Best advice on raising ducks?

[Lolliegee]

I've got 6 duck eggs in my homemade bator (due on the 20th) and I've been reading like crazy getting ready for them. I thought it might be nice for me and all the others new to ducks to have a thread with some of your best advice.

Things like...what you feed them, where you house them, do you keep them with your chickens, what the best book is to read, and anything else you can think of.

Thanks in advance, I'm getting so excited!

 

[Chickie Mamma]

Hello and

!! I only have 2 large female ducks at this time. A White Crested and a Cayuga. They are BIG. Be prepared for ALOT of poop! They are soooo much dirtier than the chickens. I have them together and they have sort of outgrown the coop, so we are building a bigger one. In the summer they have a large pen with a kiddie pool. ( Very Entertaining!) They can eat chick starter when they hatch... just NOT MEDICATED. I use Purina start and grow. They grow real fast too! They have great personalities and lay very large eggs.

They dirty the water real fast but they need water deep enough to clean out their nose (what I call it) So I just use a bucket or tupperware. Enjoy them the 1st week as they will double in size the next week. Have fun!!

 

[streemers]

check this out. http://www.duckeggs.com/hatching-eggs.html
i just found it and was so happy!!!
helped me a lot hope it helps you too....

 

[Lolliegee]

Here's a site that I found that has tons of info, some great candling pics too. http://www.minkhollow.ca/HatchingProgram/HatchingProgram.html It's a very big site, so you just gotta take a look around.

 

[Lolliegee]

Hi Streemers,

I've been to that site and they do have a lot of helpful info. I feel like the more information we can get the better our ducks will be.

Anyone else have any great advice?

 

[Katy]

They're lots of fun, but very messy!

They can have medicated chick starter as long as it's only medicated with Amprolium. That's what I raise all mine on.

I don't keep mine with my chickens...they're just too messy.

They can swim...supervised....from the beginning, but make sure to keep it short at first and that they have a heat lamp to warm up and dry out under.

Make sure their drinking water is deep enough they can keep their nostrils clean.