Need advice! New to ducks!!

[GumBranchChick]

Hello! I have recently been given 5 ducks & I know very little about caring for them. Being on this forum has helped tremendously with my chickens! I have had my chickens for almost a year (& I was kind of thrown into that situation, too, when I rescued one). I was recently offered 5 drakes because I have a pond & the farmer was going to raise them for food if I didn't want them bc he didn't need that many drakes. So I said sure, I'll give them a chance down on the pond. But I want to do it right. He doesn't know what kind they are. Assumes they can't fly bc of the size of their wings, but they are only 8-10 weeks old maybe according to him. He didn't hatch them, but got them young. He has only ever had chickens until now, so doesn't have much advice. First of all I want to know what they are & what I can expect. I also want to know what their needs are. I am building them a floating dock & putting a dog igloo on it, then I want to build & attach a floating plant island & anchor all of this in the middle of the pond (which is only about 1/4 acre or so). Ideally, they could sleep in there year-round & "free range" with supplemented feed. On chick starter & grower right now bc that's what they were on before. I'm in south Alabama so while it does drop below freezing on occasion & there's definite humidity, I would think that huddled inside the igloo they would be okay...right? My chickens (only one rooster & two hens at the moment) are in a fenced "dog yard" attached to the house with a coop inside the yard which I lock them up in at night. Never an issue with predators coming up. We also have 3 dogs (that don't have access to the chickens) so I think that helps deter predators when they're out. I could try the ducks in with the chickens if the pond doesn't work out, but my rooster is pretty protective of his girls & I wouldn't want him to hurt one of the new little drakes. Any tips would be Super helpful!!! Also any recommendations on food, treats, grit, nutritional needs, etc.
Will try to attach a photo. For now, its the best photo I have. I could take a better one tomorrow if it's not good enough to tell what they are (besides adorable!).

 

[junebuggena]

If you are feeding chick starter, you need to be adding niacin to the feed. The most common way to do that is to sprinkle brewer's yeast. It's found at health food stores or in the vitamin/supplement section of grocery stores, do not use yeast for baking or brewing alcohol. They also need a water source that's deep enough to dunk their heads in. Ducks need that deep water to properly swallow food. A milk jug or plastic coffee container with a big hole cut in at chest level works really well. They've still got quite a bit of down on them, so I'm guessing they are closer to about 6 weeks of age.
From the shape of them, they look like they might be Muscovy or Muscovy mixes.

 

[GumBranchChick]

Thanks junebug!! (That's my dog's name) I gave them water the first day & they lost their minds. So cute! Should I do something besides chicken feed? Would love a floating food for the pond! Being Muscovy potentially & so young, does this possibly mean they will be able to fly?!

 

[junebuggena]

Thanks junebug!! (That's my dog's name) I gave them water the first day & they lost their minds. So cute! Should I do something besides chicken feed? Would love a floating food for the pond! Being Muscovy potentially & so young, does this possibly mean they will be able to fly?!

Chick starter is fine as long as you add that source of niacin. Waterfowl starter or flock raiser are good choices that don't require supplements. They may or may not be able to fly. With your plan of keeping them in a semi-wild environment, flying is actually a big plus. Ducks that can't fly are quite literally sitting ducks for predators.

 

[GumBranchChick]

Yeah I really really want them to be able to fly!!! I didn't realize they might not be able to fly when I said yes. But now they're here & adorable, so I'm going to do my best to do what's best for them. Even if they free range during the day then I teach them to come into the fenced yard at night. But they're going to have a duck island either way.