First Time Duck Owner

[WyldStorm]

Well, do to some random events I know have an 8 week old Buff duck who I dont know the gender of. While I have the time, space and resources to take care of them, I don't really know where to start and what to expect. I live in the midwest, so my weather is the extreme of both hot and cold. What do I need, what will I need as he or she gets bigger? When is it okay to take them outside and out of a brooder? Will being the only duck be a problem? or should I look into adding another? Also how can I bond and gain there trust? He seems very skiddish but is doing better the past few days.

 

[AddisonDragon09]

I might get ducks so can I have pros and cons. Don’t want to steal the thread though. WyldStorm if you just have one duck it will bond to you. Ducks are pack animals so if you get another one get one while young. Correct me if I’m wrong because I don’t even have ducks. Can someone tell me if they are better than chickens. Pros and cons please!

 

[Wolfefarmyard]

It’ll definitely need a friend! They live in flocks and can get very lonely. I’ve even heard of some dying from loneliness!

You’ll need a coop or duck house for it, and as for temps go, ducks seem to be really hardy with both cold and hot weather!

 

[Steven Bussell]

I might get ducks so can I have pros and cons. Don’t want to steal the thread though. WyldStorm if you just have one duck it will bond to you. Ducks are pack animals so if you get another one get one while young. Correct me if I’m wrong because I don’t even have ducks. Can someone tell me if they are better than chickens. Pros and cons please!

I just started raising chicks and ducklings...
Mine just turned 3 weeks today. So I'm just a duckling myself.
Ducks are super messy and more demanding. Requirements more space and special needs... They need to be able to dunk their heads in water for health reasons ..
They grow super fast...
But
They have ton of personality. I personally wouldn't have ducks unless I was able to spend a lot of time enjoying them. Our ducks are 20 feet from my bedroom. And in the middle of our back yard .
Plus some breeds are louder than rosters...

 

[Catfsm]

I have a pasture area that is about 60 by 25 and inside are our hens-- maybe 60 play in there along with our two little Nigerian Goats.

I just got 4 baby ducks. They are cutey little Khaki Campbells. They are under a heat lamp. My question is what is the best way to keep them after that:

They could be kept inside the bigger chicken coop, but the problem is that feeding would be less easy since they need the niacin mixed in with chicken food and the chickens do not.

They could have their duck house in the pasture. It already exists and just needs to be put together. It is just a small coop.

Or they could have this duck house next to a kiddy pool in our yard. Then they would run around the yard.

I am afraid that putting their pool inside the pasture would result in it becoming too muddy. They most likely are going to be messy. However, if they are outside the pasture, they will run everywhere. Will they tear things up? Will they drop manure around? I want our yard to be tidy.

I could build another sort of run for them, but if they can fly up to 8 feet up, that would be an expensive space and building would be expensive, too, since I am not really handy and would need to hire someone.

What would work best? Our yard is not tidy, and our veg garden is fenced about 6 feet tall,

I am also afraid they might run down to the river which runs at the western end of our land for 400 feet. I do not care really unless they choose to swim off and not come home. Will they do that?

Should I get someone to teach me to trim their wings so they do not fly and put them inside.

 

[Steven Bussell]

Could you build them a 10x10 play pen outside with a gate. You could control access to a kiddie pool. Just mud proof that area.

 

[Catfsm]

Steven, are you envisioning the duck house outside the area where the chickens are, and a small play yard there for them? I have fencing, but not chicken wire. I have what is called rabbit fencing-- quite a bit of that. They could play in there during the day.

I am concerned about predators, but maybe the ducks would play out there and then go into the duck coop at night and I could close the gate. The duck house or coop would be predator proof.

How do people make an area mud proof? I am chuckling. Do I need a cement pad with hay or wood chips on top of it?

What would work?

Tob