New Call Duck Owner

[RamblingRhonda]

Hello Everybody!

I have 5 call ducklings about 1 week old. I have a few questions that I am having trouble finding answers to. If anybody knows and would like to answer them I would be so grateful!

1) How old do my ducklings need to be before they can safely live outside full time? I will be putting them in a securely made pen during the day and locking them in their house at night, as there are coyotes around my home.

2) My sister-in-law found a baby duck needing a home and wants to put it with my baby ducks. We don't know where he came from and he is bigger. Will he hurt my ducklings? Is there any chance he may carry disease? And when he grows up will he pick on the call ducks as he will likely be a bigger breed?

3) How many fertilized eggs am I likely to end up with in a year?

4) Can I keep more than 1 drake?

5) The final question, my ducklings are very attached to me. They scream when I leave them. They are living in the house (in a cage) and are always by my side. I take them out daily and they just follow me around everywhere I go, they are happiest when they can sleep tucked in by my side. I am wondering if they will outgrow this and should I be insisting they spend time without me so they get used to it?

 

[Amiga]

Welcome to the Duck Forum!

In reverse order, I don't think you need to enforce separation at this point. I know when my runners turned three weeks, they went through the awful stage of fearing anything taller than they were, including me. I was heartbroken. But it is a phase many domestic ducks go through, and I got good advice from forum members about making sweet noises, approaching them as low as I could get, physically (what a sight!), and patiently offering treats and not forcing my self on them.

I have heard of people keeping male-female pairs or a male-female-female trio, so in that case you might. It depends on the ducks. Sometimes only one drake is manageable.

I forget what the egg numbers are for calls. Hope a call person can check in soon.

All of your concerns about the foundling duck are spot-on. It could carry diseases, pick on the smaller ducklings and ducks. You could keep it quarantined and send a fecal sample for testing, keep them separated by a little wall of plastic poultry fence, and monitor them to be sure they get along okay. It might work out, just would take some time and energy from you.

I don't go by age, but by development. Once they are fully feathered and at least about 90% of their adult size, as long as the shelter is appropriate (safe, warm enough, cool enough, easy to maintain, etc.) they should be okay. Just please please do keep them secure.

 

[Carcajou]

RamblingRhonda. Amiga's advice X2. Best of luck!

 

[RamblingRhonda]

Thank you so much!

I will keep the "homeless" duckling for a few days and see how he does. If he is doing well I will either re-home him or keep him. If I keep him I will likely get him a friend his own size and make another outdoor pen for them. Not only to avoid bullying but also to avoid having him breed with the call ducks.

 

[Going Quackers]

I have a pair of calls there 7wks old, attached is a minor word, more like glued must be a call thing because it's not something i have experienced before lol Even my buffs while they like us, they are not so, don't leave. As i type this out my calls are being watched by my 15yo, as they bathe if you don't they scream bloody murder, well bonnie does as she can quack lol

As Amiga said your right on your worries with this 'wild duck' so not a good idea, especially with calls, they are delicate, small, you have no clue how big this duck will become nor it's health origin.

For ratios, 2-3 ducks per, mind you calls are often kept in pairs, mine are.. whether i will add is up for debate at the moment, you probably don't know what you have right now, so give it time see what crops up, definitely if you get say, 4 drakes and 1 duck? that will not do, they will pick on her and probably fight to gain her affection but i'd wait and see for a bit.

As for outside, at 1 wk? no mama? not my usual way of practice, you'll still need a lamp likely unless your super warm where your at. My calls are a tad overdo for their eviction notice, but we've had some delays in the home for outside but they are leaving month end, normally by about 4-6wks is best, i personally for ducks being raised by me like this age range so i can bond more with the babies but it depends, i have farm ducks but there duck raised so obviously out there from the get-go.

ducks are seasonal layers, so the amount of fertile eggs will vary, obviously my little call has yet to lay yet, but my Muscovy usually taper off in late Oct and resume laying once again in Jan. I have heard issues(fertility wise) with the small call females, mine is quite teeny so this should be interesting to see how it plays out in time.

 

[RamblingRhonda]

Thanks for the tips! I wasn't actually going to put them out yet, I was just wondering when they can go out. As of right now their future pen is still under construction.

 

[Going Quackers]

Thanks for the tips! I wasn't actually going to put them out yet, I was just wondering when they can go out. As of right now their future pen is still under construction.

Understood! i know the feeling construction an ongoing process lol