just hatched baby ducks

[sewbrooks78]

Good morning! I've been reading this site for 2 years and just joined! I have 5 chickens and 4 ducks since last spring, 3 male and one female duck. My female duck started laying on a nest at Christmas, because its so warm I think she thought it was spring. Sunday morning after the tornado's passed, I live in South Georgia; btw the news is down playing the destruction... I finally felt it was safe to start tending to the animals and I found 13 baby ducks, and today found one more, so 14!

They all look healthy! My question is do I leave the babies in with the adult males and female or do I bring them in to my inside cage, that their parents were raised in?! I want them to survive, and I plan on keeping one male and the female out of my original group and trading/selling the other two males and babies for other varieties of females. The pen is big, but we really only want 4 ducks at a time in it, according to my husband... so! separate or keep together?! Thank you!

 

[redsoxs]

Greetings from Kansas, sewbrooks78, and

! Happy you joined our community! Also happy that you emerged from those nasty tornadoes okay. It looked pretty devastating on the news - glad you are okay! In terms of keeping all the ducks together, my instincts say that would be a mistake....but I've never raised baby ducks with adults. You might ask the folks in the Ducks Forum here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/42/ducks
Best wishes and thank you for joining BYC!!

 

[N F C]

Glad you're ok and congrats on all the new ducklings. I've never raised ducks (just chickens) so the link redsoxs has given you would be the best place to find your answer.

If you'd like to chat with other GA members, you can find your state thread here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/270925/find-your-states-thread

Thanks for joining us, it's nice to have you here!

 

[Teila]

G’Day from down under Sewbrooks78

Welcome!

I too am glad that you are OK and congratulations on the little quackers!

I hope you enjoy being a BYC member. There are lots of friendly and very helpful folks here so not only is it overflowing with useful information it is also a great place to make friends and have some fun. Unlike non chicken loving friends, family and colleagues, BYC’ers never tire of stories or pictures that feature our feathered and non feathered friends

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC and congratulations on your hatch. Hopefully the duck peeps will help you out.

Best wishes
CT

 

[drumstick diva]

Duck mama's seem to hatch a lot of babies because mortality is high - usually through accidents (falling into sewers - predator attacks etc.) are not ferocious like Canadian Geese.

Over the years I have seen both Goose parents guard them religiously. I would think putting the mom and ducklings in with others would be a mistake.

 

[sewbrooks78]

thank you everyone for your response, after watching them interact and the with the cold weather next week I decided to move them to the set up in the garage with heat lamps. When I removed them the adult ducks were upset, but after getting the babies out, I cleaned the adult cage really well, with new straw, new water, the works, they didn't seem too mad anymore All babies are doing well! and my kids love watching them, so all is good!

 

[NickyKnack]

Hello!

Welcome to BYC and the coop! There's a lot of great peeps here! Feel free to ask lots of questions. But most of all, make yourself at home. I'm so glad you decided to join the BYC family. I look forward to seeing you around BYC. I bet they are adorable.