Need Advice from experienced duck owners....

[JosieR]

I ordered Storey's guide to ducks and am just waiting for it to arrive. I want to make sure I'm doing the right things and am trying to plan ahead. I know usually people that are doing something have advice I can't find in any book

I've looked around the forums and learned a ton but have a few questions. Thank you in advance, we love these little babies and we want them to be safe and happy.

When can my ducks go outside? They are about 1 1/2 weeks old now and they seem a little bored. I have a clip that I use to attach the front of the heat lamp to the wire on top of the box and while I was changing their bedding they were taking turns hitting at it! We are going to be in the 80s this weekend. Can I put them out in the sun? Do I give them a pan of water to climb into? It will be in the 50's and 60's at night so I know that's too cold but how do you put a heat light outside? Just run a cord from an outside outlet?

I have read the forums and seen mention of dog pens. Are those safe to put them in for the day? I have a neighbor's cat that comes over, a neighbors dog that would go after them if she's out unattended but she's old and slow. We have other wildlife in the area. Do I need a fence around the dog cage (I was thinking of a wire one so they'd get sun). Will they be terrified if a dog or cat comes up to the cage trying to get to them? T

Speaking of water, they're going through a GALLON overnight! I feel terrible that I come down in the morning and it's empty but I fill it before I go to bed (10 or 11) and I'm down there at 6:30. Do I really need to get up in the middle of the night?

I gave them a mini loaf pan of water, took them TWO days to go near it

and while they were sticking their entire bill into it, they didn't dunk their heads. Some of them have wood chips, food, other stuff on their heads and either food or dust from the wood chips around their eyes and I'm worried. Other ideas to get them to dunk or stop worrying?

Do they need grit at this age? What about Niacin? I've read that around the forums too but it didn't mention age. How do I give them Niacin if they need it?

The woman in the feed store told me I could put them out in 6 weeks. Looking at how much they've grown in the last week I don't think this brooder box is going to hold them that long. Do I need to start planning another type of box for them to grow into? Any ideas? Can it be my kids' old pack and play or does it need a covering on top if they will stay in the garage?

What do you all do with dirty wood shavings? I feel like I'm throwing away a ton and would love to put it to use if possible.

Thank you so much for all your help. The person I bought them from said, oh, you'll know, you'll be able to tell... but this isn't something I want to wing while I wait for my book to come.

Thanks again!

Josie

 

[aduckstolemyheart]

As for dirty shavings, I use them as mulch for my flower beds. Makes the flowers grow really well!

I have heard of people putting them out as early as 2 weeks, but I did not start mine going outside until about 3 weeks, and then it was in a dog crate with the bottom out so they can forage in the grass. I would make sure, when you do put them out that they have some sort of shade so they do not over heat.

I only let mine swim when I could dry them off right afterward and make sure they don't tire or drown. Finally at 5 weeks they can swim alone.

You definitely need a predator proof area for them it sounds like. You can make them a fenced yard, but make sure it's covered (if you have a lot of air predators, if not I would not worry about it) But with the animals you mentioned I would atleast make sure the perimeter is secure. I also always put mine in their little house/pen at night.

All the ducks I have had are skittish around unknown animals. They have to be cautious as they have little natural defense.

They should catch on to dunking their bill, but you can always wipe them down a bit if they still look dirty. When mine were young I let them in the bathtub for about 10 minutes and they warmed up to it in no time, now they LOVE water!

Hope that helps some!

 

[rainplace]

You can fill the sink or bathtub with enough water so if they pull their legs up, they can float. They'll take to the water like... ummm... like ducks! This should encourage them to dunk their entire head into the water and make them nice and clean. Keep and eye on them the entire time and when you pull them out gently wrap them in a towel and put them back into the brooder. I don't really use the towels for much more than making sure they aren't dripping wet. When they go back to the brooder, most likely they will gather around the heat source and try to preen.

I took ours outside on nice days. Made a little hardware cloth pen with a heat lamp clipped to it, put out their food, drinking water, and a large baking dish for swimming. Some of the little pen was in shade and some in sun. It was small and light enough for me to move around every few days when the lawn got soggy. When I was ready to go inside, I just put everyone back into the box I took them out in and brought them back to the brooder. If the pen is small enough, you won't have to chase them to bring them back inside. Also if you make enough room for you to sit in there with them, after a while they will grow accustomed to having you around and will get into the routine of going in and out of the house. They will love picking at the grass and dabbling in the mud they will make from their water.

In the end it's just being aware of what's going on with them. You'll be able to tell if they are too cold and you know what to do to change that. After a few times of doing that you will hear them peep when and move around the pen if you are outside it and start moving outside of their vision. The funniest thing I experienced last year was the first time they got caught in the rain. They were big enough by then that they really didn't like going back in the box to go inside so I would have to corral them so there wasn't any chase. A hard rain suddenly started and I was on gardening on the side of the house. I hear them peeping like crazy and when I come around the corner, I see they are all lined up by their box crying to come inside. It was the funniest, cutest thing I'd seen at that point.

Enjoy your ducklings!

 

[Brickman House]

The issue of when ducklings can go outside was discussed just recently:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=333438


There's some great info in the above thread-- check it out!

 

[JosieR]

Mulch! That's brilliant, why didn't I think of that? You guys are the best. I have a bunch of trees that need to be mulched or the poison ivy grows up.

It's going to be in the high 80's this weekend so I think they would enjoy being out. I am just afraid any temporary fence I put up won't be enough protection for them but that brooder box and my garage need a break to air out LOL so we'll see.

I bought Dumor feed for them which has niacin in it, the woman at Tractor Supply said it was complete, no supplements needed.

Hopefully my copy of Storey's book gets here soon.

 

[FenDruadin]

I put mine out in a dog kennel run as early as a week old, but the bottom two feet is lined in 1/2" hardware wire mesh. The chain links are otherwise large enough for them to climb through when they get in a panic. I do make sure they have heat out there.

Also, check to make sure your waterer is level. I was finding at one point that the water was empty in the morning, and later discovered that it was gradually leaking out through the tiny gaps at the bottom because it wasn't staying level. Once I fixed it, the water lasted a lot longer and the brooder stayed a lot dryer.

Good luck and enjoy!

 

[Amiga]

I agree with iamcuriositycat - I have invested heavily in half inch hardware cloth (a.k.a. wire mesh). It is small enough to keep little ones in and nasty things that might reach through chain link fence out.

I also use soiled shavings as mulch, or add it to the leaf compost pile. Because of my own allergies I still have the ducks on towels, so when I rinse them before washing, I use the wash water for watering plants. I am amazed at how good the plants are looking this spring!

I am on Brooder III. Brooder I held fifteen ducklings for about ten days. Then the owner of four took hers, and two days later I bought a puppy playpen (Brooder II) - 16 square feet. Lined the bottom with two layers of 6 mil plastic, and the inside with plastic poultry fencing (to prevent little heads getting stuck).

About seven weeks later, and the nighttime temperatures still below freezing, and the outdoor pen not finished, not heated, and so forth, and we expanded to Brooder III, added another 10 square feet or so.

Water wise, I went from one quart waterer lasting overnight to the three gallon size just barely making it through the night.

After six weeks of age, the ducks do without food and water for overnight (six to eight hours). It makes the bedding last a few hours longer.

With my runners (eleven of them), I have found I have to come up with a new solution to a new challenge about every two or three days.

 

[dieselgrl48]

I think I got a stubborn run of ducks this year.I have 6 pekin about 2 month's old 2 cayuga's born in Jan.We even ran them out of horse stall yesterday they stayed about 15 min's and right back to stall.Got 19 young mallard too hubby say's he is going to stand gaurd they ARE going to that pond this weekend lol.My problem is got 2 adult mallard drakes they fanciying the 2 cayuga's the oldest.May have to pen them till We can get the other's trained to go to pond and come back at night never had any problems with any other duck's before.I had just been putting the hay down in there in the sep.pen's till now Phew goin to pick up some cedar this weekend to refresh them at least till they start going out day.I have raised hundred's of duck's and duckling's over the year's.They are a lot of work but find they are worth the effort in the long run.