New Crested Duck owner. Need tips

[Debby Duck]

Hello, I'm new on BYC, my hubby has been reading here for a while. But we are now raising 6 sweet white crested ducklings and could use some advice. We're in south Florida where of course it's hot. But no matter where we move our now 4-week old ducklings to, at least some of them seem to pant, even on the patio, under the shade with plenty of water. They will pant even when it's 80 degrees. Is that unusual?

They are also very skittish and fearful of every move it seams. I wonder if it's related to the breed? Today I was taking a trash bag out of a box and they went haywire. I also thought as they got a little older they'd be less afraid of us touching them, but not so. They absolutely hate being picked up, but once one is in my lap they will relax and be fine. When they were really tiny I would rub their neck and they'd fall asleep. It was so cute. I see all these videos of people who have their ducklings following them. Mine will sometimes follow me when I call them, but mostly when I have treats! Do they ever show affection? I want to cuddle, and they're like NOOOOO!

Speaking of treats. How often do you give those and how much? So far it's been watermelon, (only outside now by their ducky pool, they had little pink bellies) and leafy greens twice a day. Now that they are 4 weeks they can have peas too I understand. Yay! I've been ripping up the kale and stuff pulling off the tough stems and pulsing in the food processor a few times to make them small tender pieces. When are they able to eat bigger pieces though. I also put all those big stems from the greens in and pulsed them separately today. And they came out really crumbly, sort of like riced cauliflower. But would that roughage be too much for their tummy this young? I serve the greens to them in a bowl with about a cup of water. I want to encourage them to get more water as it is pretty hot a lot of the time.

OMG, I've never seen anything poop as much as they do!!! And it's always watery. Does that ever slow down LOL!? I plan to bring them in if we get a hurricane.

Also, I forgot one detail. We plan on releasing them to be free and roam on the lake out back when they get big enough.

Thanks for reading. I appreciate any thoughts.

 

[EverythingDucks]

I would put a fan on them and be sure they have plenty of water. For bonding you can sit in a bathroom (where it's easiest to clean) and feed them some treats. Just sit down and let them come to you without picking them up. Feeding by hand will get them to trust you more. You can do this for 5-15 mins. If you want you can do it multiple times a day. Just keep it short and fun.

 

[Debby Duck]

I would put a fan on them and be sure they have plenty of water. For bonding you can sit in a bathroom (where it's easiest to clean) and feed them some treats. Just sit down and let them come to you without picking them up. Feeding by hand will get them to trust you more. You can do this for 5-15 mins. If you want you can do it multiple times a day. Just keep it short and fun.

Thanks. They seem to be better now that we put a portable ac in the garage. Even with the door open and a fan it was just too hot. I forgot to mention, we do hand feed them when they're outside for pool time. They will gladly climb up on me when I have treats . And I discovered yesterday they want nothing to do with blueberries. Oh well!

 

[HalfWayUpAMountain]

Hello and welcome !

We bred in cayuga lines this year and they are meant to be super amenable to being held / friendly etc.

Except ours aren't !

Someone here described a phase that they go through where they perceive you to be an axe murderer at all times - I can relate !

They are past that stage now but they do seem to love a group drama ! Any excuse to run around as a marauding flock of drama queens - they are on it !

Like yours, if we actually caught one and scratched its chest, everything is suddenly all good.

There are vids here with people getting charged by their joyful flock of ducklings - I am always a bit jealous but accept mine are not going to do that.

The AC sounds good - try them on watermelon or defrosted frozen peas. These are usually a win, especially in warm weather ! And I am loving what you are doing with the kale !

Mealworms always work like a charm no matter what the weather !

And the crapping only slows down when their consumption does - ducklings like to eat A Lot !

Good luck - and share some pics when you can pls !

 

[Debby Duck]

Hello and welcome !

We bred in cayuga lines this year and they are meant to be super amenable to being held / friendly etc.

Except ours aren't !

Someone here described a phase that they go through where they perceive you to be an axe murderer at all times - I can relate !

They are past that stage now but they do seem to love a group drama ! Any excuse to run around as a marauding flock of drama queens - they are on it !

Like yours, if we actually caught one and scratched its chest, everything is suddenly all good.

There are vids here with people getting charged by their joyful flock of ducklings - I am always a bit jealous but accept mine are not going to do that.

The AC sounds good - try them on watermelon or defrosted frozen peas. These are usually a win, especially in warm weather ! And I am loving what you are doing with the kale !

Mealworms always work like a charm no matter what the weather !

And the crapping only slows down when their consumption does - ducklings like to eat A Lot !

Good luck - and share some pics when you can pls !

 

[Debby Duck]

OH I love sharing pics of my babies! My husband says I'm just like a mom who talks about her child all the time to everyone!
Oh yes. They will devour watermelon! So I'll attach a picture of when we teased them a little while they were in the pool. Not too long though then we have them a piece.
The other one is Sprout. Poor thing I hope he/she is ok with that thing on the side of the head. He/she (I have no idea what any of them are yet), is the first one to start making a little bit of a quack sound. It so cute.

Yep, an axe would pretty much describe how mine react when I reach for one of them. I think I've realized though, that they mostly don't like the mid air lift, or return. And that if I can get my hand under their feet they are less frantic. And getting them in place quickly with their feet secure is half the battle. Then they are fine most of the time. Especially today, when I put on a colorful apron with leaves to peck at and a tie string in front to pull on. They're like toddlers, they love tags! Funny ducks!