I'm stupid about ducks

[newchickmom]

My daughter decided to get 2 little ducklings from the farm store yesterday and of course they have to stay at my house since she lives in an apartment in town.

All we know is to give them chick starter for now, and water.

Nobody at the store told her anything else about how to take care of them. I would not let her put them in with the chicks though because of the size difference, so we set up a seperate brooder for them.

Her boyfriend works at the farm store but doesn't know anything about ducks. Can someone give me some info on their care? Or direct me to a good web site?

They are adorable though!

 

[NewHopePoultry]

Ducklings require less heat than chicks but ducklings that are cold lose their appetites, and when wet, they chill quickly and can die if not able to get warm and dry.

The water bowl must not be big enough for the duckling to be able to climb inside and have a paddle, however it must be deep enough for the ducklings to wash out the feed from their nostrils,

Keep their bedding dry and a rough surface to run on.

Your not suppose to feed chick start if it has medication in it(most do)
You can use turkey and pheasant breeder crumbles, which has nearly the same nutrients as chick starter but without the medication.

 

[Stormhorse23]

You were right in keeping them away from chicks. My chicks pecked my ducklings feet until they bled. Then the duckling killed the chick.

 

[2mnypets]

We got 5 ducklings this last week and we were told to feed them the meat bird feed. Once a day we place a little bit of water in the tub and let them have some supervised splash time.

 

[Jayare's Chicks]

I'm stupid about ducks too.... but I picked up 6 little ducklings today.

I got 4 Kacki Campbells and 2 Mallards.
How can you sex them??????
3 of the Kacki's have a solid colored head and the other has a two tone lite and dark colored head. Does this mean I have 3 drakes and one hen????

How can you tell the sex on the mallards also?

Jayare

 

[bobbieguyette]

you wont be able to sex them till they are alot older when the feathers come in and they are about full grown the boy mallards get pretty green heads and males get a curly tail (duck tail) males are usually quieter and the females are louder.I like using marbles in my dishes and that way they cannot drown either

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

here is one of the links I posted which may help

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=36143

 

[dangerouschicken]

From www.liveducks.com

Without the protective oils produced by the Mother, or feathers with barbicels that provide a waterproof barrier, a duckling's down soaks up water like a sponge. They will tire quickly and drown.

Once they are fully feathered, about 30-45 days after birth, they are safe to be in water without their mother. Always be sure they can get in and out of the water safely on their own. Never leave ducklings unattended near water sources they can't stand up in. Be sure their drinking water supply is the shallow reservoir type (found in pet stores) otherwise they will try to swim and poop in it and if it's too deep they can drown.​

 

[nu2chixinmo]

I am glad to know that I am not the only one clueless to ducks. My daughter and I got a peking and a mallard this weekend, not really sure what to do with them. They are very friendly!!! A Duck website like this one would be good.

 

[greyfields]

http://www.amazon.com/Storeys-Guide...bs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205778431&sr=8-1