Do I need to seperate my babys from adults?

[Elfy]

I only have a the mother and father ducks. Mommy is sitting on a nest now, possible due in one -two weeks. Do I need to keep mama and baby away from papa duck or can all them live happly together.

I know if you have more ducks you need to keep them seperate. Will the papa duck help raise them?

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

WELCOME TO BYC!


The mother duck is the only one that raises the duckings. I always seperate them a couple days before the hatch, because the father duck may kill the ducklings. I would def. seperate them. Good Luck

What kind of ducks are they, not that it matters, I am curious?

 

[Elfy]

Mama is a Peking and papa is a Welsh Harliquin. We should have some interesting birds.

this will be interesting trying to make a seperate area for him.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

I bet they will be beautiful. I would really seperate them though. I have a double breeding pen, with one cage on one side, a piece of chicken wire in the middle and another cage on the other side. I put my girls in the one side and the drakes on the other side, about 2-3 days before the ducklings are due to hatch.

 

[Elfy]

Our duck house is big but not that big. Size of a large dog house with one door and the roof comes off. What if I take out the babies right after they hatch and raise them seperately then combine them when they are almost full grown.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Quote:
That would be fine to do. Just make sure you use NON-medicated feed. I would take them out when they are halfway dry.

 

[Elfy]

We originally raised the Peking from a duckling, I know about the non-medicated feed. Could I introduce the babies when they have their full feathers or sooner? Do I need to worry about papa trying to mate with them?

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

You could probably introduce them when they are 1/3 to 1/2 feathered. But I would watch them and make sure the drake doesnt try to kill the ducklings. When you have ducks, the mother, father, brother and sister ducks will mate with eachother.

 

[Elfy]

I was wondering about the whole inbreeding thing. I will just have to make a point to collect eggs reguarly. I don't need to be over run the ducks. My husband would kill me.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

lol. I contacted a hatchery about this a while ago, and they said that it is okay to inbreed with chickens, not sure about ducks though. Im sure that if they did hatch they would be fine and not deformed though.