feed store duck!

[noitulover]

well, long story short, we know someone who knows someone who bought ONE duckling a feed store. She later discover she couldn't keep the poor thing in her college DORM ROOM! surprise, surprise, haha

after a few exchanges and such, we have ended up with this one duckling. I currently am responding to craigslist ads and other local things to find a friend or two or three for this little guy!

I believe he/she is about 2-3 weeks old, still has all of the fuzz, no feathers... and I also believe it is a mallard... Is there any way to tell female or male at this point?

I know chickens, but nothing about ducks!

We have it on 20% chick starter... good or bad?

how much heat does it need? i have been trying to go by peeping, but the poor thing only peeps when we leave its sight! it follows us around the yard like a dog and eats out of our hands! it is ADORABLE! i think i just fell in love with ducks!!

is there anything i should be doing or not doing that i would normally do for a brood of chicks?

thanks so much for the help!

 

[savingdogs]

I'm new to ducks too but since I'm a month or two ahead of you on the timeline I'll tell you what I've learned since no one else has responded yet.

Your chick brooder should work excellent. The waterer will work for a week or two but the chick waterer will eventually not work very well. You can feed your chick starter as long as it isn't medicated. If it is medicated, go instead and buy something like Purina Flock Starter. You may be able to buy a duckling where you buy the Flock Starter.

You might want to rethink the bedding. We used shavings for the chicks but ducks are much wetter and that went through too much bedding. We used those pellets with them which were more expensive but worth the money because the shavings just got too wet and heavy to manage too quickly.

Other than that, some duck expert will soon chime in. Ducks are really fun though! You don't have to worry about the swimming right off the bat, you can get that arranged down the road. We used the bathtub the first couple times. We also moved ducks outside more quickly than we would have had chicks move out...they just smell so much and are so messy.

Hope that helps!

 

[Amiga]

Hi! On behalf of the duckling, thanks for the rescue!

At two to three weeks, the duckling needs to be at about 80 to 85 degrees F. Drop that about 5 degrees a week until 8 weeks. Then the thing to be concerned about is rapid changes in temperature.

The other problem with chick starter (aside from medication) is niacin. Ducklings need three times the niacin of chicks, and lack of niacin can cause dreadful neurological problems. So a duck ration makes sense if you can get it. If not, add 100 to 150 mg of niacin per gallon of water until it is 8 weeks old (per Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks, which I strongly recommend).

Ducklings are prone to respiratory troubles, which often start with being unable to wash their entire heads, leading to clogged nostrils and gummy eyes.

They need fresh greens, daily if possible, for optimum health (reminds me - need to prepare salad today!)

They are lovely, messy, funloving little animals. They make up their own games.

Enjoy!