I am new to this!! Please help!!

[BaileyPaisley]

Ok so I just started a small flock of my own. I own 2 chickens and 2 ducks!

Arourra- 3 day old layer hen
McCnugget- 3 day old layer hen
Bailey- 4 day old Pekin girl
Paisley- 4 day old boy (looks like a mallard but isn't)

My questions:

1- Can I put my ducks and chicks together?
2- What types of snacks can they eat?
3- What temp. and age can they go outside?
4- My baby ducks love swimming in the bath. Should I let them swim at this age?
5- When I bought Paisley I was told he was NOT a mallard. What could he be?

Here is a picture of Paisley

Here is a picture of Bailey
Here is a picture of Aroura
Here is a picture of McCnugget
Here is a picture of Carly

 

[ellie32526]

Ok so I just started a small flock of my own. I own 2 chickens and 2 ducks!

Arourra- 3 day old layer hen
McCnugget- 3 day old layer hen
Bailey- 4 day old Pekin girl
Paisley- 4 day old boy (looks like a mallard but isn't)

My questions:

1- Can I put my ducks and chicks together?
2- What types of snacks can they eat?
3- What temp. and age can they go outside?
4- My baby ducks love swimming in the bath. Should I let them swim at this age?
5- When I bought Paisley I was told he was NOT a mallard. What could he be?

Here is a picture of Paisley

Here is a picture of Bailey
Here is a picture of Aroura
Here is a picture of McCnugget
Here is a picture of Carly

Let's see if I can answer some of your questions -
1- Can I put my ducks and chicks together? I know nothing about ducks or parakeets but I know a little about chicks since I raised 15 from day olds, but I have been told that you shouldn't keep them together. I don't own both so I never pushed for the why. I think there are some folks on here who have both and maybe they can answer that one.

2- What types of snacks can they eat?
I feed my grown hens and roosters chopped apples, grapes, raisins, dried cranberries, greens (spinach, kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, lettuce, etc.). I give dried mealworms sparingly in the winter when there are no bugs available.

3- What temp. and age can they go outside? They should have 90-95 degree temps and protection from drafts the first week, then you can reduce the temps about 5 degrees each week until they are fully feathered. Monitor the chicks to watch what they do and they will tell you if they are too hot or cold. If your chicks huddle together under the heat source they are too cold, if they hug the sides of the brooder they are too hot. Just right and they will scurry around all over the brooder acting like happy go lucky chicks. The age depends on breeds, some feather sooner than others. Most breeds are fully feathered and some breeds are ready to lay by four months, others take longer. When they are fully feathered they can go outside, but they still need a dry shelter to provide protection from drafts, extreme temps (cold and heat), and rain.

I will leave the last two questions to someone who knows something about ducks. Congratulations and enjoy your baby chicks.

4- My baby ducks love swimming in the bath. Should I let them swim at this age?
5- When I bought Paisley I was told he was NOT a mallard. What could he be?

 

[lvmomma]

Ok so I just started a small flock of my own. I own 2 chickens and 2 ducks! Arourra- 3 day old layer hen McCnugget- 3 day old layer hen Bailey- 4 day old Pekin girl Paisley- 4 day old boy (looks like a mallard but isn't) My questions: 1- Can I put my ducks and chicks together? 2- What types of snacks can they eat? 3- What temp. and age can they go outside? 4- My baby ducks love swimming in the bath. Should I let them swim at this age? 5- When I bought Paisley I was told he was NOT a mallard. What could he be? Here is a picture of Paisley Here is a picture of Bailey Here is a picture of Aroura Here is a picture of McCnugget Here is a picture of Carly

4- You can let them swim in warm water just NEVER unsupervised 5-Paisley looks like a Rouen to me

 

[BaileyPaisley]

Also is it normal for bailey to swim around and drive under the water but then paisley just floats around is that just his personality or does he not like the water?

 

[lvmomma]

4- You can let them swim in warm water just NEVER unsupervised
5-Paisley looks like a Rouen to me

Also is it normal for bailey to swim around and drive under the water but then paisley just floats around is that just his personality or does he not like the water?

That's definitely normal. My dexter just likes to sit and float and my Lola dives under and swims under the water like crazy! I think its just their personalities.

 

[BaileyPaisley]

Awe your ducks are adorable they look just like mine! Also is there a way that I can check there sex? My grandma says she thinks Paisley is a boy and Bailey a girl but we are not 100% they are only about 4 days old

 

[lvmomma]

They're too young to tell at this point....but starting at around 4 weeks girls start quacking and boys just sound raspy...that's the easiest way to tell and with Paisley you will eventually be able to tell by his/her coloring

 

[themightysteph]

A good way to tell what ur mallard/Rouen is look at the stripes by its eye. Some feed stores get them mixed up a lot I wanted mallards and only 3 where mallards and the rest where rouens lol.anyway a mallard has two stripes on each side of his face a Rouen has 3

 

[themightysteph]

So to me by the picture he looks like a mallard

 

[themightysteph]

this is a Rouen duckling