HELP! rescuing DUCKS tomorrow!!.. never had them before..?!

[rehric00]

Hi guys!

Here's the situation... There are 4 ducks in need of a home..we will be getting the guys tomorrow... I have chickens already (30 of them!)

Their coop is established- I let them free range but also give them layer feed a couple times a day. They have the old metal nesting boxes to lay in and I use pine shavings for the coop ground.

I was going to fill up our baby pool with water for the new ducks, but What else do ducks need?

type of food? can they eat same food as chickens and free range like them too?

will they fly away?

where/how/how often do they lay eggs?

do they need anything different than the chicken nesting boxes to lay eggs?

are they really and nasty and dirty as everyone says they are?

Do I need to worry about the ducks infecting my chickens with any parasites/bugs/etc?

Any info you guys have helps!

I guess my main thing right now at this point is if i should segregate them from my chickens to make sure they are not sick and know what they eat.

Thanks!!!

 

[Mvpitzki]

If they are wild they will probably fly away, on some occassions if they see food and good shelter they will stay. If they are wild, they might not be protected from any diseases ur chickens might have but those are rare occassions, they mostly get diseases from domestic ducks. Ducks will eat the same food as chickens, especially layer feed and chicken scratch.

 

[Mvpitzki]

They do play around with water and dirty so they will make a muddy mess but they end up clean after they shower andcomb their feathers. Their feathers protect them well from parasites

 

[desertdarlene]

If they're a big breed like a Pekin, they won't fly away, smaller breeds might. They can eat the same food as the chickens, but you might want to supplement sources of niacin for the ducks.

Ducks are fairly clean in regards to parasites, but it might be best to have them checked out for some before letting them mix with your chickens. You can keep female ducks with chickens, but males may kill chicken hens through attempted matings. So, if you have male ducks, you might want to keep them away from the chickens.

Most breeds of ducks will lay an egg a day or every other day during the breeding season. Some breeds will lay a lot longer.

 

[rehric00]

thanks! apparently the lady that had them raised them since babies but can no longer care for them. I do not know what breed, sex, age, or anything else about them- I just know that there are 3-4 of them. Will the females lay inside the coop like chickens?

 

[Mvpitzki]

Yes, they will

 

[desertdarlene]

Yes, most duck breeds will lay in a coop, pen, or nest box. If they're still young and fuzzy, then they shouldn't be a problem until they mature. Male ducks's voices will be raspy sounding and females tend to quack and squeak. You should be able to voice sex them fairly early. Males will develop a curly tail feather once they mature. If they look like mallards, males will have a greenish or yellow bill developing at about six to seven weeks.

 

[desertdarlene]

So, how's it going?

 

[rehric00]

Someone else ended up taking the rescue ducks, but I got so excited about them and was dissapointed when it fell thru, but I found a lady who had some Muscovy hens for sale. Going to get them sometime this weekend- maybe even tomorrow I will post pics

 

[Miss Lydia]

Someone else ended up taking the rescue ducks, but I got so excited about them and was dissapointed when it fell thru, but I found a lady who had some Muscovy hens for sale. Going to get them sometime this weekend- maybe even tomorrow

I will post pics