I had an impulsive moment at the feed store.

Andora

Songster
11 Years
Aug 26, 2008
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Lexington, Kentucky
The ducks were just so adorable. I couldn't stop myself.

I got a Mallard and a Pekin duck. I'm thinking about going back to get one more of each kind so I have two pairs.

But before I do that, I need some advice. I know nothing about owning ducks! Right now they are in the brooder with my chicks. I live in a suburb and I have a large chick pen...something like 50x50 feet. Will the ducks be too loud and messy??

Can I add two or four ducks in the pen with my chicks? Will they need their own little duck coop and a baby pool? Will the chickens get in the baby pool and drown?

If this is a bad idea I will just enjoy the ducks until they get a bit bigger, then re-home them to a safe home once they are ready to leave the brooder.

I'm going to look around this area of the forum, I've never had a reason to read in here before!

Here are the ducks...my friend (TubbyChicken) also got one of each breed of ducks that TSC had, so that's why there are four ducks in the pictures. Only two are mine.

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I'm getting ready to upload a few pictures of them swimming in the sink...Ducks are possibly the cutest birds EVER. I am afraid I feel a new obsession coming on...HELP!
 
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Ducks are fun, especially when it is raining and they are happy as can be turning the chicken run into a mud hole
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They should have their own pen if possible, but with a run that size they may not make too much of a mess. Pekins will stick around, but mallards are usually pretty good flyers.

Oh...and what feedstore did you find these at? I was in N-ville TSC yesterday and did not see any chicks or ducks there
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They have some real cute bunnies though
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Don't you just love little ducklings?
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I have 3 ducks myself, 2 Pekins and 1 crested of some sort. One Pekin is a female, the other 2 are drakes. They have a little kiddie pool I keep in the yard for them, I haven't had any problem with my chickens going in. When they are very small though, the really aren't very water-proof, if you know what I mean?
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Just be careful, and watch them, you should have no problems. Yes, my ducklings were fine with my chicks also. Have lots of fun, cuz they are!!
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Yikes, I've been trying to remind myself I wasn't going to do ducks again and here you are posting these adorable pictures! My duckies are quite loud sometimes but I have five girls fussing over one boy. They are so fun though. Mine are with the chickens but they are really messy!! I hope you enjoy them.
 
We have a Pekin female and Rouen male (I think your darker one may be a Rouen, but it is hard for me to tell the difference) and they live in the same coop as our chickens, just separated by a divider. The only problem we've had is Donald (our boy) trying to uh hum...mate with the chickens. Apparently, he is just not meant to be a one woman kind of man and I think Daisy is just fine with that. So, we are going to be getting him a couple more girls in the next month or so from our feed store. Other than that, the ducks are terribly messy which the chickens are not fans of, but put up with. Make sure to put their water dish on something elevated or hang it so that they can not walk in it and get their bedding drenched. We learned that the hard way after changing the brooder several times a day when they we brought them home. They are an absolute joy to have around and love love love treats. Good luck and hope they work out for you!!!
 
I almost got impulsive at the feedstore today too
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the duckies were so little and cute!!

But they didn't have any of what I was looking for (and hubby was standing over me with That Look
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) so I just got 35 chicks instead
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Baby ducks are so cute!! I was able to resist at the feed store today, since I'll have my bator full of my own ducks' eggs in a week
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I don't remember my baby ducks ever looking that small!! They grow so fast! Did they tell you the ones were mallards? Most places sell rouens, which look almost exactly the same, but they are bigger. Also, rouens have 2 brown stripes by their eyes, mallards have 1. You can sex those as soon as they start feathering, if they haven't started quacking by then. The male rouens/mallards will get a white stripe across the front of their necks, females don't. Pekins you just gotta wait till they start quacking, or not. Usually by 4 weeks you will know. They make a terrible mess but are so much fun!! I have 15 ducks, and wish I could have more!

ETA: It does look like the one in the pic is a mallard, they can fly really well. Oh, and I only got 5 chicks at the feed store, compared to Mojo's 35
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I hatched off some mallard eggs and have 6 of the little darlins here in the house. One is more black with the yellow, and the others are mostly yellow with some black. The kids love them.
 

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