duck_herder
In the Brooder
- Jul 6, 2018
- 1
- 5
- 14
Hello! I live in Sunnyvale, CA and chose duck egg incubation as a homeschooling project this year because DD didn't want to give up any hatchlings. Of course, if there is one piece of advice that is solidly good and solidly difficult to do, that would be to complete the duck run/pen/coop first!
Anyways, we hatched 7 of 8 eggs, and quickly decided after week 1 that we couldn't keep all 7 indoors for much longer, so we gave away 4. After week 4, even 3 was a crowd apparently. After week 9, we were down to 1 duck due to a death. Long story short, we now have an 11-week-old Jumbo Pekin with 2 2-week-old ducklings (Buff, Blue Swedish).
It is an interesting arrangement, as Jumbo Pekins are not known to be good brooders apparently. This one, however, will stand by these ducklings near the outdoor brooder, even ignoring the call of a newly installed pond. Now that the ducklings are free to roam the pen, the Pekin follows them everywhere and has mostly learned to watch for them underfoot. Thankfully it is also starting to appreciate the amount of space needed for its wingspan as well.
That said, this is a sizeable run containing the pond, varied terrain, plants, and the coop.
We kept the first batch indoors for 0-8 weeks. On the other hand, the new ducklings were sent to the outdoor brooder after week 1, and given face time on the lawn with the Pekin even before then. After numerous online searches, I still can't find a definitive answer as to whether 2.5 week old ducklings will be smart enough to seek their outdoor brooder if left to their own devices. This evening I trudged out after 10pm with a flashlight to herd the ducklings, still frolicking in the pond, back to the brooder, where they preened and settled in for the night. Is this truly necessary???
In any case, I've really enjoyed reading many posts on this forum whether they relate to my situation or not! Glad to be here.
Anyways, we hatched 7 of 8 eggs, and quickly decided after week 1 that we couldn't keep all 7 indoors for much longer, so we gave away 4. After week 4, even 3 was a crowd apparently. After week 9, we were down to 1 duck due to a death. Long story short, we now have an 11-week-old Jumbo Pekin with 2 2-week-old ducklings (Buff, Blue Swedish).
It is an interesting arrangement, as Jumbo Pekins are not known to be good brooders apparently. This one, however, will stand by these ducklings near the outdoor brooder, even ignoring the call of a newly installed pond. Now that the ducklings are free to roam the pen, the Pekin follows them everywhere and has mostly learned to watch for them underfoot. Thankfully it is also starting to appreciate the amount of space needed for its wingspan as well.
That said, this is a sizeable run containing the pond, varied terrain, plants, and the coop.
We kept the first batch indoors for 0-8 weeks. On the other hand, the new ducklings were sent to the outdoor brooder after week 1, and given face time on the lawn with the Pekin even before then. After numerous online searches, I still can't find a definitive answer as to whether 2.5 week old ducklings will be smart enough to seek their outdoor brooder if left to their own devices. This evening I trudged out after 10pm with a flashlight to herd the ducklings, still frolicking in the pond, back to the brooder, where they preened and settled in for the night. Is this truly necessary???
In any case, I've really enjoyed reading many posts on this forum whether they relate to my situation or not! Glad to be here.
