...help PLEASE

[Leira]

okay so my babe brother's class had a bunch of babe peeking ducks that they where raising in class and over the weekend they whent home with a different kid and once they maid it to the last kid (my brother) the teachers gonna bring them to a farm...where there going to be...well....yeah.

now i...sorta fell in love with them. there sweeter then any of the cats i ever had they love people and i cant stand to see them go to the farm..i actualy cryed when i found out what was happaning, as imature as it may seem i symply cant let them die... say i do keep them, where do i get food, when there older how do i keep them on my property, do i need spechal vets...is there any way to find some one to take care of them that wont kill them ...that i could theyoreticly vist....just HELP i need all the advise i can get. im not sure how old they are.


..im sorry if i sound dumb...

 

[Wifezilla]

What do your parent's think about keeping a duck?

They don't need a ton of space. I live in a small ranch house with a small lot and we have 6 ducks. They have a pen with a hutch they sleep in at night and they get to free range in the back yard during the day.

Feed you get at a feed store or rural type store like Tractor Supply, Big R, Fleet Farm, etc... Sometimes even pet stores or Walmart carry poultry food.

As for the vet question, not a lot of vets in town know what to do with a duck. You often end up being your own vet. Fortunately ducks are pretty hardy.

 

[Leira]

my house is small but my yard is huge, and my parents arnt directly oposed they just think im crazy for thinking a duck could make a pet, how would you keep them in the yard i mean wont they fly away when there older? do you clip there wings? and about water would a kiddy pool do?

 

[headred]

Hi Leira! Ducks are really a lot of fun and make a great pet. They take care of themselves quite well and mostly you just need to put them in a pen at night.

We live in town in a small ranch house with a decent sized backyard. Our ducks (7 of them) roam the yard during the day and then we put them in a pen at night. You can see lots more if you have some time on my website. Just click on the DUCK tab and scroll to the very beginning and you can see the stages we have gone through. Might help you and your parents decide if you should have ducks. Oh, and if you said they are Pekin ducks, they won't fly, too heavy! My white one is a Pekin.

 

[Leira]

well thats alot less to worry about, i have a fence so all i realy need is some sorta pen... and mabie a kiddy pool...and some where that sells food. i think... i can pull this off after all...

 

[kirbypt]

Hi Liera,
It sounds like you'll be a wonderful duck keeper. Keep an eye on Craig's List free stuff in your area. If your only going to have 3 ducks a used dog house works great! You were right on track with the kiddie pool, they will love you for it. Check on the Tractor Supply Company website to see if there is a store near you.

 

[Wifezilla]

Old dog house...and old kid's plastic playhouse....some pallets nailed together...

Ducks aren't that picky. Just make sure whatever you use is easy to get in to for cleaning and gathering yummy eggs

 

[Dances with Ducks]

Almost anywhere you live there are predators that come out at night, so I would advise you to have a place to put them in at night where the predators can't get them. I thought ours were safe for the better part of a year until a fox actually jumped over our six foot privacy fence. Any town has raccoons, which have little hands that can undo latches, so you must have some kind of device to hold them in that "a two year old can't undo" (in the words of an experienced duck breeder I know.)
Raccoons will also tear apart chicken wire or flimsy boards so it must be sturdy.

 

[chickenwhisperer123]

BTW tell your parents ducks make great pets!!

Do you have any farm stores near you? (like TSC, Bomgarrs?) They would have the food you need.

Good Luck with your new ducks! (hopefully)

 

[monathequeen]

Leira, I'am glad to hear that you want to keep Ducks as pets. I Raise Ducks and chickens. I love this new adventure in life and have had the best time learning and experiencing this "HOBBY" if you want to call it that however, It is alot of work. I'am telling you now!!!!
You have to find a Farm and Ranch Supply store and buy your "Duck" food there. It has to be "NON-MEDICATED" and you will need to store the food in a container that is Rodent proof and wont get wet and moldy. My ducks love,love,love lettuce,corn,peas,canalope,water mellon,and they LOVE eating grass in the yard. When I mow the grass, I throw a bunch of fresh cut grass in their run and thay go nuts!!!!!!!!You can go on line and find a duck-food supply store near you.
How many ducks do you want to raise? It's not a good idea to only have one. Ducks NEED to have other ducks to run and interact with. They will not survive very long being alone. You also MUST ABSOLUTELY have a safe covered run for your ducks. Also a safe closed in coop for them to be in at night. I have lost too many ducks to Racoons and other predators by being to stupid to think that they are safe...it's up to you to keep them safe and well cared for. Like I said, It's alot of work but if you do your homework and find every piece of information you can get your hands on about raising ducks, you will be ok and will absolutely enjoy this journey....hope I have helped. I will be here if you need any thing.....Good Luck my friend....