How long does it usually take for ducks to grow all their feathers?

[shaylabailey]

Just curious since my ducklings are growing them already. Does it depend on the breed too? The runners seem to be growing faster as well as the Harlequins. The Pekin seems to barely have any feathers yet.

 

[Luciesbuddys]

My Pekings took for ever to get feathers!!! they were old enough go out side and they still didn't have feathers they had completely out grown the brooder. I ended up putting them out side while they didn't have all there feathers because they couldn't be in the brooder with out sitting on the water and food.

 

[Oregon Blues]

My 2 week old Appleyards are covered in pin feathers (they look pretty silly). My 3 week old Swedish are simply fluff with not a pin feather in sight.

Same diet, same care, same brooder temperatures. So apparently, nobody told the ducks about the feathering schedule.

 

[gofasterstripe]

They will get their teen feathers in and start to look good you thin they are all done. Nope, they will molt those teens and get their adilt feathers in. Takes about 4 months or so.

 

[desertdarlene]

I think it depends on the breed. The wild mallards I see get all their juvenile feathers at about 8 to 10 weeks. But, like Gofasterstripe says, they will eventually molt those and get their adult feathers in about 4 months or so.

 

[MommaOrp]

My aylesbury and khaki campbell's are 7 weeks and they have just started gaining some teen feathers, they look quite funny, they look half n half

 

[Sore Thumb Suburbanite]

like gofasterstripe said... they completely feather in about 8 weeks...then you start to notice lots of feathers in the yard and realize they are moulting those new, perfectly good feathers out! I had no idea this would happen and I can't wait for them to stop looking like scraggly, loosefeathered sick ducks and look normal again.

My fawn and white runner and 2 hybrids are 12 weeks and mid moult I think. I think they will be done at 15 weeks because they start developing the ability to lay eggs at about 17-20 weeks and can't make feathers and eggs at the same time. I put my ducks outside permanently at 6 weeks because they had most of their feathers and didn't seem to care about staying in a warm place anymore.

In any case, these animals sure grow fast, In a matter of months they are full fledged adults capable of making their own babies.

 

[Countrypunk92]

Yea, They grow all out 8 weeks, AND molt and grow more, But in that 8 weeks, do not expect to know your genders because some of the males wont have a drake feather until adult feathers, And of course, You could sex them by their voice.:]

 

[shaylabailey]

Thanks so much; so should they be allowed to swim when their teen feathers are done growing in, or when the adult feathers do?

 

[Howard The Duck]

I have 4 Pekins coming to me and I am in North East PA on Lake Erie. It will get cold here soon and I need to know how ild they need to be before I let them outside. As far as feathering for Pekins do they take longer?