Ducks In Winter...

[shadust1]

OK...couple of questions....my pond is frozen now and the ducks have an area that they r in...i know that i have to give them water everyday to drink and dip there head but do they also need to swim everyday....or do u think i should bring all four of them up to my greenhouse and set up a kiddie pool inside the greenhouse for them...also some questions about my female giggles....over the summer she was wobbling alot...then she stopped but now she is wobbling again...i bought niacin...and i open up 4 pills and mix together with there food...have been doing that for a week or so...do u think that from 4 ducks all together eating from the same container that she isnt getting enough of the niacin?? do i need to seperate her only and give it to her...i dont know what to do...i feel bad...please help..this is there first winter....we do have a dog house that is down with them but they never use it..so we r gonna cut our xmas tree up and drap around the dogbox so they will feel more comfortable...i dont know what else to do....i feel like im gonna kill them....

ok...last question....one of our ducks got hurt in the summer and lost a leg...her leg healed completely she has a stump now....is she gonna be able to survive in the winter months...omg...im gonna go crazy...thanks for the help!!!

 

[m.kitchengirl]

Whoa, doggy! You sound like you are having "one of those days".
That's a lot of questions, I'll see what I can do.

1. Ducks only need to be able to dunk their heads to clean the nostrils. They will clean themselves with that water, but I like to give them their pool as often as I can.
(Usually only every other day when it is cold like this.)
I am sure they would love to splash around in the bath house, I mean green house.

2. You could try to mix the niacin into their water - I believe the ratio is 100 mg to one gallon of water. I have also heard that Nutritional Yeast is a less expensive food additive. But, yes, it sounds like they are
all getting the niacin & she is not getting enough of a boost. If she is good at being herded you could try to separate her & feed her alone.

3. If they know the doghouse is theirs they will use it if they need it. A good way to get them to recognize it is theirs is to toss tons of peas in there (also a good source of niacin) often, once they run in, close
them in for a while. (Overnight, if you are concerned about predation.) I am sure they will love messing about in the Christmas Tree boughs.

4. I have no knowledge of ducks who have lost a leg, I am sure life will be harder for her, but there are special needs duck owners here who may have some ideas.

Good luck with your ducks. There are some awful days on the homestead/hobby farm, but there are some wonderful, amazing days as well. It is what we learn from both that makes us better animal husbands.

Hope I have been helpful. I am new to this, I am sure some better experienced people will weigh in soon. I just thought it sounded like you needed someone to answer ASAP. I've had those days myself.

 

[Smiles-N-Sunshine]

m.kitchengirl :

4. I have no knowledge of ducks who have lost a leg, I am sure life will be harder for her, but there are special needs duck owners here who may have some ideas.

We have a duck with a crippled leg. In our case, the other ducks (and chickens and turkeys) don't pay it any mind, and accept her in the flock. This is a big contrast to how the chickens treat a fallen comrade - by attacking it.

She hops around just fine. I help her into and out of the swim tub, and make sure she gets the same treats as the others, but otherwise she's just another duck. But a duck with a name: GG, or Gigi. It stands for "Gimpy Girl", "Good Girl", or "Gorgeous Girl" depending on how I feel about her at the time.​

 

[Amiga]

I agree with m.kitchengirl and Smiles-N-Sunshine.

I'd add that ducks are little individuals, and you will need to go with your gut on extra care for your special needs and injured ducks. For example, you know a one-legged duck won't be able to get away from predators, so she may need to be watched more closely and sheltered more securely at all times.

Regarding the dog house, I'd consider placing straw bales around it for extra insulation - it may also make it look a little cozier (who knows the mind of a duck? mine love to try to wedge themselves between straw bales), and it will certainly keep more wind and cold out.

100 to 150 mg niacin per gallon of water is what I remember Holderread recommending.

How old are the ducks? What do they eat? What kind of ducks are they?

 

[shadust1]

i have 4 pekins ducks...i think one has a little mallard in him...but not sure bc they were my boyfriends dads ducks...he brought them over to us in the summer bc we have a huge pond...newho...we have a fence that comes out of the water and wraps around so that if a predator comes then the ducks have ample time to run into the pond to get away from predators...when i went home yesterday me & my son went down to break open the ice to make a little pond area for the ducks to swim a little bit...they were laying up against the fence all together...i took down some thawed mixed veggies to them and they didnt want anything to do with them..lol...probably bc my boyfriend just went to work a couple hours before that and he gave them stuff..nehow...so after we broke open the pond we scooped out the ice..lol...when we went to leave they didnt relize that the pond was good to go..so my son scooted them down into the water...they were having a blast dunking around in cleaning themselves...we went back to the barn and got a bunch of hay to lay down on the ground where they were laying so they have some kind of bed...we are in the process of moving the dog box down to there new area so they can use that for shelter...thanks for the idea of the peas...they love peas....as far as my special needs girls(we call per peg for (pegleg)..lol...kinda mean...but her and her man are peg&al bundy..lol...she is getting around really good..she even uses her stump of a leg or she uses her wings and kinda glides....the dog house has straw in it but we will be adding more...and it is also sided with the left over siding we had from the house..lol...as far as giggles is concerned that is what we were thinking about doing is moving her away and letting her get her fair share of the food...i will also try the peas...

my two ducks are 71/2 months old....the other two im not sure..maybe 1-11/2 old...they all eat the dumor layer feed from tractor supply...

THANKS FOR EVERYONES HELP!! lol...i was having a moment...im a worry wart..lol...they r my babies..lol...


Quote:

 

[shadust1]

i have 4 pekins ducks...i think one has a little mallard in him...but not sure bc they were my boyfriends dads ducks...he brought them over to us in the summer bc we have a huge pond...newho...we have a fence that comes out of the water and wraps around so that if a predator comes then the ducks have ample time to run into the pond to get away from predators...when i went home yesterday me & my son went down to break open the ice to make a little pond area for the ducks to swim a little bit...they were laying up against the fence all together...i took down some thawed mixed veggies to them and they didnt want anything to do with them..lol...probably bc my boyfriend just went to work a couple hours before that and he gave them stuff..nehow...so after we broke open the pond we scooped out the ice..lol...when we went to leave they didnt relize that the pond was good to go..so my son scooted them down into the water...they were having a blast dunking around in cleaning themselves...we went back to the barn and got a bunch of hay to lay down on the ground where they were laying so they have some kind of bed...we are in the process of moving the dog box down to there new area so they can use that for shelter...thanks for the idea of the peas...they love peas....as far as my special needs girls(we call per peg for (pegleg)..lol...kinda mean...but her and her man are peg&al bundy..lol...she is getting around really good..she even uses her stump of a leg or she uses her wings and kinda glides....the dog house has straw in it but we will be adding more...and it is also sided with the left over siding we had from the house..lol...as far as giggles is concerned that is what we were thinking about doing is moving her away and letting her get her fair share of the food...i will also try the peas...

my two ducks are 71/2 months old....the other two im not sure..maybe 1-11/2 old...they all eat the dumor layer feed from tractor supply...

THANKS FOR EVERYONES HELP!! lol...i was having a moment...im a worry wart..lol...they r my babies..lol...


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[zzGypsy]

sounds like you're getting plenty of good advice, nothing more to add to what's already there.

your post title made me think of a haiku, so I'll just add this, maybe it'll lighten your day

white ducks in winter
bills tucked up under warm wings
laughing in the pond

don't worry too much, you're doing fine.​

 

[aoxa]

I doubt they need to swim. I have a kiddy pool for mine, and they don't use it. Instead they make a mess of the chickens' water.