Hello, duck people! 
I have had chickens for more than 9 years now, Guineas for about half that time, and now I've decided to try my hand at raising ducks. I am a complete novice with waterfowl, but I did tons of research on the care and raising of ducks before deciding to do so, and I think I'm braced for the task.
The zoo in my area got call ducks in their petting zoo area earlier this year and I immediately fell in love. I knew if I was getting ducks, they had to be calls! So I focused my research on them, but somehow missed the part about how difficult they were to hatch until after I had won an auction for 12+ call duck eggs. In spite of what my username may imply, this will only be my second time hatching eggs of any kind. I did have success the first time I incubated with Guinea eggs and got 7 of 11 eggs to hatch, but after reading a few threads about the struggles of getting calls to hatch, I've gotten myself worked up. Now I'm worried that I'll not get any duckies at all!
So, questions and concerns. First off, I plan to follow this guide for hatching call ducks as closely as I can: http://www.lwbarnhouse.com/method1.html Has anyone used this method with success? I will also be checking in on this thread for general waterfowl hatching: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/491013/goose-incubation-hatching-guide-completed Any extra tips in regards to either of these?
If I manage to hatch some ducklings, what should I feed them? My entire flock eats an all-flock feed, and I have given it to my chicken chicks right from the start to bypass the transition from grower to all-flock. Will the same thing work for ducklings? I have read that ducks can have issues with niacin deficiency (among others) if not fed properly, so I want to make sure I have the right stuff from the start.
For the brooder, what is best for bedding? I had planned on just using shavings like I do with chicks, but I've seen a few duck brooders now that look like they just use towels or something. Would that be better for them to be brooded on? Also, for a heat source, I have 2 EcoGlow 20s from Brinsea. They should work just fine for ducks, correct?
Later on, what is a good ratio of males to females for call ducks? I was going to keep 3-4 ducks and 1-2 drakes if that many hatch--does that sound alright? If so, would a 4x4 foot coop be big enough for that many calls? And I know ducks don't perch, but will they need a nest box? I couldn't find a very clear answer to that question so I thought I'd make sure. We're going to build the duck coop while the eggs are incubating, because whether they hatch or not I can always use an extra coop!
Sorry for all the questions--I'm trying to be as prepared as possible! As you might be able to tell, I'm getting quite anxious about this all. My eggs should be here by Thursday and I plan to set them on Friday, so I am freaking out a little bit.
But I'm keeping it together for now. Anyway, thanks in advance for reading and for any advise!
I have had chickens for more than 9 years now, Guineas for about half that time, and now I've decided to try my hand at raising ducks. I am a complete novice with waterfowl, but I did tons of research on the care and raising of ducks before deciding to do so, and I think I'm braced for the task.The zoo in my area got call ducks in their petting zoo area earlier this year and I immediately fell in love. I knew if I was getting ducks, they had to be calls! So I focused my research on them, but somehow missed the part about how difficult they were to hatch until after I had won an auction for 12+ call duck eggs. In spite of what my username may imply, this will only be my second time hatching eggs of any kind. I did have success the first time I incubated with Guinea eggs and got 7 of 11 eggs to hatch, but after reading a few threads about the struggles of getting calls to hatch, I've gotten myself worked up. Now I'm worried that I'll not get any duckies at all!
So, questions and concerns. First off, I plan to follow this guide for hatching call ducks as closely as I can: http://www.lwbarnhouse.com/method1.html Has anyone used this method with success? I will also be checking in on this thread for general waterfowl hatching: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/491013/goose-incubation-hatching-guide-completed Any extra tips in regards to either of these?
If I manage to hatch some ducklings, what should I feed them? My entire flock eats an all-flock feed, and I have given it to my chicken chicks right from the start to bypass the transition from grower to all-flock. Will the same thing work for ducklings? I have read that ducks can have issues with niacin deficiency (among others) if not fed properly, so I want to make sure I have the right stuff from the start.
For the brooder, what is best for bedding? I had planned on just using shavings like I do with chicks, but I've seen a few duck brooders now that look like they just use towels or something. Would that be better for them to be brooded on? Also, for a heat source, I have 2 EcoGlow 20s from Brinsea. They should work just fine for ducks, correct?
Later on, what is a good ratio of males to females for call ducks? I was going to keep 3-4 ducks and 1-2 drakes if that many hatch--does that sound alright? If so, would a 4x4 foot coop be big enough for that many calls? And I know ducks don't perch, but will they need a nest box? I couldn't find a very clear answer to that question so I thought I'd make sure. We're going to build the duck coop while the eggs are incubating, because whether they hatch or not I can always use an extra coop!
Sorry for all the questions--I'm trying to be as prepared as possible! As you might be able to tell, I'm getting quite anxious about this all. My eggs should be here by Thursday and I plan to set them on Friday, so I am freaking out a little bit.
But I'm keeping it together for now. Anyway, thanks in advance for reading and for any advise! 
I've had a couple people (my dad included) tell me ducks are so much harder than chickens to take care of, but after doing so much research I don't feel as if that'll be the case. But I guess I'll find out!
They were packaged beautifully and none are cracked or broken, but each and every one of them has a detached air cell. All 18 of them! :/ Now I'm worried all over again.
