Documenting Day-to-Day Duckie Development

[WhoDatChick]

57 days before i raise ducklings again! Previously i’ve kept two pekins, one welsh harlequin, and one silver apple yard, but i lost them all a while back. i’m starting fresh very soon! i can’t wait to start my own thread like this.

Mango and Quinn

• CHlCKEN
• Feb 9, 2021
• 1

Mango and Quinn my Silver Appleyard and Welsh Harlequin

That is a fabulous pic!!

 

[WhoDatChick]

Here is my welsh duckling from day 1. You can see one has a pale beak.
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This is what she looks like now.
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Gorgeous!

 

[Aunt Angus]

You have cute little neck wrinkles?!?

Doesn't everyone?

I was typing quickly, but I meant that I thought I was the only one who thought their little neck wrinkles were cute.

 

[WhoDatChick]

And another application of the duck-poop jar was necessary!
The local farm store sent me an e-mail today, advertising their chick weeks!
Dang! Now i can't go there for the next six weeks…

You sound just like me!

 

[WhoDatChick]

Day 13 - Sunday 2/21/21

They got to play outside for a bit while I set up their new brooder. I decided to go bigger today because I'll be gone for 3 days while I help my mom move to So Cal. I figured this would stay cleaner a They got to play outside for a bit while I set up their new brooder. It was 65° outside. I decided to go bigger today because I'll be gone for 3 days while I help my mom move to So Cal. I figured this would stay cleaner a little longer because I know my hubby and/or son won't clean it 2x a day...

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And here is the new brooder. It's not huge, but it's about 9 sq ft. I have a 2nd one just like it, and I can join them side by side, I think, if I get a little creative. I lined the sides with a plastic drop cloth I had in the workshop.
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They are looking so cute! Is that a rabbit cage? Or is that an actual brooder? I like it!

 

[Aunt Angus]

They are looking so cute! Is that a rabbit cage? Or is that an actual brooder? I like it!

It's a big rabbit cage. I lined it because of the mess they make shaking their heads when they eat/drink. I need something I can move around easily so I can keep an eye on them during the day. So this is sitting on a furniture dolly. Plus, I already had this (I've used it for chicks). Otherwise, I'd just use a huge water trough.

 

[MotherOfDuckens]

PROBLEM. My dogs got into the duckling crumble. I am almost out and won't be able to get any until tomorrow afternoon.

I have chicken grower (17%) and layer pellets. But I have no chick grit.

What can I do until I can get to the feed store tomorrow?

As long as the chicken grower is non-medicated, you can just use that. Are you worried about the grit because the grower is a drastically different texture, or whole grain or something? What I've done in the past is gone into my yard and pulled a nice big tuft of grass up with roots and dirt and all. The ducklings figure out very quickly how to root through the dirt and pick out the fine pieces of grit in there. Bonus - you expose their systems to some local microfauna. Even if it's snowy you can still dig up a patch of dirt that has small pebbles and whatnot in it. When ducklings go out with momma they naturally pick up the grit they need from the dirt, so they're pretty good at choosing what they need out of a clump of it. It'll make the brooder nice and messy and their poops hilariously dirty, but it not only works in a pinch - it actually works well in its own right.

 

[MotherOfDuckens]

If you are worried about the pellets being too big, you could crush them or pulse them in a food processor. You can also extend the feed you have with some oatmeal, cook up some rice for them, maybe feed some thawed frozen peas for added protein? They can even eat scrambled eggs, though for some reason my ducks and ducklings have never been huge fans. I've heard others dig 'em.

 

[MotherOfDuckens]

This might be helpful:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/the-ultimate-list-of-duck-treats-and-supplements.242460/

 

[Aunt Angus]

As long as the chicken grower is non-medicated, you can just use that. Are you worried about the grit because the grower is a drastically different texture, or whole grain or something? What I've done in the past is gone into my yard and pulled a nice big tuft of grass up with roots and dirt and all. The ducklings figure out very quickly how to root through the dirt and pick out the fine pieces of grit in there. Bonus - you expose their systems to some local microfauna. Even if it's snowy you can still dig up a patch of dirt that has small pebbles and whatnot in it. When ducklings go out with momma they naturally pick up the grit they need from the dirt, so they're pretty good at choosing what they need out of a clump of it. It'll make the brooder nice and messy and their poops hilariously dirty, but it not only works in a pinch - it actually works well in its own right.

Yeah, it's a different texture. I decided to crush some of the pellets and use that with the yeast added. It's just for now.

Darn dogs.... But that's what I get for leaving the bag of feed near the countertop edge...