can my 8 week old duck go outside now there like half feather'd ??

[chickens&ducks_RULE]

hey, i got 4 indian runner ducklings 8 weeks old but there only now getting feather's over there back and there wings aint got feather's

could thay go outside now ??

its nice and hot here at the moment

thay will have to go in a coop&&run with pekin bantam chicks few weeks older then them but about the same size

please let me know its just there getting to big for there tub now and i want them to have loads of room

thank you

~Daniel

 

[katharinad]

Mine are out at 2.5 weeks, but still kept warm at night.

 

[keyt1969]

I have three 5 week old call ducks that I started letting go into the run with 25+ chickens. The chickens weren't so nice at first but they're used to them now. Last weekend I was given two 4 month old cayugas and the 5 of them now hang out together in the new duck run. They barely pay any attention to each other.

The first few times I let the calls go out I sat there to watch them and make sure there weren't any fights. Now I can leave them with the cayugas all day, but I still bring them inside at night and will for another week or so til they are completely feathered in and I can be sure they'll stay warm. Then again, I probably don't have to, I'm just a worry wart lol

 

[chickens&ducks_RULE]

right could i put them out in the run every nice worm day with the 6 pekins ??

but the first time thay go out there (maybe tomorrow) i'll put the 4 ducklings in the run then wait about 2 mins then leave the 6 pekin chicks out so i'll be in the run if thay start picking on each other and bring them back in at night that sound good ??

 

[keyt1969]

chickens&ducks_RULE :

right could i put them out in the run every nice worm day with the 6 pekins ??

but the first time thay go out there (maybe tomorrow) i'll put the 4 ducklings in the run then wait about 2 mins then leave the 6 pekin chicks out so i'll be in the run if thay start picking on each other and bring them back in at night that sound good ??

Yeah just for safety sake I'd be by them the first couple of times they go out. Just my opinion, but I'm no expert, that's just what I did and now they can be out all day with no problems. I just bring mine in at night til they finish feathering in​

 

[chickens&ducks_RULE]

thanks i'll do that

thay wont be cold tho will thay couse thay havent got any wing feather's yet and now there starting to get feather's on there back will thay be ok ?

 

[FenDruadin]

Gosh, yeah. Mine go out at two weeks or so. They get heat at night but otherwise are on their own. The only concerns with the older birds are making sure they don't pick on them, and making sure they have access to the right kind of feed.

My older birds used to pick on youngers, but over the summer they've gotten so used to having different aged birds out there, and there are so many of them, they've given up--they're like, Oh, it's more ducks, okay whatever. lol. Just keep your eye on them for a while--a little bit of jostling and chasing is normal, as they figure out who's in charge. But if they get really serious about it and it looks like someone might get hurt, you might have to find a way to separate them.

As for feed, if you're feeding everyone all day, then you can just provide separate containers with the different types of feed and let them choose. In my case, the adult ducks only get fed at night and if I leave duckling feed out, they will eat it all up and not go to bed at night (they only go to bed so they can get their dinner). So I had to make a creep feeder that allows only the ducklings to access the feed--it's basically a small cage of its own, with an opening large enough for young birds but not adults to enter.

Anyway--good luck. I would definitely be wanting those birds out of my house at 8 weeks! Whew! They should be just fine.

 

[chickens&ducks_RULE]

thanks for that iamcuriositycat

but im gunna keep them in the house for abit longer couse tomorrow were putting 1 duck and 2 more chicks in the run with the other 6 chicks so we gotta see how that gose first and plus the 1 duck is very scared of everything really

 

[CityChicker]

Wow, you are the second thread about 8 week old ducklings not feathered! That is just unheard of for us. Our ducklings are, for the most part, completely feathered by 5-6 weeks old. This time of year, we start putting them outside at only a couple weeks old during the day and full time by about 4 weeks old. I wonder if you guys are brooding them too hot and/or too long. I have seen that impact feathering probably more than any other factor. Ducklings can be brooded even from day one at just around 90 degrees (or slightly higher). They can be all the way down to 75 degrees or so by 3 weeks old and then taken off of heat altogether, even at night (unless of course it is getting really cold at night). As long as they have warm, dry shelter to get in, they should be feathered and doing fine without added heat by about 4 weeks old in the summer.

 

[1-duckling]

Gosh! Eight weeks in the brooder is a very long time for runners.They need to get out and build their leg muscles as soon as possible. On day 3 we go outside for some supervised visitation and stay out as long as weather permits. By day 5 they get pretty comfortable with the pen and do great on their own. They even get to play in the shallow water of a paint roller pan their first week. They get dried off under the heat lamp or by the sun. If you think about natural brooding, their mom has them out wondering about within 24 hours of the hatch. They are pretty tough.

OK, I'm spoiled, I have a indoor/outdoor pen special for the babies. Other birds can't get in but are along side so they acquainted. It has an indoor area with a heat lamp, food, and water. The outdoor area is 24x12 ft covered in bird netting. So once I'm comfy with how they are doing they stay out there with the choice of indoor or outdoor during the day and in at night. The duckling and chicks I've put out there have been extremely healthy and well adjusted.