Duck imprint

[DuckGod]

Hi all, I am new to this website and am about to begin bringing a duckling into my life, I need help with a few questions. I have wanted to get a pekin duck for a long time now, but was unable to do so because of home issues.

1. I am keeping it inside my house with me so it would be treated like a pet dog, but would he follow me around or would be act independently?

2. I am willing to purchase the high end and most nutritious food (main course food, daily given) for him, what would you recommend?

3. What are some things I could do to boost my love for him and get him to bond with me more?

4. Any tips for new owners?

Thank you guys!

 

[CloneFly]

Welcome to the BYC! Congrats on the duckling! Just an fyi, ducks are rather social creatures and will be happiest with a friend. With that out of the way, for the 1st month you will need to give him a LOT of love, cuddles and snuggles♡
The more you spend time with them as they grow, the friendlier they will be as adults. (Kinda like kids lol)
Be sure to have a niacin supplement for your ducky as well... lack of niacin can lead to a world of health problems. Best of luck and keep us updated!!

 

[CoriM]

Having had pekin ducks I have several pieces of advice, hope it doesn't offend. First, ducks absolutely need to be with their own kind. They are intensely social and belonging with other ducks is a necessity for their happiness and well-being. Trust me, you will never want to or be able to be with your duck 24/7 and that is what they need. You have to think about what is best for the animal. Also, pekins are quite large and their poop is enormous and frequent. I would never have a pekin duck in my house, other than in the brooder when they're babies. Pekins are also bred to be meat ducks and harvested at 8 weeks old, so they have frequent problems with their legs and bumblefoot infections. Ducks are truly meant to be outside animals. If you have the chance to go observe some ducks, you will see that what they live for is digging in the grass, finding bugs, and playing in the water - they want to do this all day long. A pekin just won't be living its best life inside. They are never going to be like a dog or cat - aside from when they're tiny babies, they just aren't big on cuddling and petting. They're sweet and fun and cute, and a ton of work, to have outside, and even then there are many considerations before adding them to your yard, such as adequate and predator proof housing, all the potential medical issues (surprisingly many with ducks) considerations of vet care, etc. Please really dig in and research on what's best for ducks before you make a decision.

 

[Luv Ducks]

I totally agree with CoriM. Ducks are not dogs or cats. They stink to high heaven and especially in the house. You constantly have to clean up after them and if you diaper it, that needs changed lots of times a day to keep it healthy. They are cute when they are babies and beautiful when they are big but need to be kept with their own kind as they are flock animals. You will end up with a duck that wants you attention constantly and cries for it at no end. I hope you think about this really seriously before you decide to do this to a duck. Good luck with your decision. The ducks happiness will depend on it.

 

[fatty and friends]

ducks NEED other ducks to be happy, they just won't be happy alone and (not trying to be rude) but it's selfish to keep just one duck because it's easier for you. two ducks will still bond to you and follow you around, my ducks are older now and still imprinted/follow me

ducks need a yard, they need to be able to play outside for hours a day to be happy. they need to swim daily, they love mud puddles, and make a mess of all their drinking water

mazuri is what i feed my ducks, best brand you can get for them. also fresh veggies daily as snacks

don't listen to people who say pekins need to be killed at 8 weeks old though. that is a complete lie, and they can live perfectly healthy lives if cared for properly. my two jumbo pekin boys are turning 4 and are happy/healthy

 

[CoriM]

To clarify, I wasn't saying pekins need to be killed at 8 weeks. I was saying they are bred to gain weight quickly so they may be harvested at that young age, and this is to their detriment. My pekins are pets as well.

 

[lost-duckling]

I once raised a chicken in a large glass cage less than 2 yards from my bed and although i only played with it as a baby it still thought it was human once it was full sized and put out to pasture.
If there were ever a bird i would be okay with treating as a dog it would be raised this way, only i would never do this.
This wasn't a good way to raise the animal cause it was all alone but that was unchangeable as it had hatched all alone in a strange time of year and the hen wanted to kill it.
As for indoor ducks they are a whole nother level of PITA. I once had one with a wrecked tendon and leg at a 90 degree bend at the knee and trust me ducks belong OUTSIDE.(duck made remarkable recovery with 3d printed brace and a swing chair but later died of something else)

 

[DuckGod]

Thank you guys for your explanations, I will have 3 ducklings and they will be raised outdoors with lots of water, shelter and with a niacin diet. Thanks everyone!

 

[CloneFly]

Sounds good! I had my chickens and goose in the house for 6mos... they do stink and make a LOT of mess. Best of luck!!

 

[BelovedBirds]

Hi all, I am new to this website and am about to begin bringing a duckling into my life, I need help with a few questions. I have wanted to get a pekin duck for a long time now, but was unable to do so because of home issues.

1. I am keeping it inside my house with me so it would be treated like a pet dog, but would he follow me around or would be act independently?

2. I am willing to purchase the high end and most nutritious food (main course food, daily given) for him, what would you recommend?

3. What are some things I could do to boost my love for him and get him to bond with me more?

4. Any tips for new owners?

Thank you guys!

I'll be honest here, can ducks thrive indoors? Absolutely, but it is extremely hard to give them a good quality of life compared to the natural enrichment outside. There is A LOT to say here so excuse the essay.
Ducklings are hard to raise alone, they will scream and cry constantly when you aren't there, that includes when you go to sleep. It's stressful for them as they are flock animals and are built to live with company.
Some tips with ducklings:
They need duckling appropriate food with lots of niacin.
They need company of their own kind.
They need to be supervised whenever in water, and they need the water to be warm but not too hot. They cant waterproof themselves so need drying off after a few minutes of swim time.
They need absorbing and easy to grip flooring in the brooder, and a brooder plate or lamp for warmth. A heat plate (electric hen) works better so that they don't overheat. If they have a lamp, they need it on one half the brooder, and the other half should be cooler.

So firstly,
1. Ducks are flock animals and being alone (even if there is a person around 24/7), isn't good for them. And you would very unlikely be there 24/7, so the duck would occasionally be completely isolated.
The only way to fix this situation and ensure the duck's happiness, is to have at least 1 friend for him. 3 is a better miminum, but 2 is the bare minimum. You'd likely need to either have two males, or two females.

2. The ducklings may imprint and follow you around, but the ducks will also poop every 10-15 minutes. Wet, stinky poop. So the floor would be a mess very very fast unless you train them to tolerate a duck diaper (which you can buy online, but this shouldn't be on 24/7).
Duck diapers on a female duck could interfere with laying, and if they aren't kept clean as possible, could make a dirty nasty mess.
A more realistic solution would be housing them in a really large pen (a puppy pen, with tarpaulin underneath and up the sides to prevent ruining the floors and walls).
They will need plenty of space, they need to be able to run a little and have enough space to flap their wings. And even then, they'll need to come out for regular swims in the bath (no soap), and for exercise to run around.

They'll need a water bucket deep enough to dunk their heads, as well as enrichment. Ducks can benefit from having toys. My girls always loved hanging rattly baby toys, kept them entertained. But ensure the toys have no loose parts or stringy bits as that could be a safety hazard.

The pen will need a good amount of pine shavings, to absorb all the wet mess. And if you have hens they'll probably want a nice little nest area with some hay.
If this is not cleaned out 2 times a day, it will make your house stink, and the ducks will be at risk of respiratory issues, and potentially ammonia burns.

My girls lived inside for a long time before their pen was finished. I cleaned their pen in the morning, and cleaned buckets and feed bowls, all while they spent time in a temporary predator proof run outside. In the evening they came inside and went in for bed. If they were inside all day, like your ducklings will be, they'll need cleaning out 2 or even 3 times daily, and a good amount of supervised bath time.

Even with all this cleaning, my room smelt bad 70% of the time and having them move outside full time was a huge relief, even though miss them being so close.

Having indoor ducks sounds so fun until you live the reality and see how exhausting it is.


I would get 3 or so sexed ducklings (3 males or 3 females), start the ducklings indoors, and once they are fully feathered, move them to a secure coop outside.