Cider Vinegar, treats and Ducklings

[BooBoo45]

I've read a lot about chicks and chickens being given Cider Vinegar with Mother but I can't find anywhere that mentions ducklings.

My snuggle ducklings are now just over two weeks old and growing fast, they are very active and healthy but I want the very best for them. They have duckling crumbs and also treats of freshly cooked cabbage chopped very small which they love. It's gone in seconds and they are looking for more! LOL I also cut grass up very small and put it in water which they've enjoyed from a few days old. I put a small sprinkling of oyster shell grit on the floor every couple of days to help aid their digestion. They tried mashed carrot today but weren't so keen on that.

Has anyone given cider vinegar to their ducklings or is it toxic to them? And what else have you given your ducklings as treats?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I've read a lot about chicks and chickens being given Cider Vinegar with Mother but I can't find anywhere that mentions ducklings.

My snuggle ducklings are now just over two weeks old and growing fast, they are very active and healthy but I want the very best for them. They have duckling crumbs and also treats of freshly cooked cabbage chopped very small which they love. It's gone in seconds and they are looking for more! LOL I also cut grass up very small and put it in water which they've enjoyed from a few days old. I put a small sprinkling of oyster shell grit on the floor every couple of days to help aid their digestion. They tried mashed carrot today but weren't so keen on that.

Has anyone given cider vinegar to their ducklings or is it toxic to them? And what else have you given your ducklings as treats?

Instead of oyster shell they need chick grit oyster shell is for laying ducks/chickens and is too much calcium for ducklings. I do use ACV with the mother in it and start my ducklings and chicks out on it just like the rest of my flock, I give it to everyone a couple times a week, 1 tab to 1 gal of water. it's a great tonic. I use it too.

 

[BooBoo45]

Thanks Miss Lydia, I shall go and buy some ACV now. And I'm glad you told me about the oyster shell information, they haven't had too much of it yet so hopefully it won't have caused a problem. They certainly all look healthy and happy enough, this was breakfast time this morning.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thanks Miss Lydia, I shall go and buy some ACV now. And I'm glad you told me about the oyster shell information, they haven't had too much of it yet so hopefully it won't have caused a problem. They certainly all look healthy and happy enough, this was breakfast time this morning.

They are so adorable and what a nice place to run around, looks like lots of room to have fun and make a mess.

 

[BooBoo45]

Oh there is definitely a mess, but it all wipes up easily enough and I really don’t begrudge a minute of tidying up time, they have brought so much happiness and laughter into my life again. I guess having lost my ducks so tragically these little guys have become a big part of my world, certainly the healing process and dealing with the grief and anger. Unless you are a duck person it is hard for others to understand just how long it takes to get over the loss of your pets, to most they are just birds, to me they were part of my family.

I’ve been very lucky that my husband is so accommodating and allows them the freedom of the house when we are at home (thankfully we don't have carpet downstairs, just tiles and laminate flooring), he's not above walking around after them and wiping up poop. I adore the sound of the patter of their feet as they run from living room to kitchen and back again - they are just like school kids playing in the playground. Then they climb into their cat bed by the side of me or into my lap for a nap. Nothing beats a snug with a duckling for making you feel good. He knows it isn’t forever and they will grow up soon enough. I just want to spend as much time with them as I can as I know when they go outside they will become a lot more independent and have other things that interest them other than me.

I so want to ensure that I do my very best for them, as for all the years I’ve owned adult ducks I’ve only ever brought up one single duckling myself before them so I worry over doing the right thing - there is a tiny part of me that is scared my happiness will be taken away again. I berate myself for thinking that way and in the most part just enjoy having them but I can't deny that feeling dogs my steps at times. I want them to be happy and healthy and live a long life. Of course my first duckling grew into a beautiful pekin drake and he was reared a cardboard box with a teddy,a hot water bottle and a towel tent!. He got fed chick crumbs and had his first swim aged 3 days old but this was way before the internet and I brought him up purely on common sense and instinct alone! No fancy gadgets or heat lamps, he went everywhere with me - even to a friend's BBQ (duck wasn't on the menu!)

I don't think he ever considered himself to be a duck, to his mind he was always human, and I often found him sat in the dogs water bowl or asleep in front to the fireplace.

The ducklings have a lovely big playpen in the back room for when I’m out at work, I come home at lunch time to clean them out and spend some time with them. In fact their pen gets cleaned out 4 times a day in total and they just love messing it back up. My dad once said to me that my ducks seemed to love muddy water and I had to put him right, I told him that ducks actually love clean water but the fun comes in messing it up.

Thanks, Miss Lydia, for taking the time to give me some advice, it really does help to stops me worrying.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'm sorry you lost your ducks BooBoo45 did you have that in another post and I missed it? Believe me most on here feel as though our ducks are part of our family I know I do and losing one is very hard. I'm happy for you that you are getting so much enjoyment in caring for your ducklings they won't forget that once they move outside, honest.

 

[BooBoo45]

That's what so lovely about this site, you actually know that the members here understand and care about their pets in the same way you do; that we love them as others love their dogs and cats and it's great to have experienced people to chat to when you have a concern. As I said I've had adults ducks for over 14 years now but I'm still learning new things about them as I read the threads.

My ducks were killed by two dogs that belong to a neighbour two houses up from ours. Next door have Bantams and one of them (who we named Myrtle McCluck) didn't like being with the other chickens, she loved being with our ducks (probably because she grew up with them). So we had a small hole in the bottom of the adjoining garden fence the size of a house brick and she used to come through and spend the day with us, then go home to roost at night. My husband adores that chicken and they still spend the weekends together now whilst he's working in his shed, except he now goes to collect her. he talks to her and she answers him back, it is comical to see.

The woman that owns the dogs left them outside in her back garden and didn't check on them for hours. They broke into next door's garden but thankfully the chickens were in a run that day as our neighbour was going to be late home and was concerned about foxes so they weren't running around the garden loose like they normally are. The dogs actually chewed through the fence, making the small hole a lot bigger and them got into our garden. My poor ducks never stood a chance, I'm just thankful that my old Pekin of 14 years, Daisy, had to be put to sleep a few months before this otherwise I don't know how I could have coped with that.

It was hard enough losing my younger ducks, especially Dylis who had originally belonged to our neighbours. She had survived a fox attack, both her parents were killed - one taken, the other left headless. She had a broken wing and a big gash in her neck, she was found huddled in the corner of the shed terrified, not sure how she wasn't killed to be honest. Next door where going to put her down thinking it was the best thing to do considering the state she was in and I begged them to give her to me to try to save. I cleaned the neck wound and strapped up her wing and then put her with my ducks. She huddled up to Daisy, who actually seemed to look after her. This little duck looking after this big crested duck - but it worked. Her wing healed with limited movement but she made a full recovery. The fact that a pack of dogs them killed her has caused me a lot of pain and a lot of anger. I think I would have eventually forgiven the woman if a week later the same dogs broken into next door again and killed a chicken this time. Months later that fence still hasn't been replaced, just some wire but up on her side. My husband has completely replaced the fence on our side to ensure our ducks will be safe when they are outside again, it's a lot higher too but the dogs aren't big enough to jump it. We've never had a probably and if we hadn't had the hole for the chicken we'd still have our ducks. I felt so awfully guilty over that, I let them down.

So my ducklings have helped with the heeling process, they have brought me such a lot of happiness and although the incubation part caused me a lot of worry and stress it was a truly amazing experience watching my three Campbells hatch. We've talked about incubating some Bantums eggs in the future as my husband really would like some chickens but for now I'm happy with my family of 3 Khaki Campbells and 3 Alylesburys.

 

[Miss Lydia]

That's what so lovely about this site, you actually know that the members here understand and care about their pets in the same way you do; that we love them as others love their dogs and cats and it's great to have experienced people to chat to when you have a concern. As I said I've had adults ducks for over 14 years now but I'm still learning new things about them as I read the threads.

My ducks were killed by two dogs that belong to a neighbour two houses up from ours. Next door have Bantams and one of them (who we named Myrtle McCluck) didn't like being with the other chickens, she loved being with our ducks (probably because she grew up with them). So we had a small hole in the bottom of the adjoining garden fence the size of a house brick and she used to come through and spend the day with us, then go home to roost at night. My husband adores that chicken and they still spend the weekends together now whilst he's working in his shed, except he now goes to collect her. he talks to her and she answers him back, it is comical to see.

The woman that owns the dogs left them outside in her back garden and didn't check on them for hours. They broke into next door's garden but thankfully the chickens were in a run that day as our neighbour was going to be late home and was concerned about foxes so they weren't running around the garden loose like they normally are. The dogs actually chewed through the fence, making the small hole a lot bigger and them got into our garden. My poor ducks never stood a chance, I'm just thankful that my old Pekin of 14 years, Daisy, had to be put to sleep a few months before this otherwise I don't know how I could have coped with that.

It was hard enough losing my younger ducks, especially Dylis who had originally belonged to our neighbours. She had survived a fox attack, both her parents were killed - one taken, the other left headless. She had a broken wing and a big gash in her neck, she was found huddled in the corner of the shed terrified, not sure how she wasn't killed to be honest. Next door where going to put her down thinking it was the best thing to do considering the state she was in and I begged them to give her to me to try to save. I cleaned the neck wound and strapped up her wing and then put her with my ducks. She huddled up to Daisy, who actually seemed to look after her. This little duck looking after this big crested duck - but it worked. Her wing healed with limited movement but she made a full recovery. The fact that a pack of dogs them killed her has caused me a lot of pain and a lot of anger. I think I would have eventually forgiven the woman if a week later the same dogs broken into next door again and killed a chicken this time. Months later that fence still hasn't been replaced, just some wire but up on her side. My husband has completely replaced the fence on our side to ensure our ducks will be safe when they are outside again, it's a lot higher too but the dogs aren't big enough to jump it. We've never had a probably and if we hadn't had the hole for the chicken we'd still have our ducks. I felt so awfully guilty over that, I let them down.

So my ducklings have helped with the heeling process, they have brought me such a lot of happiness and although the incubation part caused me a lot of worry and stress it was a truly amazing experience watching my three Campbells hatch. We've talked about incubating some Bantums eggs in the future as my husband really would like some chickens but for now I'm happy with my family of 3 Khaki Campbells and 3 Alylesburys.

What an awful night mare for you to have to live through, and your poor ducks. I am so sorry. I do know that none of this was your fault the owner of these dogs is to blame as others who don't keep close watch on their dogs and let them do such horrendous things to others pets. We spent a small fortune putting up fencing for our flock and I still worry about dogs, more than any other pred. since people who live in the country think it's perfectly alright to let their dogs run and have no idea what they maybe doing . For that very reason I keep a loaded shot gun at my back door hoping I never have to use it but I will if I have to, so far I've only had to chase some away by firing a shot but it's something we have to do to protect our flocks. We had some blk bears coming around for a while tearing out other welded wire fence down to the point I couldn't even fix it anymore and dh shot off the shot gun a few times and they finally got the message, I know they are still around and that's fine just stay out of the fenced flocks property. lol I am so glad your ducklings have helped to heal the hurt and are bringing you such joy, they can really make us laugh can't they. I can't imagine life with out mine they make the day so much brighter. Enjoy those little ones. and be sure to keep the pics coming we love watching them grow up too.

 

[BooBoo45]

Bears! Wow, I forget how lucky we are in Britain just to worry about dogs and foxes. Our gun laws are very different to yours too, my husband actually has a shotgun licence but by the time I'd got the key and got it out of the cabinet, then loaded it, it would be too late to save my ducks. Although I have to admit that on my darkest days I would have dearly loved to have shot the pair of them. I really hated the way this made me feel, not just the upset and hurt over their loss but the anger and hate towards another human being. I can honestly say I've never felt that way towards another person before. I don't blame the dogs, I blame her, but what really made my blood boil was the fact she let it happen a second time. Most people would be mortified and watch their dogs until the fence was fixed - she obviously didn't give a ****.

Out of interest would a Bear attack a flock of ducks?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Bears! Wow, I forget how lucky we are in Britain just to worry about dogs and foxes. Our gun laws are very different to yours too, my husband actually has a shotgun licence but by the time I'd got the key and got it out of the cabinet, then loaded it, it would be too late to save my ducks. Although I have to admit that on my darkest days I would have dearly loved to have shot the pair of them. I really hated the way this made me feel, not just the upset and hurt over their loss but the anger and hate towards another human being. I can honestly say I've never felt that way towards another person before. I don't blame the dogs, I blame her, but what really made my blood boil was the fact she let it happen a second time. Most people would be mortified and watch their dogs until the fence was fixed - she obviously didn't give a ****.

Out of interest would a Bear attack a flock of ducks?

Is there no way to make this person pay for your losses and your neighbors? sometimes when they have to make restitution they do their part to not let it happen again.

As far as bears attacking a flock of ducks, I'd think if they were hungry enough maybe, I have seen pics on here where bears totally destroyed coops and barns so far they only climb the fence here and since our coop/houses are right next to our home they didn't get that far, They did get into the trash cans right next to the house so my dh had to make a huge heavy wood trash can holder. Our dogs didn't make a sound that night the bear came right up to the house and got into the cans, These are mini dachshunds and I'm thinking they didn't want to end up snack to a hungry bear because dachshunds are very barky. lol