how to care for ducklings

[TattooedKeeper3]

I wonder if playing a duck quacking on computer will help them? we dont have any other ducks for them to listen to.

I have thought about getting a duck call this next week. Though we have a lot of ducks just a quarter of mile down the road at the swampy area. There were also some Muscovys that were around but I haven't seen them in a few weeks. They would fly into the fenced yard and say hi to everyone then pop back out. They also like to nibble on my aloe vera plants out front.

I found one of the few things that can kill an Aloe plant, ducks chowing down.
Mine are TSC ducklings so they are either Indian Runners, a runner mix, or Cayugas. I won't know for sure until they are fully feathered. I think I am going to name my bigger duck Gabby. It is always chattering away.

I bet a duck call would be interesting though...could be fun

 

[kada6305]

I have thought about getting a duck call this next week. Though we have a lot of ducks just a quarter of mile down the road at the swampy area. There were also some Muscovys that were around but I haven't seen them in a few weeks. They would fly into the fenced yard and say hi to everyone then pop back out. They also like to nibble on my aloe vera plants out front.

I found one of the few things that can kill an Aloe plant, ducks chowing down.
Mine are TSC ducklings so they are either Indian Runners, a runner mix, or Cayugas. I won't know for sure until they are fully feathered. I think I am going to name my bigger duck Gabby. It is always chattering away.

I bet a duck call would be interesting though...could be fun

yeah we have a few ducks that hang around at the end of our property at the swamp but thats about 5 acres away lol plus its too cold to take the ducklings outside, But it's supposed to be warming up soon

 

[TattooedKeeper3]

That cold front blew through here about 3 am or so. I went out to check on the chickens when I let the dogs out and realized how cold it had gotten. I was just out there now too. They are all snug as a chick under its Mama. I have one heat lamp over to the right out of frame for the older girls pointing at them. The little cheep cheeps have 2 heat lamps with them.

 

[anley1]

Could it have just been water coming out? sometimes they drink too much and it will come back out their nose and mouth too. How is the duckling today?

And

Oh do they? That might have been it! They have been sneezing a little bit but that's mainly when I give them a deep bowl to clear their nostrils out. It hasn't happened again though. They are growing so quickly. They are currently going through a scared of everything phase but just spending lots of time talking to them. I have raised chickens lots of times but never ducks. They eat and drink so much! Thank you

 

[anley1]

I just have another quick question. My ducklings are 3 weeks now and are growing rapidly. They are currently in an indoor run however I feel they have out grown it as it becomes dirty very quickly. I also want them to get enough exersize for proper development. I do put them in the bath to have a good swim. Does anyone recommend a next stage housing for them? And when should I change their feed from ad lib chick crumb? There is so many different opinions! Thank you for your help

there is a photo of my cayuga ducklings!

 

[Amiga]

Cutie pies! And there are many ways people deal with these things.

I changed brooders to a puppy pen with 6 mil plastic underneath the bedding and up the sides about a foot, when mine were two or three weeks old. At about the same time, I started adding grower pellets in with the starter crumble to slowly transition them.

I aimed for 1.5 square feet per duckling, more or less at that point, then doubled the size a couple of weeks later. Here are Storey's recommendations

for medium to large-sized breeds on litter, .75 sf first 2 wks
1.75 sf to 4 wks
2.75 sf to 6 wks
then 3 to 5 sf

at 3 to 4 wks, allow outdoors in safe area on mild days, with 10 sf each

 

[anley1]

Oh that's great. I am just scared to let them outdoors too soon as I have done that before with chicks I had and something got to them. I have a run they could go into I just am wary. Is there a good site or anything to show examples? I would let them have the run of the conservatory if it was up to me! They are messy though.

 

[anley1]

Oh that's great. I am just scared to let them outdoors too soon as I have done that before with chicks I had and something got to them. I have a run they could go into I just am wary. Is there a good site or anything to show examples? I would let them have the run of the conservatory if it was up to me! They are messy though.

 

[anley1]

Oh that's great. I am just scared to let them outdoors too soon as I have done that before with chicks I had and something got to them. I have a run they could go into I just am wary. Is there a good site or anything to show examples? I would let them have the run of the conservatory if it was up to me! They are messy though.

 

[Sweetest]

I have four really tiny ducklings that I got at TSC. They're pure fluff, no real feathers yet. I have no idea how old they are, since the guy at TSC didn't know either. At best guess, they're about as old as my baby chicks...7 to 10 days. I tried giving them a bowl of water to dip their faces in, but it was quickly empty, and full of bedding. Little dopes! Now I've got a circular lid (about 13 in diameter, 1 inch deep) that's got water in it, with some upside down glass bowls. They can still dunk their faces when they need to, but it's harder for them to sit in their water dish. They've gone for a little bath before, and happily peep and swim around in the water. I've been giving them chick starter feed, and I mix in a spoonful of wheat bran for a niacin source. When they get a little bit older, I'm going to start giving them mealworms.
I'm at a little bit of a loss as to what to do next, though. I've had my baby chicks in the same pen as my ducklings, and the ducklings were fine, they weren't being bullies. But I have a black australorp chick whose wing feathers are coming in and have white tips. One of the ducks kept picking at the feathers, so I separated them again. (I don't feel too bad, my MIL thought it was a speck of bedding too) But when I put my ducklings with my older chicks (about 3 weeks), they got picked on. The older birds had very little human contact at TSC, and so they're very skittish and standoffish. I do want to coop them together once we move them outside. Is there a way to get them to "get along"? Should I put a divider in the dog crate where my chickens are, and let them introduce themselves that way? I'm just afraid that my ducklings will try to lay against the divider in the corner, and the chickens will pick at them through the bars that way.