First time duckling mama

[Katv2019]

I am a first time duckling mama. I have been trying to read as much as I can but have SOOOO many questions still. Can anyone help? I currently live on a 5 acres in Michigan. I am hoping the ducks can free roam to the pond during the day and pen them up at night. I am in the process of building a duck house with a duck run attached. I have only had the ducklings for a week and currently have them in my basement. I am hoping the weather changes soon for me to move them into the garage for a short time until the weather completely breaks and I can move them outside.

Any advice people can give me??

Any tips on building a duck house and run?
When is a good time to transition them from garage or outside in the Michigan cold?
When can I start giving them treats? What are some good treats?

 

[DuckyDonna]

Welcome to the BYC ducks!

I would say that you probably shouldn't move them out into the cold until they are completely feathered out.

In the meantime build a predator proof house for them sheltering from wind and rain and using 1/2" hardware cloth for every square inch that isn't covered. NOT chicken wire for the pen! A mink or weasel can easily get through that. There are a lot of previous posts about that. @IsabellaMarilyn was asking the same thing so look back on her posts! I sent her a lot of information and pictures!