First time ducker

[Chickadee55]

I just inherited 2 ducks from my son who thought it was a cute idea to buy ducklings for his babies on Easter. They have outgrown their coop and have become a nuisance at his house now they are doing the same at my house.
I have plenty of room for them in my coop however; they are the smelliest critters that my kids have ever brought home. I have a tub of water for them plus 2 automatic waters that are completely emply when I come home. The tub is full of sticky, muddy muck that will gag a maggot.
That's a pretty crude discription but very true.
I don't know anything about taking care of these guys or girls............ I guess they're both girls---maybe. How do I tell? The only thing that I know for sure is that they are white and they smell up the place.

 

[Amiga]

Chickadee55, one of the things people new to ducks struggle with is water management.

So they are probably four months old. What do they look like? Do they quack loudly? If so, they are females.

Here is something that I use in the night pen. I use it with ten ducks. There is no unpleasant odor in the night pen. This keeps the water out of the bedding for the most part (the bedding near the entrance gets moist).





It is the bottom of a large dog crate, with sawdust pellets in the bottom to absorb splash. I scrape off the top layer of poo and damp sawdust in the morning. I refresh the sawdust as needed. A straight-sided, flat-bottomed stew pot holds the water and cannot be dumped.

 

[Chickadee55]

The ducks are both white. One quacks very loudly and the other just kind of peeps. I wondered if the louder one might be male.

Inside the coop I have wood shaving and both of the automatic waterers are on top of concrete blocks. The tub sits out in the run and holds 3 gallons of water / mud. (o; Don't get me wrong, I like these guys but they are a lot more work than the chickens.

One more thing; do I need to clip their wings?

 

[Amiga]

If they are white mallards (small, about 3 pounds), perhaps. But if they are Pekins - which grow to about 8 pounds or so, no.

Loud is girl.

 

[Chickadee55]

They are getting pretty big but I'm not sure about their weight. I'll take some pictures tonight. They are petty shy and stick close to the rooster and hens. So IF I have a noisy one and a quiet one, I'm likely to end up with babies???? LOL