My 13 year old daughter and I just got our first chicks (and ducklings). We have 9 Buff Orpington and 3 Bantam chicks, and 2 ducklings of unknown variety. One is fuzzy and yellow, the other is dark brown. We currently refer to them as "chocolate duck" and "vanilla duck" because we don't want to end up with a male Daisy Duck, and that is one of the names picked out. We have had the chicks now for 3 weeks, and have enjoyed watching how fast they grow! I think they were probably only a couple days old when we got them, from Tractor Supply. We have them in a plastic stock tank (maybe rubbermaid?) with a red heat lamp on.
Apart from the chicks and ducklings, we also have 5 dogs, a cat, 18 holstein steers, and are getting some horses within the next couple of weeks. Hobby Farm status, here we come! Our family is large, with 6 children ranging from 18 to 10 months, and we wouldn't have it any other way!
I have some questions, and I will be browsing the forum, so I will likely find the answers there... but I'll leave them here as well in case anyone wants to share what works best for them.
1. We are wondering how long before the chicks and ducks can go outside... they are currently housed in an old granary, inside their watering tank. We live in Western Wisconsin, so the weather here is ranging between 40 degrees for lows and 60-65 for highs. Spring just showed up for us, so we are anxious to soak up all the Vitamin D we can.
2. We live on a highway. Will the birds naturally stay close to their coop if we let them free range? We have a huge yard for them to explore in, and would like for them to have that ability, but we also don't want them to attempt to find out what is on the other side of the road, and get hit in the process.
3. Will they go back into their coop at night on their own, or will I have to be out there chasing down a dozen birds every night?
4. This may be difficult without knowing what kind of ducks I have, but will they fly away? Also, will they stay in the coop at night with the chickens or will they need a separate place to sleep?
5. How long before I can tell roosters from hens? What do I do if I have 6 of each?
Again, I will be looking for this information in the forum over the next few days and weeks, but am thankful for any and all information that you all could share with me. We will also be adding some more chicks to our flock, but we bought out all that TS had at the time, so that's why we just started with the 12. I'm hoping for some silkies and a couple Rhode Island Reds.
Apart from the chicks and ducklings, we also have 5 dogs, a cat, 18 holstein steers, and are getting some horses within the next couple of weeks. Hobby Farm status, here we come! Our family is large, with 6 children ranging from 18 to 10 months, and we wouldn't have it any other way!
I have some questions, and I will be browsing the forum, so I will likely find the answers there... but I'll leave them here as well in case anyone wants to share what works best for them.
1. We are wondering how long before the chicks and ducks can go outside... they are currently housed in an old granary, inside their watering tank. We live in Western Wisconsin, so the weather here is ranging between 40 degrees for lows and 60-65 for highs. Spring just showed up for us, so we are anxious to soak up all the Vitamin D we can.
2. We live on a highway. Will the birds naturally stay close to their coop if we let them free range? We have a huge yard for them to explore in, and would like for them to have that ability, but we also don't want them to attempt to find out what is on the other side of the road, and get hit in the process.
3. Will they go back into their coop at night on their own, or will I have to be out there chasing down a dozen birds every night?
4. This may be difficult without knowing what kind of ducks I have, but will they fly away? Also, will they stay in the coop at night with the chickens or will they need a separate place to sleep?
5. How long before I can tell roosters from hens? What do I do if I have 6 of each?
Again, I will be looking for this information in the forum over the next few days and weeks, but am thankful for any and all information that you all could share with me. We will also be adding some more chicks to our flock, but we bought out all that TS had at the time, so that's why we just started with the 12. I'm hoping for some silkies and a couple Rhode Island Reds.
