House Duck Tips Please!

[Mamatomany123]

Oh my, that is not going to be very sanitary.

You actually probably should look at your city laws. It may be your house but the city will still make sure its residents are being clean and sanitary. You'll need to take tips from Dexter on how to plastic up a room.

 

[quailheart]

That made me laugh! And yes, it isn't going to be very sanitary. But again they will really only be in the four seasons room or outside. And I haven't exactly checked my city laws but I know plenty of people who have ducks or chickens INSIDE their house like ALL THE TIME. Not just part time like me and they have gotten away with it just fine. And who is this Dexter you speak of? It would be great for him to share some tips.

 

[RosemaryDuck]

That made me laugh! And yes, it isn't going to be very sanitary. But again they will really only be in the four seasons room or outside. And I haven't exactly checked my city laws but I know plenty of people who have ducks or chickens INSIDE their house like ALL THE TIME. Not just part time like me and they have gotten away with it just fine. And who is this Dexter you speak of? It would be great for him to share some tips.

Dexter is a show about a serial killer. In the show he rolls out large plastic sheets to keep blood from going everywhere. They were making a joke that you'd need those to keep your house clean.

 

[quailheart]

Oh my gosh! That is hilarious! I will definitely contact Dexter for some tips and tricks on his plastic method.

 

[KaleIAm]

My ducks bring me a ton of joy, and I hope yours do as well. We have plenty of members with house ducks, full or part-time.

I have an all female flock, and they usually get along well. I don't keep drakes because of overmating issues.

Female ducks can be pretty loud. They make that characteristic quack, while the males tend to mutter and be more quiet. All of my female ducks quack loudly. One in particular shout quacks most of the day, it seems. My neighbors can hear her from nearly a mile away. The only female duck breed who is guaranteed to not be loud is the muscovy.

If you spend a lot of time with your babies after getting them they may imprint on you. Other members have had this experience. I did not. My ducklings imprinted on each other. They still love me, come when I call them, and like to be near me. They just don't enjoy being touched.

My advice for house ducks is to make sure you have a non slippery soft surface under their feet. Linoleum or hardwood is unsuitable for them. It might make sense at first because it is easy for us to wipe up the poop, but my veterinarian told me they need traction and cushion to avoid foot and leg issues. When I keep my ducks inside I have them on 3-4 layers of fluffy towels and do a lot of laundry.

I also recommended you keep them on a natural daylight schedule. It is easy to overlook that when they are inside and you might stay up until midnight. But birds are triggered to lay eggs according to how long their daylight schedule is. So if you keep them up until midnight with noise from the TV or lights, and then light from the sun comes in at 7am or earlier all year around their bodies will think it is summer all year and might never take a break from laying eggs. This can lead to reproductive disease and earlier deaths.

Don't forget to post photos of your babies after you get them!

 

[quailheart]

Thanks! This was great help. And I'm glad you told me that because my 4 seasons room has a tile floor. I guess I will be making some changes in my plan! And I don't think they should have trouble with the natural daylight schedule, I don't stay up that late anyway. And if I do I'm usually watching TV in bed. I also really hope they imprint on me so that they are much easier to be handled as adults (Touching-wise)

Also, what breed of duck do you recommend for a part time house duck? Muscovies and Mallards are out of the picture because I don't want any flying ducks. My original plan was Fawn & White Runners, but the company I am ordering from can't get two females in until late July. Which is fine, but something earlier would be better. I am ordering off of My Pet Chicken which only has so many different duck breeds.

 

[RosemaryDuck]

Thanks! This was great help. And I'm glad you told me that because my 4 seasons room has a tile floor. I guess I will be making some changes in my plan! And I don't think they should have trouble with the natural daylight schedule, I don't stay up that late anyway. And if I do I'm usually watching TV in bed. I also really hope they imprint on me so that they are much easier to be handled as adults (Touching-wise)

Also, what breed of duck do you recommend for a part time house duck? Muscovies and Mallards are out of the picture because I don't want any flying ducks. My original plan was Fawn & White Runners, but the company I am ordering from can't get two females in until late July. Which is fine, but something earlier would be better. I am ordering off of My Pet Chicken which only has so many different duck breeds.

I'm very partial to Pekins myself, but I'm a bit bias as I've been raising them for many years. They have such sweet personalities and are so loving. They do have their issues (leg problems, and can become overweight), so you have to watch for that.

 

[JustAChickenLoverOverHere]

- Are two females going to get along or should I get one of each gender?

Two females. Definitely. A male will over mate a single duck.

- Will the ducklings imprint off of me even if they come to me a day or two after they hatch?

It depends on how much you socialize with them. If you spend a lot of time with them, there’s a good chance they’ll be following you around as they get older. But be warned, ducklings that imprint on their owners are often loud and attention-seeking as they grow, quacking whenever you leave the room.

On the other hand, if you don’t socialize with them, there’s a good chance they will be more quiet, but they won’t like to hang around with you.

- Do runner ducks make a lot of noise and are they aggressive?

Runner ducks are like any other breed of duck, except Muscovies. Muscovies tend to be quieter. Females of any breed are louder than males in the duck world.

They might be aggressive, they might not. They might be loud, they might be quiet. They might hate water (just kidding that’s not possible). But no two ducks are the same.

- Do runner ducks make good house ducks?

No ducks make good house ducks. Messy critters.

 

[quailheart]

Ok thanks! I can't decide whether to get a Runner or a different breed! Like I said before, the ducks aren't going to be in my house pooping all over my furniture. (That would be disgusting.) They will only be inside my 4 seasons room or out in the yard.

Edited: I checked the price and shipping dates for a Grimaud Hybrid Pekin. They are not that much cheaper than the Runners, but can ship a lot earlier. I think that's what I am going with, unless I find a better option. So excited!

 

[KaleIAm]

Thanks! This was great help. And I'm glad you told me that because my 4 seasons room has a tile floor. I guess I will be making some changes in my plan! And I don't think they should have trouble with the natural daylight schedule, I don't stay up that late anyway. And if I do I'm usually watching TV in bed. I also really hope they imprint on me so that they are much easier to be handled as adults (Touching-wise)

Also, what breed of duck do you recommend for a part time house duck? Muscovies and Mallards are out of the picture because I don't want any flying ducks. My original plan was Fawn & White Runners, but the company I am ordering from can't get two females in until late July. Which is fine, but something earlier would be better. I am ordering off of My Pet Chicken which only has so many different duck breeds.

Some people with house ducks have them wear neoprene boots when they are inside on hard surfaces. My ducks splash water inside them and so they don't work for me, the wet duck feet get all pruney and wrinkly. The boots do work for night time when my ducks don't have water and are worth a try.

Since you are willing to have duck poop and feathers floating all over your house I suspect you will be willing to bring straw inside. So you could just put down 4-6 inches in your 4 seasons room to make a nice soft floor.

Any of the domestic ducks that aren't muscovies are called mallard derived. I have had a cayuga, 2 khaki campbell, a crested pekin, and 2 welsh harlequin. I have loved them all, and I'm not sure any breed is better suited as a pet than any other. Pekins may be the exception in that their personalities are wonderful, but I have spent the last 6 years of my life at the vet keeping mine alive so I still can't recommend the breed. I feel that my duck is not the exception in her personality or health issues by reading a lot on here.

If flight is your only concern you could always trim the wing feathers, it is a lot like cutting fingernails. My recommendation is to choose the breed who appeals to you visually. Their personalities will develop largely based on how you treat them. Some people say their welsh harlequins are completely different than mine. Quiet stand off-ish ducks who run away from them.

If health is a concern you might not choose the most prolific egg layers as they tend to be more likely to develop reproductive disease.