Need resources, starting duck 4-H group

[bunchickaduck]

Hello fellow duck lovers. I am back to this site after being away for a year. I have two 8 week old mallards, one runner, one rouen, one pekin and one 3 year old female mallard. I now live in a rural area of Idaho and have been asked to be the duck 4-H leader. The extension office knows nothing about ducks so I am pretty much on my own. I need help finding resources that can answer specific questions about ducks. I can also post specific questions one by one on the thread. The following questions were complied at our first meetings. My youngest member is 8, oldest is 11. Can anyone help us with these questions?

1. After male and female mate, how long is she fertile?

we had a pekin mate with our mallard. 7 days later sadly, a fox got him. Right around that time, she started laying on her eggs and will not come off of them. It's been more than a month so I know none of those eggs are going to hatch. She won't leave the next. I need some duck sex education!

2. Why do you see baby ducks in the wild do just fine in cold weather but domestic ducks have to be under a heat lamp? I assume mom isn't keeping them warm the entire time.

3. what is the average life span for a domesticated duck (assuming they don't get eaten by dogs or other critters)

4. Why do females only have ducks in the spring?

5. Can females have more than one batch of babies in a year?

6. What is the males role in raising babies (if any)

7. why do ducks make that funny duck soup in their water? Are they spitting up their food into the water? I am not talking about them swimming in their water, I am talking about the massive amounts of paste that is left in the bowl.

THANK YOU so much for any advice. The kids show their ducks on August 16 at the fair, but all of them are pets and are not going to market.

 

[Kevin565]

Hello fellow duck lovers. I am back to this site after being away for a year. I have two 8 week old mallards, one runner, one rouen, one pekin and one 3 year old female mallard. I now live in a rural area of Idaho and have been asked to be the duck 4-H leader. The extension office knows nothing about ducks so I am pretty much on my own. I need help finding resources that can answer specific questions about ducks. I can also post specific questions one by one on the thread. The following questions were complied at our first meetings. My youngest member is 8, oldest is 11. Can anyone help us with these questions?

1. After male and female mate, how long is she fertile?

Females can usually store sperm for at least 2 weeks sometimes longer.
we had a pekin mate with our mallard. 7 days later sadly, a fox got him. Right around that time, she started laying on her eggs and will not come off of them. It's been more than a month so I know none of those eggs are going to hatch. She won't leave the next. I need some duck sex education!

2. Why do you see baby ducks in the wild do just fine in cold weather but domestic ducks have to be under a heat lamp? I assume mom isn't keeping them warm the entire time.


Good question. I believe females are usually at least near their ducklings in case they need any help such as heat.
3. what is the average life span for a domesticated duck (assuming they don't get eaten by dogs or other critters)

I believe ducks can live 7+ years
4. Why do females only have ducks in the spring?

Domestic Breeds can have ducklings in several season not just spring as long as they are not seasonal layers.
5. Can females have more than one batch of babies in a year?

Yes they can
6. What is the males role in raising babies (if any)
Males don't usually play a role in raising the ducklings.
7. why do ducks make that funny duck soup in their water? Are they spitting up their food into the water? I am not talking about them swimming in their water, I am talking about the massive amounts of paste that is left in the bowl.

They are probably clearing their nostrils as well as trying to use the water to assist in swallowing the feed.

THANK YOU so much for any advice. The kids show their ducks on August 16 at the fair, but all of them are pets and are not going to market.

Welcome Back!

 

[Amiga]

Welcome back!

Two print resources I use are Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks, and The Ultimate Pet Duck Handbook. In general, what one does not cover in detail the other does.

And, of course, the Duck Forum is a great resource! But you already know that.

 

[bunchickaduck]

Thanks for the great info.

So, much to our surprise, we now have two darling ducklings out of the eggs mom was sitting on. I am sad when I remind myself that I gave away all those wonderful eggs she was sitting on, just sure they were going bad in the sun. Very glad I left the two, which turned out to be our new much cherished babies.

So now, she still had about 11 eggs under her along with the two babies. She is very protective of her eggs. When I pick them up, i can shake them and feel lots of water moving around. Only one or two feel solid. I just cant bare to toss them, as I made that mistake before.... but how in the heck could any of these be fertile when the male would have been absent for more than a month. Ideas?

Also, now my female rouen is sitting on 5 eggs. Did she learn this from my other duck? Unless I am crazy, there is no possible way those eggs could be fertile yet she won't come off of them and she hisses at me where as she never did before.

 

[Amiga]

Well, I have been told that broodiness seems to be contagious sometimes.

And I would figure out how to candle those eggs to be sure.

 

[bunchickaduck]

What kind of ducks are seasonal egg layers? I have 1 pekin, 2 baby pekin/mallard mix, 3 mallards, 1 runner, 1 rouen. All are female except the 2 babies ?

 

[larkflying]

Muscovy's are more seasonal -- runners are supposed to be good egg layers. I think the Pekins, mallards and rouen are somewhere in between as far as egg laying is concerned. I think the Metzer's website has a good comparison of each breed of ducks and what they do best at.

I had to take a nest away from one of my ducks yesterday -- I sold the drake a month ago, and I was positive the eggs weren't fertile. Wish I had kept him for a couple more weeks . . . my other drakes are too young to breed till the end of the summer, but there's always next year. I'd recommend taking the eggs away - I wish I'd taken my duck's earlier. The eggs were stinky and gross . . . If you keep taking the eggs away, eventually the broody instinct will give up for the year.

 

[Tahai]

Are you already using the 4-H Poultry Curriculum? That's what all our Poultry kids use, regardless of fowl species they raise.

http://www.4-hmall.org/Category/4-hcurriculum-poultry.aspx