Mandarin Duck thread ( for posting pictures and discussing)

[3BirdGirlz]

Can't wait to see your new babies!

 

[chickenlisa]

thanks! me too! They have pine shavings and evergreen branches to land on when they hop out of the box, a low water dish and food tray for me to fill up when that is needed, a ramp up into and back out of the pool (and clean water for today anyways...they aren't due for a few days as best as I can tell.) A few more possible breaches in the pen were closed off by nailing boards of wood across the top of the hardware cloth (so they can't climb up that to the chicken wire and walk thru that...(as in "See ya, I'll walk right through this 1" hole here... see how small I am?") So hopefully she will have lots of little puddle jumpers and the other female can start sitting on her eggs soon...there are 4 or 5 in the other box now.

 

[momo18clara]

I think I may have some baby mandarins! My male died a few days before my hen started laying, but I went ahead and let her set on them to see if they might somehow be fertilized and now I`m hearing noises in the box! I have never raised baby mandarins, but I have raised ducklings, goslings, chicks and two kinds of quail before. Are these pretty similar to normal ducklings? I really didn't think any would hatch, or I would have prepared better... What is the best type of food to feed these guys if they really are hatching? I currently have Purina flock raiser, Purina Game Bird Startena, and chick starter(medicated).

Also, I have an incubator, so I`m planning on taking all the eggs/ducklings out tonight. Any other suggestions? I have an enclosed metal brooder in our basement where I'm planning on raising them till they're old enough to go outside.

 

[3BirdGirlz]

Congrats !
I made my mommy mandarin mad! I removed her eggs because it was going to freeze and replaced them with chicken eggs....well she knew the difference and is looking for a new place to lay! Ugh!

 

[momo18clara]

lol
I just candled my mandarins eggs. Only 2 developed, but it looks like both of them have internally piped!!! I`m super excited, but I`m a little nervous too. I really scared the hen... my incubator temps been fluctuating a little so I`m hoping she`ll get back on the eggs for a little while longer(I`d like to take them out sometime tomorrow after they've externally pipped). Poor girl, I feel so bad taking away her babies. Especially after she lost her mate.

 

[chickenlisa]

momo- they are nothing like regular ducklings to brood/raise. They are more like baby kangaroo mice/Houdinis...they can escape by crawling straight up cardboard or screen...they can fit right through chicken wire holes without slowing down a bit...but if you have small enough mesh to cover the brooder box with, get some mealie worms and starter crumbles to get them eating...and always be quick to grab them if you need to catch them (as babies even) then you should be fine. One thing that helps at first is to clip the very end of their toenails (just the little hook part that is sharp like kitten's claws and that they use to climb so well with.) Good Luck!!!
We'll need pics!
I'm also waiting for my Mama Mandy to hatch hers. I took pics 2X today from the nestbox hole...nothing visible yet. Maybe tomorrow am- I heard her squawking earlier this evening and she was out of the box for the 1st time I've seen in 2 weeks.
Here she was...

 

[momo18clara]

Thanks for the help chickenlisa! So what kind of starter crumbles do you give them? I`ll definitely pick up some meal worms tomorrow! Should I add some sand for grit to help them digest the meal worms? My brooders one of those metal ones like they have at hatcheries, so hopefully that`ll keep them in. I think I`ll clip their claws just to be safe though! I`ll definitely post pictures if/when they hatch!

Good luck with your babies! I definitely want to see pictures of yours when they hatch too! So do you let the hen raise her babies or do you raise them inside?

 

[chickenlisa]

I usually use Dumor Starter /Grower crumbles for all of my babies.....I also use the large metal trough like TSC has (Only longer than their's) for my brooder and cover it with old window screens. I don't add grit until they go outside...I haven't had any problems. This year and last, I let the Mama raise them in their pen. I just don't have space in the brooder for them...too many chicks! lol Going out now to see what is in that box of hers.

 

[chickenlisa]

still just Mama showing...maybe on MOTHER'S DAY she'll have them hatching!

 

[momo18clara]

Same here. I checked the eggs earlier today and they still hadn't externally piped, so I guess they`ll be staying outside for awhile longer.