My first ducklings!!!

[ThePigeonKid]

I got 6 ducklings from TSC yesterday!

They’re so cute!

Tips for caring for them will be appreciated!

Here are some pics:

 

[Muggsmagee]

I just got my first 13 ducklings in March. Just hatched 24 yesterday. Will be hatching another 25 + next Tuesday and recieving 14 more from Holderread's! Yikes!

One piece of advice...keep them clean. DUCKS are SO messy! And boy do they stink. And poo, and poo, and poo. It's wet poo. They fling their water everywhere. My 13 baby ducklings would go through 4-5 gallons of water a day, just by playing so much with it!

I would let them experience a warm water bath to splash in for a few minutes each day to every other day. They love it, but can get water logged and cold, so make sure it is brief. My understanding is they don't develop the oil gland to protect their feathers/down and skin for several weeks, and obviously won't have their mom to rub hers on them, so they get cold fast.

Get your outside pen/coop set up quickly! You'll want them out of the house as soon as possible!

Other than that...they are a joy to have, and FULL of personality! Enjoy them!

 

[bettynoodlees]

They are soooo cute!!!

I am by no means a duck expert, but what really suprised me about the ducks was the smell, even though I had read about it...
makes chicken poo smell like a teeny baby fart

 

[Darklingstorm]

I see some chicks in there too, right?
This is my first year to have ducklings and chicks. I found out real quick that they need to be in separate brooder boxes. The ducks not only are messier but grow a lot faster and could hurt little chicks. These chicks are 5 weeks old and the ducks are 6 weeks old. They started out in the same brooder and within a week's time, I separated them.

 

[tiffanya]

Quote:
. It is true that you need to keep an eye on them as ducks grow much quicker. However, I have always had mine in the brooder together and they have done just fine. My chicks are always a week older than my ducks, which works better for both size and temp. requirements.

 

[Muggsmagee]

Quote:
. It is true that you need to keep an eye on them as ducks grow much quicker. However, I have always had mine in the brooder together and they have done just fine. My chicks are always a week older than my ducks, which works better for both size and temp. requirements.

I put mine in a brooder with 10 day old chicks. The chicks looked like drowned rats after the first night. The ducks soaked them by flinging their water. That was the only reason we separated them.

Poor chickies.

 

[tiffanya]

I use a stock tank for a brooder. I put a short piece of 4x4 across it with the water and food on one side on top of a towel and shredded paper bedding on the other. This way only the side with the water and food gets wet and I just change the towel once a day. The chicks and ducks can still get up and over the 4x4. Works great!

 

[srpaint]

I keep mine together. But I have a huge area for them. the chicks can easily get away from the ducks and their water. I can see how having them in a small area together would be bad.

 

[Muggsmagee]

Quote:
Take a pic so I can see what you mean!

I may want to try your system this week. We use a 110 gallon rubber tub (horse trough) for our brooders.

 

[tiffanya]

I will do that tomorrow. (Not wanting to run outside in the rain again tonight.)

It took a little trial and error to figure out a way to keep the bedding dry last year but so far so good this year and they have all been together for a week now.