How to care for ducklings?? I'm unprepared and they are due tomorrow!

[LaynaDon95]

Just like chicks only messier. Check your waterer way more frequently. They shouldnt need coccodia preventatives. Yes ducks can have yogert but I wouldnt. It will be slung everywhere anyway.Yep you can put them in the same brooder if you dont have the room but if you do I would keep them separate.When they are ducklings I dont sweat the deep water to clear the nostrils as much but with that waterer they will get their bill plenty deep.Keep em warm at night and good luck with em.

Okay, Thanks.

 

[LaynaDon95]

You waterer is fine and NO DO NOT make it deep enough for their bill to fit in! They will drown! Just give enough so that they can actually drink it.
Also, I would not advise anything dairy for the first few weeks.
They can be in the same brooder as chicks yes!
Some advice is that they are very messy! AND POOP ALOT! So, be prepared with lots of hay and doggy training pads! I put hay ontop of wee-wee pads and it works FANTASTICALLY for odor and spillages. Unmedicated food is absolutely fine! I would never give any of my chicks or ducks that!
Good lucks I hope this advice helps!

Thank you, very much. I'm so glad I got such quick responses.

 

[Nsampsel]

Silkies are considered a Bantum breed. I would be very careful putting them in together.

 

[LaynaDon95]

Everyone gave great advice. I use a chick waterer http://www.randallburkey.com/Plastic-Quart-Jar-Waterer/productinfo/13085/ for the first 3 days or so with my duckies (they outgrow it fast) but it's the perfect size for the first couple of days for me- so I am sure the waterer you have is just fine. I think just about everything is said is about right for duckies too. Keep them warm, keep their bedding dry (as you can. they poop wet poop- and frequently so be prepared for more bedding changes). I add a powdered stuff to my water that works much like the kefir you add but I didn't want the mess of a thick dairy product- ducks are MESSY and will fling it everywhere.

I'm thinking about putting them in a separate brooder just so that I don't have to deal with the mess all over the chicks. I knew they were messy. I even knew they were very messy. (I got pooped on by my grandmother's duck twice when I was little. And everyone laughed at me. Including my mother. I was mad. I'm very familiar with duck poop. True story.) I guess I wasn't thinking about it with the chicks. I'm just using a cardboard box for the chicks, so it won't be a big deal to add a second one. I have extra heat lamps, also.

 

[LaynaDon95]

Silkies are considered a Bantum breed. I would be very careful putting them in together.

I know that they are bantams, that's why I was asking. I'll also have 2 barnevelder, 6 blue cochins and 2 RIRs. I'll probably do a second brooder up for them to make things easier. They are being shipped together, though. Will they be okay? 0.0

The hatchery is only 3 hours away... I know they will be in the box longer than that, though... Please tell me they will be okay.

 

[zooweemama]

I'm thinking about putting them in a separate brooder just so that I don't have to deal with the mess all over the chicks. I knew they were messy. I even knew they were very messy. (I got pooped on by my grandmother's duck twice when I was little. And everyone laughed at me. Including my mother. I was mad. I'm very familiar with duck poop. True story.) I guess I wasn't thinking about it with the chicks. I'm just using a cardboard box for the chicks, so it won't be a big deal to add a second one. I have extra heat lamps, also.

I think if you can - it might save your sanity some. you likely won;t have to deal with your chickens brooder much compared to the duck one. Plus your chickies might stay cleaner.

 

[LaynaDon95]

I think if you can - it might save your sanity some. you likely won;t have to deal with your chickens brooder much compared to the duck one. Plus your chickies might stay cleaner.

I like the idea of cleaner chickens... I don't like giving chickens baths...

 

[COUNTRYBOI]

now I'm worried got my first ducks yesterday and have 30 in all white runner , black swede , blue swede, kahki campball and pekin traded for them looks to be about a week old or so except runners are about 13 inches tall don't know enough about them to say age forsure but seen most talk about medicated feed thats all you can buy around here as far as chick starter they do have meat bird but i do not have any do i need some ?????? been feeding them rural king chick starter for 2 days will they be ok with this ??? got me worried now!!

 

[COUNTRYBOI]

 

[zooweemama]

The one thing I keep seeing repeated is that chick starter is low in Niacin for ducks. So adding Brewer's yeast or an appropriate amount of Niacin supplement will help. I can look it up in my duck book if someone doesn't get to it faster than me.