Duck Duck Chicken? Please Advise Found Baby Duck+ Have Questions!!

[BubbasGirls]

OK, so my kids and my parents found a lone baby duck, and brought it home.. we already have chickens, and I am quite comfortable taking care of wild animals (ravens,chickens,and whatever else someone brings to us) But I know Nothing about keeping ducks and chickens together. We have 1 hen separated from the other hens(she was badly picked on)..Can the duck eventually move in with her? Also can ducks eat chicken feed? Do they need to have a place to swim? I appreciate any advice! Thank You

 

[chasing ducks]

Well to avoid ducky confusion he should be with another duck, they are very social creatures. Plus if it turns out to be a male and eventually tries to mate your female chicken he could seriously harm her as ducks have different organs than chickens do. If you want, metzer farms will sell you 2 ducklings (the minimum is 2) to keep it company. Or you could check your local craigslist. You can feed them chick food though it should be non-medicated (others disagree with me but thats my opinion) because ducks eat more than chickens and can end up getting too much medication. They don't have to have swim water, until they have adult feathers they shouldn't ever be unsupervised swimming, but swimming does make them happy. Ducks are VERY messy, much messier than chickens. They will play in their water and fling it all over. They do need water deep enough to be able to clean their sinuses though, otherwise they can get clogged. Chances are if yours is a wild duck, it's a mallard, so cute! Best of luck! Oh, also I add niacin to the water for my ducks to help avoid leg issues.

 

[BubbasGirls]

Thank You very much for the advice! Yes, it is a baby mallard. Couldn't be more than a couple days old. SO cute!

 

[SugarDuck]

Quote:
Thanks for that bit of advice. I'll have to do that. I worry about my pekins all the time and they are a few months old. They are getting so big.

In your sig you say that's the best advice and I always thought this was:

Don't sweat the petty stuff and don't pet the sweaty stuff.

 

[chasing ducks]

LOL That is an excellent piece of advice. As I am currently awaiting the birth of my third child (she's overdue!) I am thinking that would have been great advice to have 9 months ago lol. And with pekins, I fully understand, I have 5, 2 of which are classified as jumbo females. One of the poor ducks gets tired so quick that she will lay down when you go to catch her rather than run lol