I recently agreed to take in a duck from a coworker who's just had a baby and can no longer care for it and winter is starting. I have hens, and I know I have to keep them separate but any other advice? I've never had a duck before, my Nona and Nana had ducks and they seemed to have similar care to chickens but I just want to make sure I'm covering all my bases in my research. It's just one male, I don't know his breed yet, and I can't get him any friends until spring. This woman has only ever had the one duck, so I'm sure that's not good for his mental health as a social bird.
That’s nice of you to take him in. Why can’t you get him any girlfriends until spring? I mean, maybe there aren’t any available but are you going to at least check and try? Usually local Facebook groups or craigslist will have people selling or rehoming adult Ducks.
Ducks need a water bucket, deep enough to dunk their head into it to keep their nares clean and their eyes clean.
They don’t really need a pool in the winter but when it’s not freezing out, they might appreciate a little swim time if you have a small kiddy pool. Honestly, they don’t technically really need a pool ever at all but in the summer I think it’s pretty important. I put the stone inside the pool and outside it to help them get in and out.
For housing a simple small building will do. They sleep on the ground. They like to snuggle in the straw they do not roost like chickens. Maybe you can just get him a large dog crate and put that in a corner of the chicken coop and get him to go in there at night so at least he’s around other birds but can’t touch them. And then during the day, maybe keep him where he can see the chickens, but can’t get to them like fence off a section of the pen for him.
I would give him a mirror and a stuffed animal too.
And try to get him a few girlfriends .
For food do not just give him the chickens layer Feed. He should have either a duck feed pellet or an all flock pellet for his feed.
Or if you want to get the Mazuri floating waterfowl food that’s pretty cool. The maintenance Mazuri waterfowl not the breeder. I have some of that and my Ducks love it.
His housing if you do build him something separate definitely needs some ventilation because Ducks breathe out a lot of moisture and in the winter it’s the moisture that freezes them.
