Got Stuck

[Wing & A Prayer Farm]

We're just into raising chickens & a neighbor stopped by knowing how much we care about them & dropped off 2 roughly 4 week old ducks hoping we could take them in(which we have or are)... We have no clue what to do or what kind of ducks they are or if hens or drakes just yet... We are gonna build them a coop & run so they are safe & will do what needs to be done for their well being.. Any & all suggestions would be greatly appreciated.. Few quick questions with coop.. Should it be raised off the ground like the chicken coop (we do get alot of rain) or should we build it on the ground(chance of it getting soaked inside) without having a ramp?? We can build a 5' x 5' coop for them with wood materials we have readily available & a 8' wide x 16' long run for them (with kiddie pool we can buy).. Is this enough for them to be alright... Help!!! Please!!!

 

[Amiga]

For two ducks it sounds like you should be good. I like to take my ducks for walks around the gardens so they can have a little adventure and eat slugs and pests.

A swim pan once they are grown is good for them to stay clean. I use a doggie pool and concrete mixing pans. In warm weather, it is best to change it once a day.

The ducklings need water 24/7 for another month or so, along with food. They need three times the niacin chicks do, which you can supplement by sprinkling brewer's yeast on their food, or dissolving a 100 mg niacin capsule in a gallon of water.

They need to be able to wash their little heads, so a margarine tub with a small cutout in the lid that lets them get their heads in and out easily, but not jump in, usually does the trick.

You will need to figure out how to manage the water they splash. They cannot help it, they dribble and splash. So a separate area, a small platform with screen and a towel on top with something underneath to collect water, something like that is ideal.

Bedding needs to be changed due mostly to the moisture. Oddly, though they make their brooder quite moist, leaving it that way promotes mold and that is bad for their health.

I hope these off the top of my head thoughts help. You could do a forum search on duckling brooder or duckling feed and see some good discussions.

Enjoy! They are wonderful! Oh, and they will probably go through a phase of being very frightened of you. Use thawed frozen peas as treats, always be calm around them, and after a while (sometimes weeks) they will probably warm up to you.

 

[Wing & A Prayer Farm]

That was a lot of great info & surely a big help.. Thanks so much for the advice & I will continue to do some more homework & a lot of praying.. Let yall know how this adventure goes LOL...

 

[Amiga]

I'll be praying with you.

 

[Amiga]

And up off the ground is good for the coop. As long as the ramp is 30 degrees or less, I have been told, it should work. I covered the duck house ramp (about 15 degrees) with plastic poultry fence for gripability (new word?).

 

[Wing & A Prayer Farm]

Sorry it's taken so long to post back.. It's been a lot of fun with the new ducklings & they have seemed to adapted well with everything & they love the pool.. Still trying to teach them the whole ramp thing but we'll keep working at it.. We built them a 4x4x4 guess you could say coop & an 18x8 run to keep them safe & they seem to being doing ok with it.. Don't have a pond for them & have to keep them in a run since we have wild dogs & coyotes around here so we're doing our best to keep them safe.. Hope we're doing right by them & will keep praying.. Will try to post pics of them as soon as we can

 

[Miss Lydia]

Sorry it's taken so long to post back.. It's been a lot of fun with the new ducklings & they have seemed to adapted well with everything & they love the pool.. Still trying to teach them the whole ramp thing but we'll keep working at it.. We built them a 4x4x4 guess you could say coop & an 18x8 run to keep them safe & they seem to being doing ok with it.. Don't have a pond for them & have to keep them in a run since we have wild dogs & coyotes around here so we're doing our best to keep them safe.. Hope we're doing right by them & will keep praying.. Will try to post pics of them as soon as we can

Most folks that have ducks don't have ponds for them, we mostly use kiddie pools like you see at walmart. as long as you make a way for them to get into and out of it they will love it just as much as a pond honest.
look forward to seeing pics. Sounds like you have a nice setup for them.

 

[Wing & A Prayer Farm]

The kiddie pool is exactly what we have for them.. We dug it down into the ground so it would kinda simulate a pond & also make it easier for them to get in & out of instead of having to jump up... We love just sitting watching how peaceful they are & listening to the sweet little sounds... Will try to post pics this weekend

 

[Amiga]

 

[Miss Lydia]