HELP! I assisted a duckling before internal pipping!

[Miss Lydia]

What if all ducklings were same age but different breed and they never saw each other before?

Then they still need to meet and greet with supervision they may all just blend without any problems that is something you'll just have to wait and see. Giving them plenty of room is best so they aren't crowded that is when pecking can happen. Ducks love a flock so if you take it slow when introducing they will all blend into a flock.

 

[Hamudazahabi]

My Muscovy have hatched Runners and Buff Orpington ducks. So you'd have you ducks that lay a lot of eggs and your Muscovy that lay but also will hatch other ducklings for you.

I keep on reading "buff Orpington ducks" on this site. I had buff Orpington chickens before and they were amazing. They used to lay almost everyday and used to successfully hatch the eggs they incubate. That chicken I got from a friend and I think they brought it from another country, so I don't think I could find like it. It was later eaten by an animal that looks like a crocodile or something like that. Are buff Orpington ducks similar to the chicken version?

As for the idea, I like that idea of having a type that incubates and a type that lays a lot.

Pekins are wonderful ducks too but they were produced as a meat ducks and grow super fast which means they can have leg problems which means you would just have to make sure they got all the niacin they needed to start off and maybe have to take all their lives if you plan on keeping them and not processing them.

If I get pekin ducks, I think I will make the niacin more concentrated in their water then.

Make sure your little duckling get exercise daily when the weather permits getting them outside with supervision is a good way to exercise their legs swimming is another. I have also seen members post their KC fly too. Pekins nope too heavy

As for exercise, everyday morning I let them out for like half an hour to walk around the garden while watching them, then later around noon when there is sun I also get them out to let them get sunlight and also to get warmer if they want to, with a place that has shade so they can go there if it's too hot, and I let them out for like another half an hour and sometimes less. I have to keep watching them because my cats always try to hunt them and I have to keep removing them away when they slowly come close. The ducks keep running and following each others around the garden, and they also eat grass, sometimes only puts thr grass in their bills and act like eating but not actually eat it. As for swimming, I will try warm water later.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I keep on reading "buff Orpington ducks" on this site. I had buff Orpington chickens before and they were amazing. They used to lay almost everyday and used to successfully hatch the eggs they incubate. That chicken I got from a friend and I think they brought it from another country, so I don't think I could find like it. It was later eaten by an animal that looks like a crocodile or something like that. Are buff Orpington ducks similar to the chicken version?

As for the idea, I like that idea of having a type that incubates and a type that lays a lot.


If I get pekin ducks, I think I will make the niacin more concentrated in their water then.

As for exercise, everyday morning I let them out for like half an hour to walk around the garden while watching them, then later around noon when there is sun I also get them out to let them get sunlight and also to get warmer if they want to, with a place that has shade so they can go there if it's too hot, and I let them out for like another half an hour and sometimes less. I have to keep watching them because my cats always try to hunt them and I have to keep removing them away when they slowly come close. The ducks keep running and following each others around the garden, and they also eat grass, sometimes only puts thr grass in their bills and act like eating but not actually eat it. As for swimming, I will try warm water later.

This is one of my 3 Buff Orpington ducks they are good egg layers and have good personalities they were hatched with Runners so they do tend to be busy just like the Runners.

 

[Hamudazahabi]

View attachment 3891496This is one of my 3 Buff Orpington ducks they are good egg layers and have good personalities they were hatched with Runners so they do tend to be busy just like the Runners.

Today morning, I brought the ducklings out. I prepared warm water and tried to put them in it. They stayed in it for like 15 minutes and kept cleaning themselves in it. One of them was the first to enter and the last to leave, and it was the same one that enjoyed the water yesterday. It also was the only one that didn't only clean itself, but also started swimming around.

 

[Hamudazahabi]

Today morning, I brought the ducklings out. I prepared warm water and tried to put them in it. They stayed in it for like 15 minutes and kept cleaning themselves in it. One of them was the first to enter and the last to leave, and it was the same one that enjoyed the water yesterday. It also was the only one that didn't only clean itself, but also started swimming around.

But I have a question @Miss Lydia.
What if there were more than one males? Also, what if I brought other breeds and they also had males? Would they fight like roosters would? What should I do?

 

[Miss Lydia]

When buying straight run and not knowing the sex it can become a problem. Drakes will fight if there are females in the flock they will fight even if there aren't females. Too many drakes can gang up on females and injure them. It's always best to have at least 4 females for each Drake you have. If you end up with more drakes than females then the best is to separate or rehome or process. Many have what we call drake jail which means they keep their drakes away from the females to keep the females from being overly mated and injured.

 

[Hamudazahabi]

When buying straight run and not knowing the sex it can become a problem. Drakes will fight if there are females in the flock they will fight even if there aren't females. Too many drakes can gang up on females and injure them. It's always best to have at least 4 females for each Drake you have. If you end up with more drakes than females then the best is to separate or rehome or process. Many have what we call drake jail which means they keep their drakes away from the females to keep the females from being overly mated and injured.

So if I have like 2 drakes and 10 females will they not fight? If so, then I could buy some adult females later if the males are too many, and then eat the rest.

I might need more than one drake if I get more than one breed because I would want to be able to get more of the purebred ducklings hatch.

 

[Miss Lydia]

No guarantee they won’t I have 2 Runner drakes and thank goodness they don’t fight I have had Muscovy drakes that had to be kept separated because they will fight. You just never know until you are in the situation with them. Just have a plan just in case.

 

[NatJ]

I might need more than one drake if I get more than one breed because I would want to be able to get more of the purebred ducklings hatch.

Each drake will probably mate with all the females, so if you want all ducklings to be purebred you will have to keep the parents in breed-specific pens for a while before you collect eggs for hatching. A duck can store sperm for quite a while after mating (I forget how many weeks), so you need to keep her away from wrong-breed males at least that long.

If you are happy to have some mixed-breed ducklings and some purebreds, and not know for sure which ones are purebred, of course you could have them all in one pen together.

Muscovies would be less likely to cross with other ducks (different species), and the mixes should be easier to recognize, but some crossing may still happen. Other kinds of ducks will produce at least as many mixes as purebreds if the various breeds share a pen.

 

[Hamudazahabi]

Each drake will probably mate with all the females, so if you want all ducklings to be purebred you will have to keep the parents in breed-specific pens for a while before you collect eggs for hatching.

I don't strictly want purebreed only, but I would want to have the ability to get purebreeds just so I never run out of muscovies or any other type. Meaning I can seclude them for a while and collect eggs and let it get incubated then free them again.

A duck can store sperm for quite a while after mating (I forget how many weeks), so you need to keep her away from wrong-breed males at least that long.

That technically also means if they did mate already all the eggs for some time will be purebreed if I understand it correctly.

If you are happy to have some mixed-breed ducklings and some purebreds, and not know for sure which ones are purebred, of course you could have them all in one pen together.

No, I think I would like to know which is which for sure.

Muscovies would be less likely to cross with other ducks (different species), and the mixes should be easier to recognize, but some crossing may still happen. Other kinds of ducks will produce at least as many mixes as purebreds if the various breeds share a pen.

Thank you for your helpful information.