MY BABIES ARE HERE!!! BUT!!!!

[janramsey]

Well my order from Ideal just arrived. I ordered 26 chicks...thats baby chickens......... and 28 chicks and 1 DUCK arrived all safe and sound.......

I know nothing about ducks....the chicks are picking at his/her poor feet. I have it in another box...It keeps getting in its water........is this ok.....he is just sitting in it.

Also does it eat the same starter as my chicks. Will it be ok by itself??

New mommy to 28 plus 1......nervous wreck!!

 

[Freebie]

oh that poor little duck. I don't know anything about them either, but I am sure that sitting in the water is ok. And it probably has to be kept warm too.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

What a mistake! I've never had ducks, but MM says they eat starter crumbles the first 4 weeks and you supply heat the same as you do for chicks. They need water available all the time. You don't let them swim until they feather out, if they don't get oil from their mother or they could get chilled.

If you want to keep it, I'm sure you'll get a lot of help here. If you don't want to deal with it, I would try posting in the for sale/give away/etc. section here, for someone in your area that's already set up for ducks.

Good luck with the baby! They are really adorable. Messy, but adorable.

 

[JamieandShady]

ducks can eat the same food you give the chicks- starter-grower etc.

ducks are supposed to have enough water to dunk themselves in when they're older, but for now its not necessary. they really need the "dunking" water when they develop feathers.

I've heard you are not supposed to raise ducks and chickens together but I think many people ignore this and get along fine. ducks are communal creatures so he would get lonely by himself. if I were you I would keep the ducks with the chickens. the duck will grow fast and soon be able to stand up for himself.


thats just my two cents...

 

[janramsey]

Welllllllll the poor thing flopped around drug his head and then just died........I am so upset......didnt want any ducks........it got here and I fell in love...

.....so now I am thinking of a duck park.......

Thanks for all the advice..off to watch my chicks......cant keep my eyes off.....LOL

 

[Sugar Sand Farm]

Hi I don't know much about ducklings either. We have ordered some that won't arriive until next month. I do know they don't eat mediciated food. We had to travel 70 miiles to a Tractor supply to get unmedicated food. We have it already because we were supposed to get them this week. They need to be kept warm like chickens. They do not have their oil glands yet so water can be a problem. If they get wet they can chill and die. Make sure it has a warmiing light just like your chicks. Ducklings and other baby waterfowl need to dip their beaks into the water to clear their nose passages so keep water available. I hope this helps it's just alittle of what I learned preparing for our goslings and ducklings. Micki

 

[okiechick57]

It sounds to me like someone at the chicken farm decided to have some fun and stick a duck in heehee.hope you enjoy them, I want some ducks.....but dogs.well they just love to chase em, my doberman does anyway....good luck with your new addition.and your babies......

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I'm so sorry! Poor little baby. If you decide to make a duck park, I think the other duck owners are in the "Other Poultry" section.

Enjoy your new chicks.

 

[Arklady]

Ducklings need a waterer they cannot sit in at all. They are just doing what they think they should do. The mother duck would take them out on the water but they can crawl up on her back and sit when they get tired. They also need to have their food away from their waterer. That way they develop their legs faster. I use a standard chicken waterer and they can play in that without getting wet.

I do not medicate my chicks or ducks. If I have to medicate my chicks for any reason I remove the ducklings. I also do not house my ducklings with my chicks longer than it takes for the duck to learn to play in the water.

It is harmful for the chick to be so wet. Ducklings can survive outside when their DOWN has come in, or when you see the pin feathers start. I use a old dog house they can go in when they are needing protection from the elements.

Ducklings need a small amount of play in water DAILY, but I do NOT put a pool in the pen, for unsupervised swimming, till they have their belly feathers in. Then I put in a small kiddy pool with water in it as then they can float. You will need to put up a step they can get in and out of on. They do however quickly learn to lunge out of the water, so only a brick to help them get in is needed.

If you are planning on have a lot of ducks, you can get sometimes free old truck canopies and use them in the field for shelter. Putting hay in it should ensure that they could use IT instead of isolated nesting sites making it safer. I would suggest applying sevin dust to the earth before hay is put down to discourage mites and other bugs. My geese have finally decided that the canopy I have had down for them, for two years, is a great place to have their nest. Now that they know that, I can move and when I put it down in the new place, they will know what that is for. It is very prudent to put the canopy UNDER a tree that has tons of leaves. They can get HOT under the canopy and be sure the windows are open...

Once ducks are fully grown (6mo) and are fletched out they don't need more than hen scratch each day as a meal. They will eat what they need making up for the protein in their diet by drumming out worms or grubs in the field. You can however give them layer pellets a couple of times a week if you feel they need it. But my ducks are highly productive on what I give them. Geese need extra as they grow for two years, and need the extra protein but not too much. Geese should have turkey starter till fully fletched out and then reduced to layer pellets for the rest of their growth. They are very effecient foragers.

Hope this helps.

Arklady