How to convince my mom to let me get ducks

[Sara Ranch]

Some following up questions....

1. Where will you get the ducks?

2. What gender will the ducks be? (There is no guarantee that if you buy all "females" that you will get all "females." Mistakes happen.)

3. I asked, "What if they have babies????
You replied, "This is not an option because they will all be ducks." Should I have asked, "What if there are baby ducks?" Please expand on your answer.

4. Are you able to get to the animal hospital yourself, like on a bike or walking? If yes, include this in your report to your parents.

5. Have you considered that the big ducks (Pekins) may try to mate with the lightweights (Magpies) and there may be some hurt that happens to the little ones? With ducks and mating, gender is not important.

6. On average, how much money will it cost to keep the ducks each month? This includes the feed, the vitamins, pine shavings, and an emergency reserve for a vet's visit and coop/run repairs? I would want to know that you have the funds set aside to cover an emergency vet visit PLUS medicine. (The last time I got medicine from the vet, it was $84.)

7. Will the ducks have access to the entire back yard? As a mom, I would not be happy with animals taking over the entire yard. Think poop. Think stepping in it wearing nice shoes. That is something that would really upset some people.

8. Noise. Will mom be ok with the noise? My Pekins are so loud that they will wake me up. They outside; me inside. They are loud when they want my attn (feed me, feed me!) or there is danger.

9. Feed. Keeping the bucket full of feed is not a good idea. Moisture in the feed container/in the feed, can cause the feed to go bad very quickly.

What I do, and this may not be for you, is make fermented feed. I put it out in a rubber bowl from Tractor Supply. The ducks and the chickens eat it quickly. I bring the bowl back in. Sometimes I need to feed that group up to 3x a day, depending on what else is going on. They have hungry hippo days.

Water is available full time outside, in a rubber bowl from Tractor Supply. The ducks need a deep and wide water dish to easily access the water. It needs to be changed a few times a day.

When the duckies go into their duck house at night, there is no water and no food. They are ok with that.

10. When will you be serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner to the duckies? My guys ask for food right away and then forage almost all day. They have plenty of space to forage. Sometimes they ask for lunch; sometimes they ask for dinner. My duckies are on the sunrise and sunset schedule, like the chickens.

11. Deworming. What's your plan to deworm the duckies?

12. I would want to see in the report who you have talked to about duck sitting and if there would be any cost involved. Then your parents would know you have been seriously looking into full care for your ducks.

13. Predators. What predators do you have in your area?

14. What are the town's/city's/county's rules on ducks? If I live in town, I can't have ducks. If I lived super close to a commercial poultry operation (house), I shouldn't have ducks. ** Around these parts, there's a big Pilgrim's and Perdue's presence. While keeping ducks is not illegal, the chicken farmers do NOT like ducks and have been known to go kill ALL ducks, even those on private property because ducks carry diseases that chickens can easily catch. If the chickens get sick, the chicken farmers lose their income. That makes them super angry.

15. As a mom reading your report, I would like to see pictures of female and male ducks (babies and mature) and know what's special about each breed.

16. The (what will be the) duck house didn't look big enough for 6 mature ducks. Ducks need a lot of space - more than chickens. My ducks sometimes cuddle, but usually not at bedtime.

If you are having girl duckies, where will there laying nest be?

17. I asked about deworming the duckies earlier. What about treating them for coccidious? Or bumble foot?

18. Do you know about egg withdrawal?

19. Do you have a book (a real thing you can touch, open, read, that your parents can read if they want to) about caring for ducks?

20. Deep liter method. Some people NEVER change out the shavings. Others do it every 3-6 months. (Mom may be very concerned, or become concerned, about the smell. This includes the back yard.) What is your plan for the deep liter method? Leave it be or change it out? If you change it out, how will you dispose of the old liter? Will it go into a compost bin or will it go into trash pick up?

21. Looks like you are in CO. How will you handle the winter? Is there a door that can be closed to the coop? How will you prevent the drinking water from freezing?

22. Why is the pool going in the ground? Will it be full all the time? How will you change out the water? How often will you change out the water? And where will that water go? Are you on well water or on town/city water?

23. When/where will you get the pool? What size? I bought mine at Walmart and had to almost fold it in half to get it in the car. So is this a mom and dad help you out thing?

24. Feed. Will mom and dad need to help you out getting feed? How often? As a parent, I wanted to know what I *had* to do to help the kids with the dog. They were too young to drive, and the vet's office was too far to walk to, so I had to drive them. Same with getting feed. Ok. Not a biggie - I knew what my part/my time commitment was going to be.

My kids (wisely) said that they thought of everything that they could and put it in the report, but acknowledged that they may have missed something. (This impressed me.)

 

[lomine]

If you are referring to my posts, I am trying to do what is best for him and any future ducks he may get. I'm not just going to say, "Absolutly you should get ducks because you want them. If your mother doesn't like it too bad for her just get them anyway." How many unwanted pets are in shelters because some person really wanted them but changed their minds when it was no longer fun and new? Saying he should sneak them in under his mother's nose and that he can just get rid of them if it doesn't work out is irresponsible. He shouldn't go into this thinking, "Well if it gets too hard I'll just dump them on someone else." And no one should be advising a teenager to disobey or try to manipulate his mother, joking or not. Ducks are a livestock animal but they still need to be respected and a decision to get them shouldn't be taken so lightly. Luckily it seems he isn't taking this lightly.

He came to the forum for help and things did go off on a wild tangent but I think recently most people are trying to help. I'm not giving him a hard time. There have been reasons for my questions and I would ask the same questions if he were an adult. The chicken question = I want to make sure they weren't a fad pet that he grew tired of. The coop question = I want to make sure there aren't future problems for him due to lack of space. Plus when he tells mom how many ducks will fit, it's another way to show mom he has been thinking it through very carefully. Answering our questions helps him prepare in answering any questions mom might have.

*Edited by staff*

 

[lomine]

On the deworming thing, as long as things are kept sanitary it shouldn't be an issue. Here in CO they aren't a big issue.

 

[Bridger Davis]

Some following up questions....

1. Where will you get the ducks?

2. What gender will the ducks be? (There is no guarantee that if you buy all "females" that you will get all "females." Mistakes happen.)

3. I asked, "What if they have babies????
You replied, "This is not an option because they will all be ducks." Should I have asked, "What if there are baby ducks?" Please expand on your answer.

4. Are you able to get to the animal hospital yourself, like on a bike or walking? If yes, include this in your report to your parents.

5. Have you considered that the big ducks (Pekins) may try to mate with the lightweights (Magpies) and there may be some hurt that happens to the little ones? With ducks and mating, gender is not important.

6. On average, how much money will it cost to keep the ducks each month? This includes the feed, the vitamins, pine shavings, and an emergency reserve for a vet's visit and coop/run repairs? I would want to know that you have the funds set aside to cover an emergency vet visit PLUS medicine. (The last time I got medicine from the vet, it was $84.)

7. Will the ducks have access to the entire back yard? As a mom, I would not be happy with animals taking over the entire yard. Think poop. Think stepping in it wearing nice shoes. That is something that would really upset some people.

8. Noise. Will mom be ok with the noise? My Pekins are so loud that they will wake me up. They outside; me inside. They are loud when they want my attn (feed me, feed me!) or there is danger.

9. Feed. Keeping the bucket full of feed is not a good idea. Moisture in the feed container/in the feed, can cause the feed to go bad very quickly.

What I do, and this may not be for you, is make fermented feed. I put it out in a rubber bowl from Tractor Supply. The ducks and the chickens eat it quickly. I bring the bowl back in. Sometimes I need to feed that group up to 3x a day, depending on what else is going on. They have hungry hippo days.

Water is available full time outside, in a rubber bowl from Tractor Supply. The ducks need a deep and wide water dish to easily access the water. It needs to be changed a few times a day.

When the duckies go into their duck house at night, there is no water and no food. They are ok with that.

10. When will you be serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner to the duckies? My guys ask for food right away and then forage almost all day. They have plenty of space to forage. Sometimes they ask for lunch; sometimes they ask for dinner. My duckies are on the sunrise and sunset schedule, like the chickens.

11. Deworming. What's your plan to deworm the duckies?

12. I would want to see in the report who you have talked to about duck sitting and if there would be any cost involved. Then your parents would know you have been seriously looking into full care for your ducks.

13. Predators. What predators do you have in your area?

14. What are the town's/city's/county's rules on ducks? If I live in town, I can't have ducks. If I lived super close to a commercial poultry operation (house), I shouldn't have ducks. ** Around these parts, there's a big Pilgrim's and Perdue's presence. While keeping ducks is not illegal, the chicken farmers do NOT like ducks and have been known to go kill ALL ducks, even those on private property because ducks carry diseases that chickens can easily catch. If the chickens get sick, the chicken farmers lose their income. That makes them super angry.

15. As a mom reading your report, I would like to see pictures of female and male ducks (babies and mature) and know what's special about each breed.

16. The (what will be the) duck house didn't look big enough for 6 mature ducks. Ducks need a lot of space - more than chickens. My ducks sometimes cuddle, but usually not at bedtime.

If you are having girl duckies, where will there laying nest be?

17. I asked about deworming the duckies earlier. What about treating them for coccidious? Or bumble foot?

18. Do you know about egg withdrawal?

19. Do you have a book (a real thing you can touch, open, read, that your parents can read if they want to) about caring for ducks?

20. Deep liter method. Some people NEVER change out the shavings. Others do it every 3-6 months. (Mom may be very concerned, or become concerned, about the smell. This includes the back yard.) What is your plan for the deep liter method? Leave it be or change it out? If you change it out, how will you dispose of the old liter? Will it go into a compost bin or will it go into trash pick up?

21. Looks like you are in CO. How will you handle the winter? Is there a door that can be closed to the coop? How will you prevent the drinking water from freezing?

22. Why is the pool going in the ground? Will it be full all the time? How will you change out the water? How often will you change out the water? And where will that water go? Are you on well water or on town/city water?

23. When/where will you get the pool? What size? I bought mine at Walmart and had to almost fold it in half to get it in the car. So is this a mom and dad help you out thing?

24. Feed. Will mom and dad need to help you out getting feed? How often? As a parent, I wanted to know what I *had* to do to help the kids with the dog. They were too young to drive, and the vet's office was too far to walk to, so I had to drive them. Same with getting feed. Ok. Not a biggie - I knew what my part/my time commitment was going to be.

My kids (wisely) said that they thought of everything that they could and put it in the report, but acknowledged that they may have missed something. (This im

Some following up questions....

1. Where will you get the ducks?

2. What gender will the ducks be? (There is no guarantee that if you buy all "females" that you will get all "females." Mistakes happen.)

3. I asked, "What if they have babies????
You replied, "This is not an option because they will all be ducks." Should I have asked, "What if there are baby ducks?" Please expand on your answer.

4. Are you able to get to the animal hospital yourself, like on a bike or walking? If yes, include this in your report to your parents.

5. Have you considered that the big ducks (Pekins) may try to mate with the lightweights (Magpies) and there may be some hurt that happens to the little ones? With ducks and mating, gender is not important.

6. On average, how much money will it cost to keep the ducks each month? This includes the feed, the vitamins, pine shavings, and an emergency reserve for a vet's visit and coop/run repairs? I would want to know that you have the funds set aside to cover an emergency vet visit PLUS medicine. (The last time I got medicine from the vet, it was $84.)

7. Will the ducks have access to the entire back yard? As a mom, I would not be happy with animals taking over the entire yard. Think poop. Think stepping in it wearing nice shoes. That is something that would really upset some people.

8. Noise. Will mom be ok with the noise? My Pekins are so loud that they will wake me up. They outside; me inside. They are loud when they want my attn (feed me, feed me!) or there is danger.

9. Feed. Keeping the bucket full of feed is not a good idea. Moisture in the feed container/in the feed, can cause the feed to go bad very quickly.

What I do, and this may not be for you, is make fermented feed. I put it out in a rubber bowl from Tractor Supply. The ducks and the chickens eat it quickly. I bring the bowl back in. Sometimes I need to feed that group up to 3x a day, depending on what else is going on. They have hungry hippo days.

Water is available full time outside, in a rubber bowl from Tractor Supply. The ducks need a deep and wide water dish to easily access the water. It needs to be changed a few times a day.

When the duckies go into their duck house at night, there is no water and no food. They are ok with that.

10. When will you be serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner to the duckies? My guys ask for food right away and then forage almost all day. They have plenty of space to forage. Sometimes they ask for lunch; sometimes they ask for dinner. My duckies are on the sunrise and sunset schedule, like the chickens.

11. Deworming. What's your plan to deworm the duckies?

12. I would want to see in the report who you have talked to about duck sitting and if there would be any cost involved. Then your parents would know you have been seriously looking into full care for your ducks.

13. Predators. What predators do you have in your area?

14. What are the town's/city's/county's rules on ducks? If I live in town, I can't have ducks. If I lived super close to a commercial poultry operation (house), I shouldn't have ducks. ** Around these parts, there's a big Pilgrim's and Perdue's presence. While keeping ducks is not illegal, the chicken farmers do NOT like ducks and have been known to go kill ALL ducks, even those on private property because ducks carry diseases that chickens can easily catch. If the chickens get sick, the chicken farmers lose their income. That makes them super angry.

15. As a mom reading your report, I would like to see pictures of female and male ducks (babies and mature) and know what's special about each breed.

16. The (what will be the) duck house didn't look big enough for 6 mature ducks. Ducks need a lot of space - more than chickens. My ducks sometimes cuddle, but usually not at bedtime.

If you are having girl duckies, where will there laying nest be?

17. I asked about deworming the duckies earlier. What about treating them for coccidious? Or bumble foot?

18. Do you know about egg withdrawal?

19. Do you have a book (a real thing you can touch, open, read, that your parents can read if they want to) about caring for ducks?

20. Deep liter method. Some people NEVER change out the shavings. Others do it every 3-6 months. (Mom may be very concerned, or become concerned, about the smell. This includes the back yard.) What is your plan for the deep liter method? Leave it be or change it out? If you change it out, how will you dispose of the old liter? Will it go into a compost bin or will it go into trash pick up?

21. Looks like you are in CO. How will you handle the winter? Is there a door that can be closed to the coop? How will you prevent the drinking water from freezing?

22. Why is the pool going in the ground? Will it be full all the time? How will you change out the water? How often will you change out the water? And where will that water go? Are you on well water or on town/city water?

23. When/where will you get the pool? What size? I bought mine at Walmart and had to almost fold it in half to get it in the car. So is this a mom and dad help you out thing?

24. Feed. Will mom and dad need to help you out getting feed? How often? As a parent, I wanted to know what I *had* to do to help the kids with the dog. They were too young to drive, and the vet's office was too far to walk to, so I had to drive them. Same with getting feed. Ok. Not a biggie - I knew what my part/my time commitment was going to be.

My kids (wisely) said that they thought of everything that they could and put it in the report, but acknowledged that they may have missed something. (This impressed me.)

I'll get on this as soon as possible but it might be a while. I have a lot going on.

If you are referring to my posts, I am trying to do what is best for him and any future ducks he may get. I'm not just going to tell a 14 year-old, "Absolutly you should get ducks because you want them. If your mother doesn't like it too bad for her just get them anyway." How many unwanted pets are in shelters because some person really wanted them but changed their minds when it was no longer fun and new? Saying he should sneak them in under his mother's nose and that he can just get rid of them if it doesn't work out is irresponsible. He shouldn't go into this thinking, "Well if it gets too hard I'll just dump them on someone else." And no one should be advising a teenager to disobey or try to manipulate his mother, joking or not. Ducks are a livestock animal but they still need to be respected and a decision to get them shouldn't be taken so lightly. Luckily it seems he isn't taking this lightly.

He came to the forum for help and things did go off on a wild tangent but I think recently most people are trying to help. I'm not giving him a hard time. There have been reasons for my questions and I would ask the same questions if he were an adult. The chicken question = I want to make sure they weren't a fad pet that he grew tired of. The coop question = I want to make sure there aren't future problems for him due to lack of space. Plus when he tells mom how many ducks will fit, it's another way to show mom he has been thinking it through very carefully. Answering our questions helps him prepare in answering any questions mom might have.

I understand. I realize that there are a lot of unwanted pets that get dumped off in the wild because people did not calculate all of the expense, time etc etc. But just so you know, I am not the kind of person who thinks that way; that I can get ducks and if I don't want them, I can just dump them and run. I know the expense, the time commitment, and all of the other variables. I would never think of trying to sneak ducks into my life without mom knowing or trying to manipulate her. I know that would be a very unwise thing to do because mom is wise, and it would be disobeying which I don't make a habit of. You are correct when you say I am not taking this lightly. It's not a matter to be taken lightly it is very serious since it involves the lives of animals, which sometimes, I feel more compassion towards than other humans. I sincerely appreciate your concern and I want you to take comfort in knowing that I'm not irresponsible or someone that would do somethings stupid like sneak ducks into the backyard. I also get your concern for asking how much space there is. I'll do some measurements later, but like I said, they would be in that whole gated area and not just the chicken coop and run. Keep asking questions if you like, because you're right, I do need to prepare myself mentally for the conversations I will have with my mom.

 

[lomine]

I'll get on this as soon as possible but it might be a while. I have a lot going on.



I understand. I realize that there are a lot of unwanted pets that get dumped off in the wild because people did not calculate all of the expense, time etc etc. But just so you know, I am not the kind of person who thinks that way; that I can get ducks and if I don't want them, I can just dump them and run. I know the expense, the time commitment, and all of the other variables. I would never think of trying to sneak ducks into my life without mom knowing or trying to manipulate her. I know that would be a very unwise thing to do because mom is wise, and it would be disobeying which I don't make a habit of. You are correct when you say I am not taking this lightly. It's not a matter to be taken lightly it is very serious since it involves the lives of animals, which sometimes, I feel more compassion towards than other humans. I sincerely appreciate your concern and I want you to take comfort in knowing that I'm not irresponsible or someone that would do somethings stupid like sneak ducks into the backyard. I also get your concern for asking how much space there is. I'll do some measurements later, but like I said, they would be in that whole gated area and not just the chicken coop and run. Keep asking questions if you like, because you're right, I do need to prepare myself mentally for the conversations I will have with my mom.

I just hate when people have the attitude that getting an animal is like buying a shirt that can just be given away when their tastes change. I know things don't always work out and sometimes you do have to give up your animals but that's different. It doesn't seem like you are the type to do such things. Your responses have been thoughtful. Your ability to take suggestions and critisisum without getting defensive shows a great level of maturity, especially when your thread went a bit sideways. You seem like you would be a very responsible duck owner and I do hope it all works out for you.

 

[Bridger Davis]

For @Sara Ranch


1. Where will you get the ducks?
I will get the ducks at a place called J and T feed in Greeley Colorado.
2. What gender will the ducks be? (There is no guarantee that if you buy all "females" that you will get all "females." Mistakes happen.)
I will be getting them sexed and my hope is that they are successfully sexed to all be females. If a mistake happens, and there is a make Pekin, I will likely sell it or find someone that will want him. I would only do this because I don't want the pekin drake hurting a smaller female.
3. I asked, "What if they have babies????
You replied, "This is not an option because they will all be ducks." Should I have asked, "What if there are baby ducks?" Please expand on your answer.
I might not fully understand what you mean by this question, but if you are saying that if there happens to be a drake and the drake and the hen mate, and have ducklings, then I will care for the duckling in an artificial brooder just as I had when the older ducks had been ducklings.
4. Are you able to get to the animal hospital yourself, like on a bike or walking? If yes, include this in your report to your parents.
I am not able to get to the animal hospital by myself by walking or biking.
5. Have you considered that the big ducks (Pekins) may try to mate with the lightweights (Magpies) and there may be some hurt that happens to the little ones? With ducks and mating, gender is not important.
If the aggression between the hens does get potentially dangerous and a pekin tries to show the order of the pecking order to another female, I will be forced to separate or give away the dangerous duck.
6. On average, how much money will it cost to keep the ducks each month? This includes the feed, the vitamins, pine shavings, and an emergency reserve for a vet's visit and coop/run repairs? I would want to know that you have the funds set aside to cover an emergency vet visit PLUS medicine. (The last time I got medicine from the vet, it was $84.)
It will take about $45 dollars per month to keep the ducks. I don't want to get too involved talking about financial matters, but I do have a bit of a reserve in the case of an emergency.
7. Will the ducks have access to the entire back yard? As a mom, I would not be happy with animals taking over the entire yard. Think poop. Think stepping in it wearing nice shoes. That is something that would really upset some people.
Even though mom rarely goes outside, because we have a dog, they will only have access to the gated area as shown in the pictures when the dog is outside. Once a week or so though, I will let them roam about the backyard freely.
8. Noise. Will mom be ok with the noise? My Pekins are so loud that they will wake me up. They outside; me inside. They are loud when they want my attn (feed me, feed me!) or there is danger.
Mom should be OK with the noise. Our dog is noisy ( and naughty) and my chickens were chatty as well.
9. Feed. Keeping the bucket full of feed is not a good idea. Moisture in the feed container/in the feed, can cause the feed to go bad very quickly.

What I do, and this may not be for you, is make fermented feed. I put it out in a rubber bowl from Tractor Supply. The ducks and the chickens eat it quickly. I bring the bowl back in. Sometimes I need to feed that group up to 3x a day, depending on what else is going on. They have hungry hippo days.

Water is available full time outside, in a rubber bowl from Tractor Supply. The ducks need a deep and wide water dish to easily access the water. It needs to be changed a few times a day.

When the duckies go into their duck house at night, there is no water and no food. They are ok with that.

10. When will you be serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner to the duckies? My guys ask for food right away and then forage almost all day. They have plenty of space to forage. Sometimes they ask for lunch; sometimes they ask for dinner. My duckies are on the sunrise and sunset schedule, like the chickens.
After reading your suggestions, I think I would prefer to keep it simple and give them about 1/4 of the container full of food in each container each day. They will be allowed to forage about in their area. I think I will put the food away at night too.
11. Deworming. What's your plan to deworm the duckies?
I will be giving them directed amounts of rooster booster poultry dormer.
12. I would want to see in the report who you have talked to about duck sitting and if there would be any cost involved. Then your parents would know you have been seriously looking into full care for your ducks.
OK. It's not of much use to put that information into my report for you, since you don't know any of the people, but I will put in in the report for mom.
13. Predators. What predators do you have in your area?
Hawks and feral cats. I wouldn't consider them a predator but something that might pose a threat would be mice as well. I have considered them too and I will be taking preventive steps against mice.
14. What are the town's/city's/county's rules on ducks? If I live in town, I can't have ducks. If I lived super close to a commercial poultry operation (house), I shouldn't have ducks. ** Around these parts, there's a big Pilgrim's and Perdue's presence. While keeping ducks is not illegal, the chicken farmers do NOT like ducks and have been known to go kill ALL ducks, even those on private property because ducks carry diseases that chickens can easily catch. If the chickens get sick, the chicken farmers lose their income. That makes them super angry.
I am allowed to have ducks, and the neighbor closest to the ducks was fully supportive of my chickens and didn't mind a bit and I'm sure he won't mind the ducks either.
15. As a mom reading your report, I would like to see pictures of female and male ducks (babies and mature) and know what's special about each breed.
Female and make pekins:

Pekins: Loud, friendly, and 200+ eggs per year.

Cayuags:

Quiet, docile, 180+ eggs per year

Magpies:

Quiet, friendly, 290- eggs per year.
16. The (what will be the) duck house didn't look big enough for 6 mature ducks. Ducks need a lot of space - more than chickens. My ducks sometimes cuddle, but usually not at bedtime.
I will be making some adjustments to the coop to make it larger and add an extension.
If you are having girl duckies, where will there laying nest be?
The laying nest will be inside that brown/red coop in the picture.
17. I asked about deworming the duckies earlier. What about treating them for coccidious? Or bumble foot?
I will treat them for corid by getting corid solution from premier 1 supplies. For bumble foot, I will use an Epsom salt solution to soak the foot in.
18. Do you know about egg withdrawal?
Yes. If my ducks are getting treated with something that humans should not eat, I will need to discard of the eggs once I get them from the ducks.
19. Do you have a book (a real thing you can touch, open, read, that your parents can read if they want to) about caring for ducks?
Hahaha! I have actually checked out every book at the library about ducks at some point. Yes, right now, I have Storey's Guide to raising ducks out of the library and in my room for them to read if they wish.
20. Deep liter method. Some people NEVER change out the shavings. Others do it every 3-6 months. (Mom may be very concerned, or become concerned, about the smell. This includes the back yard.) What is your plan for the deep liter method? Leave it be or change it out? If you change it out, how will you dispose of the old liter? Will it go into a compost bin or will it go into trash pick up?
I will use the deep litter method, but I will uncoer new soil every week so that the smell is not unbearable. I will also clean out the coop and do a thourough cleaning every 6 months.
21. Looks like you are in CO. How will you handle the winter? Is there a door that can be closed to the coop? How will you prevent the drinking water from freezing?
I will completely close up the coop and set up the heated water system when it gets really cold. Also, to ensure eggs year round, and keep the ducks warm, I will again set up their heat lamp.
22. Why is the pool going in the ground? Will it be full all the time? How will you change out the water? How often will you change out the water? And where will that water go? Are you on well water or on town/city water?
The pool is going in the ground for easy entrance. It will be full in the fall, spring, and summer. I will simply tip the pool when I want to empty it and the water runs directly to my compost area.
23. When/where will you get the pool? What size? I bought mine at Walmart and had to almost fold it in half to get it in the car. So is this a mom and dad help you out thing?
I will buy the largest kiddie pool I can find at Walmart. Dad will likely be able to help me because he has a flat bed truck.
24. Feed. Will mom and dad need to help you out getting feed? How often? As a parent, I wanted to know what I *had* to do to help the kids with the dog. They were too young to drive, and the vet's office was too far to walk to, so I had to drive them. Same with getting feed. Ok. Not a biggie - I knew what my part/my time commitment was going to be.
Mom and dad will not be paying a thing if it's up to me. Dad may ask to help put and I won't object but I'm not planning on them buying anything except the fuel to get the the store and vet.
My kids (wisely) said that they thought of everything that they could and put it in the report, but acknowledged that they may have missed something. (This impressed me.)

 

[DanielleInUro]

If you are referring to my posts, I am trying to do what is best for him and any future ducks he may get. I'm not just going to say, "Absolutly you should get ducks because you want them. If your mother doesn't like it too bad for her just get them anyway." How many unwanted pets are in shelters because some person really wanted them but changed their minds when it was no longer fun and new? Saying he should sneak them in under his mother's nose and that he can just get rid of them if it doesn't work out is irresponsible. He shouldn't go into this thinking, "Well if it gets too hard I'll just dump them on someone else." And no one should be advising a teenager to disobey or try to manipulate his mother, joking or not. Ducks are a livestock animal but they still need to be respected and a decision to get them shouldn't be taken so lightly.

*Edited by staff*

I am so glad that lomine typed all of that out to save me the mental and emotional work of typing it.

I'm going to add a few other considerations in, because my concerns aren't as much how dedicated this young man is going to be to taking care of the ducks in his parents' home, but what happens when he hits adulthood.

My concerns are this:

--Ducks live up to about ten years, if nothing eats them or they don't just up and die.
--This young man is fourteen years old.
--Four to six years from now, his life has great potential to change in ways he doesn't necessarily control. He has zero reasonable certainty that four to six years from now, he will have the means and the reasonable ability to have a property on which he can keep ducks.
--At eighteen, he is going to have a dramatically different set of priorities than he does at fourteen.
--When that time comes, IF it does not work out the way he hoped (spoiler: Statistically, it is terribly unlikely for his life to work out at eighteen-to-twenty in the way he thought it would at fourteen), he will have four-year-old ducks. It is difficult to find a non-plate home for a four year old duck. The girls aren't likely to be good layers at that age, and the boys will be set in their ways and not easy to integrate with a new flock.

Ducks are for adults with reasonable control over their future circumstances who want them bad enough to still want them through all the work they entail. This young man is NOT an adult with reasonable control over his future circumstances. The people here who ARE adults with reasonable control over THEIR future circumstances do not want ducks badly enough to still want them through all the work they entail.

Therefore, by that reasoning, this young man should not get ducks at this time, no matter what the "I really want them I'll take good care of them I'm really responsible" arguments are, and my vote remains with mom. I agree that ducks are wonderful--my guys are my pride and joy. But I was 37 when I got them, and I am adult with reasonable assurance of control over my future circumstances, not a teenager who by their nature has a big "?" on their agenda in the 18-20 range.

PS. I'd have killed everyone in this thread in cold blood if doing so would have let me have ducks in the yard, when I was fourteen. I've wanted a yard full of ducks since I was two years old. I am glad, for the ducks' sakes, that it didn't happen until I was a grown up.

 

[tastyacres]

My parents waited till I was 8 to get any animals (at that time I had one older sis and 3 younger siblings), I started with chickens which didn't stop there.

My parents have been very careful to teach us responsibility!

Mom and dad didn't hold anything back from us.... By age 11 I had 2 goats, 35-chickens, 2-sheep, 3-cats, 5-ducks, a rabbit, and 1-dog.... Me and all my siblings were very responsible.

We got up at 7:30 to go milk, let out the birds, walk our dog, make breakfast, feed all the animals, etc.... And this was everyday twice a day..... My dad worked full time and mom was busy with the younger ones..... They trusted me and 2of my siblings to take care of them, and we did.

By age 13 I had 47-chickens, 9 ducks, 10 goats, 11 rabbits, 4-cats, 3 turkeys, etc.... But sadly I had to sell all my animals (kept my best friend on the farm, my dog) and move to Alaska....

Now that we are moved and have a farm on 9-acres, I am slowly returning to the life I love, I now have 8-turkeys, 54-chickens, 1-cat, and 1 dog.

I didn't talk to my parents about getting chickens, goats, sheep, ducks, etc.... All on them. But they gave may the opportunity to learn responsibility, working hard, etc. I never really did ask my parents for animals.... Other than a donkey.... At that time I am thankful they said no. Now, tho I am about to get a horse sometime next year.

I am the same age as you.

I wish you the best of luck!

 

[tastyacres]

Also we now run a farm so that probably has something to do with All the animals I have. And had.

 

[Sara Ranch]

@Bridger Davis

Two more things -

1. If the ducks do hatch out babies, they should raise the babies themselves. Mom might want to know if you have a plan to keep them or find them another home.

2. You mentioned having a noisy, naughty dog. How will the duckies be protected from the dog?

I recently adopted two dogs. They are in training to be friendly, nice, and to protect all of the farm animals. I consider things to be "safe" for all of my duckies, BUT twice now a dog has gone after the ducks. The first time, he caught the duck and pinned him to the ground. It looked like he was biting my duck or licking him. It was super hard to tell through my sobbing as I ran to rescue my duck. The second time, someone else let the dogs out by accident. I ran out and caught one of the dogs and put her back in the kennel. The other dog was harder to catch. We finally caught the other dog and put him in his kennel. Two of the ducks that were being chased disappeared. They flew off. (I don't clip wings - mom might want to know how you plan to make sure the ducks stay in your yard.) The ducks eventually found their way home again. It didn't stop my tears. I absolutely LOVE my duckies.

You are getting there! I have been impressed with the answers you have provided.

I would love to read the final product that you provide for your parents. Would you email it to me? It's ok to leave out the possible duck sitter's last name and contact information.

Great job Bridger Davis!