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In the Brooder
- Apr 25, 2016
- 42
- 3
- 34
So I am a first time duck-owner myself. I have three pekin females that I got back in June. I''ve never had chickens but my best friend has 9. So from one first time duck owner to another, let me give you some things I wish I had known before I got my girls:
1) when people say they are messy, they ain't lying. When I first got my girls, I kept them in a plastic pool with a cardboard box around it for their brooder. The first couple weeks I only had to change it once a week. As they got bigger, it turn into every 3 days. Then it turned into almost everyday by week 5 or 6. It was honestly a pain to keep up with. Their pen that I keep them in is a muddy mess ALL the time. And it smells horrible. I'm actually switching to pea gravel this weekend to hopefully cut down on their mess and smell. For their "pond," I use one of those koi pond liners you get from lowes or HD. It cost me $40 on craigslist. I have to change that out every single week with a sump pump (cause I have it in the ground with no drain) and it's dirty again within 20m. I'm also upgrading that this weekend too.
2) they grow FAST. Like insanely fast. By week 6 my girls were bigger than my friend's 6month old chickens. Growing ducks mean bigger room is needed.
3) idk about anyone else, but my girls are LOUD, especially in the morning. It might be because we are on a routine, but if I don't let my girls out by 8am to roam they YELL for me lol. They're my alarm clock most mornings.
4) get ready to constantly revamp or redo things. What I mean is I went through 4 different type of feeders before I found one that works for me. Their drinking water, probably has gone through 20 different types. I'm always redoing something or trying to improve on their enclosure. I feel like it's a never ending battle. Like I said I'm redoing their enclosure floor and getting (yet another) pond for them this weekend.
5) my girls didn't imprint on me. They don't really come near me and tend to stay away. Every now and then again they'll let me come near but that's really only if I gave treats. For the most part they like to be left alone.
6) although this forum has helped me more than a couple times, I've found that there is limited info or resources for duck care. The feed store I go to only carries Nutrena All Flock and doesn't seem to know much about ducks. But ask them anything about a chicken and they will tell you everything lol.
7) they will eat EVERYTHING. There are times when I walk into their enclosure and will go "WHERE DID YOU GET THAT!!?" They have this amazing ability to find the most random stuff in the yard. They've also killed my flowerbeds and ate almost everything in there but the weeds LOL.
I love my ducks, don't get me wrong. This post probably seems so negative lol. But They're hilarious to watch and I enjoy seeing them out in the yard. Would I get ducks again? Maybe. Possibly a different breed. But I'm more inclined to get chickens on my next go around.
1) when people say they are messy, they ain't lying. When I first got my girls, I kept them in a plastic pool with a cardboard box around it for their brooder. The first couple weeks I only had to change it once a week. As they got bigger, it turn into every 3 days. Then it turned into almost everyday by week 5 or 6. It was honestly a pain to keep up with. Their pen that I keep them in is a muddy mess ALL the time. And it smells horrible. I'm actually switching to pea gravel this weekend to hopefully cut down on their mess and smell. For their "pond," I use one of those koi pond liners you get from lowes or HD. It cost me $40 on craigslist. I have to change that out every single week with a sump pump (cause I have it in the ground with no drain) and it's dirty again within 20m. I'm also upgrading that this weekend too.
2) they grow FAST. Like insanely fast. By week 6 my girls were bigger than my friend's 6month old chickens. Growing ducks mean bigger room is needed.
3) idk about anyone else, but my girls are LOUD, especially in the morning. It might be because we are on a routine, but if I don't let my girls out by 8am to roam they YELL for me lol. They're my alarm clock most mornings.
4) get ready to constantly revamp or redo things. What I mean is I went through 4 different type of feeders before I found one that works for me. Their drinking water, probably has gone through 20 different types. I'm always redoing something or trying to improve on their enclosure. I feel like it's a never ending battle. Like I said I'm redoing their enclosure floor and getting (yet another) pond for them this weekend.
5) my girls didn't imprint on me. They don't really come near me and tend to stay away. Every now and then again they'll let me come near but that's really only if I gave treats. For the most part they like to be left alone.
6) although this forum has helped me more than a couple times, I've found that there is limited info or resources for duck care. The feed store I go to only carries Nutrena All Flock and doesn't seem to know much about ducks. But ask them anything about a chicken and they will tell you everything lol.
7) they will eat EVERYTHING. There are times when I walk into their enclosure and will go "WHERE DID YOU GET THAT!!?" They have this amazing ability to find the most random stuff in the yard. They've also killed my flowerbeds and ate almost everything in there but the weeds LOL.
I love my ducks, don't get me wrong. This post probably seems so negative lol. But They're hilarious to watch and I enjoy seeing them out in the yard. Would I get ducks again? Maybe. Possibly a different breed. But I'm more inclined to get chickens on my next go around.
