Getting my first ducks. Questions!

[SilkiesnFrizzle]

Because they are small, would sectioning off some of the coop for them be fine? Would it be ok to let them "free range" the coop and run for small periods if I am there to supervise? Also, they have always had access to plenty of water, enough to get thier bills wet....AND make messes When can I allow them to take a swim, when do I introduce that? Is the tub ok?

 

[Amiga]

If they are warm enough and protected from other animals, I think sectioning off part of the coop would be okay for daytime. And supervision is always important.

For ducklings, they need to be able to wash at least their entire heads frequently to avoid infections. So a head washer would be good.

And for these baby waterfowl, if there are water management problems, whatever you do, restricting their access to water is not on the list of solutions. They must be able not only to drink, but the wash their heads frequently, and then also regularly have access to a warm bath, followed with a trip back to a clean, warm, dry brooder. By warm, for the first week that would be 90F water. My ducklings' first bath was in a cake pan in the brooder. The water level was just to the tops of their tiny legs. That's plenty for starters, and as I wrote above, they must be supervised. But you know that, you sound like an attentive caregiver

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Tweetysvoice and 70%cocoa and OldGuy43 have some good water setups for ducklings if you can find them.

 

[MountainMamaHST]

One of the chicks.

That pretty girl in the food bowl is Stella, a white/fawn runner.

Love the duckies!!!

I'll give you my garden advice on the ducks. I love the ducks as garden pets. Ours last year would go out with me and eat weed seedlings, dig up bugs, and just make it more lively. Ours were wild though and so they left us. This year we have two Khaki Campbells and these are the rules I have for them. They cannot be out with seedlings. Tender sweet shoots are too tempting, you know. They cannot be out in the evening or early morning hours. These are when our ladybugs and mantis populations slow down for the night and aren't as quick to get away from our ducky friends. No pesticides! That's what the ladybugs, mantis, and ducks are for. If they get too aggressive with a certain plant (beans and peas fell victim last year) then we fence off the plants (a plastic hardware cloth fence works fine and is cheap). I plant some sprouts in a certain area just for my little feathered friends to eat. Last year they knew where it was and would run straight to it. Plant enough so they don't destroy it in a single day but not so much that things take over

Hope that helps! OH and duck poo and chicken poo are AWESOME in the compost bin

 

[rubberduckies]

Ok, here's another question... I was going to give my ducks niacin but realized I got "flush-free" so they haven't been getting it. Today my Pekin has started having trouble standing. Nothing too bad yet, but it's noticeable. WHERE can I find the regular niacin?? I've heard Walmart only sales flush-free. I'm going to town today so I'm going to look for regular niacin. Any ideas on the stores I should look at?

 

[Amiga]

My local drugstore sells it.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I noticed someone posted last week they had to get the reg niaicn at the health food store, but seems like you'd be able to find it a CVS or Rite Aid or Walgreens. I used Brewers yeast so never looked for niacin.

 

[rubberduckies]

Hmm. I looked again at Walmart today. Only flush-free. Didn't get a chance to go anywhere else but in the morning I'll try Walgreens and maybe GNC. I also noticed that they are laying kind of all over the brooder and my Pekin was panting. I'm not sure what the temp was at the time, I just turned the heat lamp off. It's 70 degrees in the house right now. If they are 3 weeks old the temp in the brooder should be 80, right? I'm going to give them a little time to cool off and then move the lamp a little farther away and keep checking the temp. I don't want to over heat them but I'm still worried that its too early to completely remove the heat lamp.

 

[Amiga]

I used to have to write down the age and temperatures to keep it straight. 90 week 1, 85 week two, 80 week three, so if they are three weeks old we are starting on week four, and that's 75. So 70 may actually be okay for them. There is some variation depending on the individual ducks.

They may be too warm.

GNC will likely have it the niacin you need.

 

[countrygirl74]

I used to have to write down the age and temperatures to keep it straight. 90 week 1, 85 week two, 80 week three, so if they are three weeks old we are starting on week four, and that's 75. So 70 may actually be okay for them. There is some variation depending on the individual ducks.

They may be too warm.

GNC will likely have it the niacin you need.

X2 - my ducks got hot fast and I brought the heat down way quicker than with the chicks. And I would also think GNC should have it.

 

[ChristineR]

X2 - my ducks got hot fast and I brought the heat down way quicker than with the chicks. And I would also think GNC should have it.

X3. Ducklings need less heat than chicks. I've never actually measured the temps. I just watch them closely to see if they need more or less heat. Usually it's less than I first thought they would need. I use a Brinsea EcoGlow brooder now and I love it. It's pretty much worry free.