently, I only have tiny little toy bowls I inherited from the neighbors, but I find anything larger, I'll get them it. My original duckling had a mid sized box we'd put it in while we were asleep or while we were cleaning its messes up, and I plan on getting a larger one for the two duckies. They'll have free reign of the house as long as I'm there to supervise them, but otherwise they'll reside in their little home.

Whenever they smell, or if they seem a little bored, I'll give them a little basket full of warm water they can stand up in. I will, of course, never, ever put any soap in their little pools. Never again.

I'll try to play with them as much as possible. Ducklings have filled a void in my life I never even knew I had, and now that they're suddenly gone from it again, I want to give the new ducklings as much love and affection as possible. I'd love to snuggle with them, pick up and pet them, and so on. I'll try and give them the best lives possible.

Please feel free to point out what I should do, what I shouldn't do, etc. so I can help my future duckies live their best life.

 

[casportpony]

Have you read the threads in the stickies?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/ducks-sticky-topics-index.256233/

or the articles in the learning center?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/categories/ducks.30/

Should do:

• Warm, clean, draft-free brooder
• Duckling or all flock crumbles
• Fresh clean warm drinking water
• Get more than one duckling

Should not do

• Do not put ducklings in deep water until they are waterproof.
• Do not put ducklings in cold water until they are waterproof.
• Do not leave non-waterproof ducklings unsupervised while they are in the water.

This article by Metzer Farms is pretty good:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/rearing-instructions.html

 

[ruthhope]

Hi MyPoorDuckie

I agree with everything that CasportPony wrote

Please buy duckling or all flock crumbles for your ducklings.

You might get some additional equipment from thrift stores. I found heavy earthenware dog and cat bowls for less than $1 and I use the smaller cat bowl for grit [you do not need grit while small ducklings are eating crumbles only]. I used a medium bowl for water from the get go, it is 2 inches deep and 6 inches diameter -- too small for a duckling to drown, deep enough for a duckling to submerge its head, too heavy to tip over if a duckling stands on the edge [which they will do!] I put duckling food in a plant pot saucer -- also often available at thrift stores.

You mention keeping your ducklings in a "box" . I used a long deep plastic storage tub as a brooder when my most recent ducklings were small. You might be lucky and find one very cheaply at a thrift store. However plastic boxes are slippery even with pine shavings inside. You can buy textured plastic shelf lining rolls from Walmart that you might line the bottom of a slippery box. It's great as it can be washed and reused .

Depending on the variety of duckling, they might be able to get out as they get bigger -- ducklings grow very quickly. My son's Pekins never tried to get out of their brooder. My most recent Muscovy was an amazing jumper and she understood getting additional help for the jump by standing on the water bowl!! You cannot use the plastic lid on the box without cutting out lots of holes in the lid -- and perhaps round the top of the box. I found I could make a cover for my brooder with 1" chicken wire and that stopped mine from jumping out.

When my son's duck stopover at my home [when he goes out of town] I cannot pen them with my ducks and so my son's three ducks sleep in my house in a large plastic wading pool with a chicken wire fence round. Remember his are Pekins and they don't try and get out. You cannot confine a muscovy in a wading pool with chicken wire as it will try and get out and could catch its toenails in the chicken wire and die before you find it. [this is not a theory: mine jumped onto the wire and got stuck and fortunately I was there to unhook it.] But the wading pool with a chicken wire fence -- you have to thread vertical canes down through the chicken wire so that the wire fence doesn't collapse -- might be better than a box for two larger ducklings. One photograph was taken this week, when one of my son's ducks stayed on a sleepover. One photo was before the vertical canes were added: its not a large wading pool and is not big enough to leave three ducks in for an extended period. Two photos show my muscovy in its plastic box brooder -- see the cat bowl used for water and a plastic saucer for food. The last photo shows the plastic shelf liner -- I used it on my wooden desk to stop the duckling slipping, as well as under the pine shavings in the box. You cannot use newspaper -- its just a slippery as wood and plastic!

 

[ruthhope]

I should also emphasize, that my son's three Pekins; and my three -- two muscovy and a Pekin -- are all outdoor ducks although they were brooded indoors. If I could sleep my son's three outdoors when they come on sleepovers, I would, but I only have one pen and cannot mix the two groups. I do hope you can spend a lot of time outdoors with your ducks -- twice everyday and longer periods at weekends. the advantage of using a large plastic wading pool for ducks to sleep in, is that it can be cleaned out and filled with water outdoors.

My son's wading pool -- only used for outdoor swimming -- was from Walmart. Mine was left at the curbside by a neighbor. You can find lots of useful things on the curb if you go round on the night before trash collection day

 

[Quatie]

Ducks are amazing creatures and fun to raise. While they are ducklings, they can be very social and cuddly. Unfortunately the duckling stage does not last forever. It is a really short part of their life. When ducklings get older, most ducks will no longer be cuddly. They are still very social but don't want to be held. There are cases where ducks still loved to be handled when they get older. If you have a drake, sometimes they start biting when they get older. I want to make sure you have a complete picture of what they are like when they grow up.

Personally, I believe ducks should spend most of their time outdoors. That is when they are the happiest. I would consider getting an outdoor dog kennel to let them enjoy being outside. They will less likely get bored outside.

I do believe they will be loved by you.

 

[mypoorducky]

Thank you everyone for the help! I'll try to give my future ducklings the best life I can afford, armed with this information.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I think everyone hit the main points I just wanted to add for cheap waterer options you can cut holes in an empty washed milk jug, empty plastic takeout or whipped cream containers etc. And use those for waterers until your ducks get bigger. You just make sure you cut the holes up high enough that the ducklings can dip their entire head, that the holes are big enough that they can get their heads in/out easily, but at the same time small enough that they can't jump in (about the size of a 50cent coin). When my duckling reach 6-8 weeks I switch them over to 2 gallon buckets that I get at Tractor Supply for $6 a bucket. Of course they have their tanks for swimming, but I still like to provide the buckets.

 

[mypoorducky]

I think everyone hit the main points I just wanted to add for cheap waterer options you can cut holes in an empty washed milk jug, empty plastic takeout or whipped cream containers etc. And use those for waterers until your ducks get bigger. You just make sure you cut the holes up high enough that the ducklings can dip their entire head, that the holes are big enough that they can get their heads in/out easily, but at the same time small enough that they can't jump in (about the size of a 50cent coin). When my duckling reach 6-8 weeks I switch them over to 2 gallon buckets that I get at Tractor Supply for $6 a bucket. Of course they have their tanks for swimming, but I still like to provide the buckets.

Thank you! I'll definitely try this whenever I get my ducklings.

 

[davez]

Please buy and read Storeys Guide to Raising Ducks by Dave Holderead. It will have every bit of information you would want to know in order to raise healthy happy ducks. I would also steer you to a bantam breed if you are keeping them as pets. Australian Spotted are my favorite. Buy call ducks or mini-silver apple yard, or east indies (I think that what they are called). You need less space and they are generally friendly. Try to get males. when they are young the females sound a tiny bit raspy - the males are just peepers. Or have an experienced pro vent sex them for you. Males are much quieter than females. See if you can order duckling feed from somewhere -- trying to get the food/diet right without experience will be difficult. Enjoy your ducks. They are awesome pets.

 

[davez]

Additionally, We kept our young ducks in what was essentially and old playpen for a child. (You might be able to garbage pick one and ifx it up enough to hold your ducks.) We put cloth towels (no loose threads) on the floor and replaced and washed them daily. We also use this setup when one of outdoor ducks gets sick or injured. We picked up food/water bowls from the thrift shop - you might try a garage sale, too if they hold those near you. You might be able to get Storeys guide from your local library as well. If they don't have it on the shelf you might be able to ask them to order a copy for you to use. (I don't know your location.)