My Runner Ducklings have arrived! Pics

[katharinad]

The idea behind a little bit of yogurt is to get probiotics into their body. This helps them to absorb nutrients. You basically add one teaspoon into their water. Many vitamin/electrolytes contain probiotics. I wasn't sure if you were using a commercial product or not. It does not hurt them. I personally always give my babies a mush for the first 3 days. It prevents choking. Again this does not hurt them either. With greens I hold off for 3 days. Sugar is given for a energy boost, again just small amounts. So overall none of these suggestions hurt your ducklings.

Cleaning you can use warm water. Paper towel dry them well and put them back under the brooder. You can tomorrow give them their first bath. Many use their kitchen sink with just an inch of warm water. I usually use a paint tray, and you will be amazed to see some of them dive almost right away. Never step away when they bath and remove them when they start standing around doing nothing.

 

[javajanie]

I bought 2 runners from Metzer earlier in the year, a chocolate and a blue. Love them. So pretty and funny and oh so full of personality! Enjoy yours. Sorry to hear about the losses.

 

[Emzyyy]

I absolutly love ducks.

 

[T Hi]

Your babies are adorable!!!

I agree about the yogurt and probiotics!!! Another thing to try is adding a little bit of RAW apple cider vinegar to the water. It has to be the raw stuff that is cloudy and stuff floating around the bottom of the bottle. Also adding some powdered brewer's yeast to the food gives them a niacin boost that ducklings need. There is a great "sticky" thread on here that Nettie has set up on things to feed ducklings and grown ducks. And what is bad to feed them too!

As for the bedding and the brooder box- I used a BIG rubbermaid storage box with high sides.(cuz the little buggers will be tall and poking their heads over the top in no time!!)

Do not use cedar shavings because of the oils and odor that it gives off can be toxic. However, I used and still use, white pine shavings. They are less dusty than straight pine shavings and are cheap. I lined the bottom of the box with puppy pee pads then a layer of shavings on top of that. I only had to clean it once a day and the pee pads made it quick and easy and help keep the smell down! It only took 15 minutes to clean!

Hold them! Hold them! Hold them!
That will sooooo benefit you later down the road! My daughter and I never missed 1 day without handling each of them and now that they are 6 months old they are very social! They follow us everywhere and let the neighbor kids come up to them and pet them!

Have fun!!!

 

[MysticalMom]

Awwww. I'm so jealous. I want Metzer runners but have to wait until spring. I'm sorry you lost a couple.

And just so you know... I've brooded many ducklings and have never wet the crumble. They do just fine from day 1 with it dry.

 

[jdywntr]

I lost one of the chocolates last night and another of the chocolates is not looking great this morning. The little blue female is holding her own but seems a bit weak. I have her and the chocolate female seperated because the rest are a crazy rowdy bunch. The others are doing great. We'll see. I am feeding them TSC starter/grower for chicks and ducklings. None of the ducklings were interested in the dry crumble yesterday and after the deaths I just wet it all. I have a dish of dry in with the healthy group but they aren't interested.

 

[desertdarlene]

I hear that Metzers has good customer service. I think if you mention that you lost 3 or 4 ducklings so quickly and so soon after arrival, they might send replacements.

 

[katharinad]

I know they will send replacements. Wonder if something in the transport has caused it. It's just odd that only one breed is effected. I'm sorry to hear about your losses.

 

[Amiga]

Is there something odd with the crumbles? My runners chowed down from day one. Following Storey's Guide recommendations, I put a tiny bit of chick grit in with their crumbles, too.

 

[jdywntr]

Sadly, we lost the little chocolate female overnight. Metzer does have excellent customer service. I have spoken with them several times in the last two days. They have a 24 hour guarantee and will be refunding the cost of 2. They sent one extra. It is odd though that it was 2 blue and 2 chocolate that died. The 3 black and the 2 fawn/white have been fine. One chocolate has had no problems and the last blue was touch and go but is doing well now. I chose not to get replacements, although they would have sent them because I was worried about the added stress on such a small shipment and the weather is beginning to turn colder. I am now planning on keeping the remaining 7, which is 2 more than planned. I am hoping that my remaining chocolate turns out to be female. I did only lose 1 of the sexed ducklings. I figure if I end up with to many males, I will deal with it then.

I'm not sure what happened. Everyone seemed okay when first out of the box. They all drank. Then within 2 hours, 2 blues were dead. I had been worried about the the two chocolates that died. They were listless and much smaller than the others, almost half the size. I am thinking that with the first two, I may not have been as diligent as I should have, being new to ducks. But with the second two, I hardly left the side of the brooder for 1.5 days.

As for the food, I have dry in with them in addition to the wet crumbles. They are eating it now but they LOVE the wet. All of the differing info is killing me though. Greens are fine, no greens for 3-7 days etc. I found a link on BYC with Holderold's (?) care instructions which say to offer greens (finely chopped) right away. I guess it is others experience that affects their opinion. I did offer greens(baby lettuce) to the ones not doing well at first. They did get excited by them and I figure that if they were raised outdoors by their mother, they would be nibbling at grass etc. In the end it didn't make a difference though.

I just hope there are no more losses.

My hubby actually found the last one at about 3am.

Everyone else is doing well. I but the little blue back in with the rest (she had been with the chocolate because she did not seem to be keeping up with the others). She perked right up and started running around and eating like a little pig with the rest of them.

Thanks again though to all that posted opinions. Even though they differ, they are helpful.