new member and a new owner....

[azhenhouse]

Quote:
Good to hear the light is back on- you worried me! They will sleep fine with it on.

I live close to Austin Mn. How about you?

I use 18% broiler feed (as that is what my local feed store sells) for the ducklings/chickens but have used chick starter as well. Would suggest Niacin for in their water as when using chick starter there won't be enough of this and they could develop leg problems. You can find it in the pharmacy isle. 100 mg to a gal of water.

I'm in Watson, MN, about 160 miles from you. I'll look to get the Niacin tomorrow, I don't want to risk any injury ect. I'm off to bed for the night but I'm sure I'll be back asking more tomorrow. I'll even try to get some pics together as I want to document both their progress along with my own. Who would have ever thought that I'd be this into ducks, LOL. Night everyone.

I started with chickens and worked my way to ducks. It is all very addicting.

Oh, I forgot

 

[Kelsey2017]

HI Minnesotans and everyone! I am new (in my adult life) to ducks and also from MN! We just got 3, 8 month old supposedly Blue Swedes. I'm sure the drake is mixed though, he has orange feet! Congrats on your new additions and welcome to BYC! It is really fun and informative WELCOME

 

[Kelsey2017]

Just a word of warning to you however, my turkeys, Jearhons and duck purchases were encouraged by other members of this forum, so be prepared for more poultry! We are all enablers here!

 

[gofasterstripe]

from South Carolina. Congratulations on your babies and Ill tell you what I tell everyone else...never got 2 ducklings coz if 1 dies then you have to go out and look for a buddy for it.

And yes you have come to the right place, bu be fair warmed as Kelsey said..we are a big bunch of enablers...oh and did I tell you i sell ducklings and hatching eggs

2 is not a good number, now you have joined the clan you need more ducks

 

[grammypam]

and congrats on your new babies! Minnesota here,too. I just got my babies 3 wks ago. 2 Pekin girls and 2 Cayuga girls. They grow like weeds. I am brooding mine in a heated garage,in a baby pool with fencing around it. We like to see pics !

 

[srpaint]

Welcome! I am a new member and a new duck owner too!! They are VERY fun and addicting. lol I started with 3 mallard/rouen (not sure which they are). Then I got 3 Pekins. And then I came across my favorite, cayugas. So of course I had to buy all that where left. That happened to be 8. So yeah............. lol Good luck with them and I am sure you will love them more everyday!

 

[P-Funk]

Welcome to BYC Griemar. Can somebody explain to me why you would own a duck? Please send some of that Minnesota rain to Colorado.

 

[Sore Thumb Suburbanite]

Quote:
Ok, based on your yard size and enclosed duck house size, you should be able to keep about 8 ducks, especially if they are on the small side-like runners. As for hay in their house, it will get filthy fast, so daily turning over is necessary and changing it when it becomes overly moist is essential (I use this gross hay as compost or I put it in the bottom of 12 inch holes that I backfill with dirt for my squash and pumpkin hills--it keeps the critters from tunnelling up as easily to the roots and provides nutrients and some heat) I have started using a pea gravel type sand for my yard, the grass gets too poopy and if you try to water it down it gets too smelly/muddy... The sand rakes up nicely, there is a whole topic on sand yards/flooring in a different forum-I'll post the link in a second https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=444759 .
As for when the ducks can go outside, I had mine outdoors during the warmest part of the day for about 4 hours daily at 3 weeks, they didn't seem to be cold, and they loved basking in the sun. 3 weeks is about the time when they can go into the water without being too soaked & getting chilled.
I think you will do fine with your ducks, and your future ducks--they are such a hardy animal and are relatively easy to raise successfully.

Good luck and Welcome to the family!

 

[griemar]

Just a quick update since it's been a very long day. Sadly I didnt get anything done on the outdoor area today because I was at work until almost 10 tonight. However, me and the wife did and are currently enjoying some bonding time and also have discovered that bath time is now a family event. My wife decided it would be a good idea to use the kitchen sink as a "pond" for the new babies to play in and it worked out amazingly. We filled the sink so that their legs could still touch, but they still were able to float around. Our Fawn runner immediately proceeded to dive and dart around like a rocket under the water. Our Blue Sweed had a grand time bathing and jumping around like a small child in a kiddy pool. Needless to say my wife and myself enjoyed just standing there watching them play and bathe for about 30 mins. Talk about characters, I needed the laughs.

I gotta admit though, when you all said about how messy they can get, you WERE NOT kidding. I almost cried when I looked into their brooder and seen the destruction. I'm officially looking into ideas of how to make cleanup easier once they go outside. I only had to spend about 15 mins cleaning up the mess though

I'm just happy that we are all enjoying our new addictions and that they also seem to be happy and enjoying their new home. Oh, and one last thing, we have discovered that already they are starting to know who we are. When I walked away from the sink during bath time, they both started to "cry" rather loudly. But when I talked they immediately got quiet and started to look around as if looking for me. It's only been just over a full day and my wife says that I'm already addicted

Good night all and I swear I'll have pics of the kids tomorrow, possibly even a short vid of play/bath time.

 

[3chimama]

Howdy and welcome from Oregon!! Have fun too!