Confused Newbie!

[BamaDucker8811]

We were "gifted" 2 ducklings by a neighbor who used them for her Easter photography business & didn't want them. Guess since we had a Muscovey who free-ranges on our small lake, she figured we could just turn them loose out there & then there would be no problems, lol. Well, I've fallen in love w/the little darlings! But, OMLord, the poop! We kept them in totes in the house the 1st 2 wks, then moved them to my DH's shop. He boarded off a small area for them near the pull-down door. But this is only temp.

After reading so much about ducks in the past 3-4 wks, I'm hopelessly confused. Been feeding them chick feed w/lettuce at night to lure them into the shop. During the day they come up to the back deck where we have a kiddie pool 3' across. They've about outgrown this now. They splash & preen a lot, scratch a lot, &, of course, poop all the time. They go under the deck should a hawk or threat appear.

Now, questions:

I think I have plain old white ducks (call ducks?). How do I know for sure?

How can I figure out how old they are?

Since neither of them have a curled tailed feather, can I assume they are both female?

When do I quit feeding them chick feed & what do I feed them next?

Do I put feed & water in w/them at night? I've been doing this but saw somewhere on a forum that it wasn't necessary.

Do I need to get a drake if they are both female?

Can they be allowed to free-range down by the lake during the day? It is about 150 yds from where the house & their pen will be.

There are some big catfish in the lake (10 lbs approx.). Are they a danger to the duckies?

What about snakes? Any danger?

Sorry for all these basic questions. I'll read one article & it recommends one thing while another recommends something entirely different; hence the confusion. Thanks so much!!!!

 

[Amiga]

We were "gifted" 2 ducklings by a neighbor who used them for her Easter photography business & didn't want them. Guess since we had a Muscovey who free-ranges on our small lake, she figured we could just turn them loose out there & then there would be no problems, lol. Well, I've fallen in love w/the little darlings! But, OMLord, the poop! We kept them in totes in the house the 1st 2 wks, then moved them to my DH's shop. He boarded off a small area for them near the pull-down door. But this is only temp.

After reading so much about ducks in the past 3-4 wks, I'm hopelessly confused. Been feeding them chick feed w/lettuce at night to lure them into the shop. During the day they come up to the back deck where we have a kiddie pool 3' across. They've about outgrown this now. They splash & preen a lot, scratch a lot, &, of course, poop all the time. They go under the deck should a hawk or threat appear.

Now, questions:

I think I have plain old white ducks (call ducks?). How do I know for sure?

How can I figure out how old they are?

If you post photo's we can make a guess

Since neither of them have a curled tailed feather, can I assume they are both female?

No - probably too young. At three to five weeks girls start peep-honk-quacking a bit, boys keep quieter.

When do I quit feeding them chick feed & what do I feed them next?

I started a slow switch at 2 weeks, by 3 weeks they were on grower pellets. I just kept changing the proportion of each. Add a little grower, a little more grower, until the crumbles were gone and they were eating all grower.

Do I put feed & water in w/them at night? I've been doing this but saw somewhere on a forum that it wasn't necessary.

Most of my duck friends agree on the 6 to 8 week age range for reducing feeding availability from 24/7 to 8 hours overnight without. Always always water with food. So till they are a couple months old - with most of their adult feathers - food, 24/7, with water.

Do I need to get a drake if they are both female? No.

Can they be allowed to free-range down by the lake during the day? It is about 150 yds from where the house & their pen will be.

How willing are you to risk their lives? May sound cold, but that is how I feel about it. Hawks, dogs, cats, coyotes, foxes all come out during the day around here.

There are some big catfish in the lake (10 lbs approx.). Are they a danger to the duckies? Might be.

What about snakes? Any danger? Depending on the snake, yes, Miss Lydia took a duckling out of the mouth of a snake last year.

Sorry for all these basic questions. I'll read one article & it recommends one thing while another recommends something entirely different; hence the confusion. Thanks so much!!!!

Please do not apologize. As for confusion, well, we have many successful duck people here who do some things a little differently. Please ask questions. I used to get confused about healthy temperatures. Then I started asking more pointed questions. For example, when someone said, "Oh, my ducks are fine in 20˚F weather." I asked, "What is the temperature in their shelter?" "About 40˚F." So really, the ducks were fine when it was 20 outside because it was about 40 where they were. See what I mean? And we don't always realize our unwritten assumptions. And when I read, "ducks do this" or "ducks don't do that," I now mentally insert the word "my" in front of "ducks" and sometimes the words "that I know of" after "this" or "that."

It can be easy, when we are responding to questions, to forget details or be less than extremely precise about answers. Please bear with us.

 

[duckins]

Had a long detailed post ready to go then it disappeared urgh!! Now I'm out of time 20 ducks are calling me lol but Amiga sumed up what I was going to say just please make sure your pond does not have snapping turtles. Ponds are beautiful but we can't have one but they love their kiddie pools/buckets and I like knowing whats in their water.

 

[BamaDucker8811]

Thank you so much for your replies! I just don't want to do anything wrong to hurt my little feathered friends! We took them down to the lake yesterday but they didn't want to have anything to do with it, lol. They like their kiddie pool & being up by the house w/us I believe. They know they're safe there. I'm going to post some pics (I hope). I'm not the best at this type of thing so bear w/me. We're going today to get materials for a house & yard for them - I think DH wants his shop back & free of duck poop! I'll also get some grower pellets. Believe we'll use pea gravel for the "floor" of the fenced-in yard as I saw on here that works well. Is it okay to put their shelter up on concrete blocks rather than 2x4s?


How about that? It worked! Anyway, this was taken a week ago, on 4/28. They are now almost completely white; their heads have a faintly yellowish cast .

Thanks again to everyone for your help. I want to raise them to be happy, healthy pets who love us as much as we love them!

Elizabeth