New (soon to be) duck dad! Muscovys! Need advice :D

[DukesDucks]

OMG too cute. Congrats again. Well done.
I would suggest removing one end of the box and putting it against the wire end of the enclosure. Then move the heater outside of the wire at that end. If it is too hot to the touch for you, it could be a sad situation if one caught trapped under it and overheated.
Good luck with the teaching. Dip each ones beak in the water and the food. I found my method of using a skewer worked well. Once one starts the others will copy.

 

[ljmastercraft]

Was super easy getting them used to food. in the end i just sprinkled food right on them, and they started pecking the pellets up.

water was a little more difficult. i put their beaks in for a second, and saw them raise their head and start swallowing, but then they'd run away. ended up moving the water dispenser right to the side where they were huddled, and eventually putting some pellets in the water, they got the hang of it.

These little things try to eat EVERYTHING. my finger, my shirt, the cardboard box, the water dispenser, even their own siblings.

on the heating element - i actually put a towel in front of it in the end, but i like your idea - will put the element outside the cage, so they can get to it to stay warm, but won't hurt themselves.

they're still very skeptical of me, but i'm hoping that changes. here are the 12 that are healthy and doing well. i have a 13th, but it's still drying out in the incubator - just hatched a few hours ago. see photos

 

[ljmastercraft]

There are 2 more eggs in the incubator. One of the eggs unfortunately I suspect is a dud. I haven't seen any movement or actual air sac ever develop. I kept it in just in case.

The 14th egg is making noises, little chirps, but the external pip from 2+ days ago hasn't changed. Poked a little air hole in it, and i can see the little duckling inside moving. I cleaned out the incubator (full of poo and open eggs), and put the last (14th) egg inside on a paper towel, so hopefully overnight it hatches

The 13th duckling I took out of the incubator, even though it only hatched 9 or 10 hours ago, and was still slightly wet (not as fluffy as I'd like. It was chirping like crazy, running around in the incubator (i think it heard its brothers and sisters outside, and wanted to be with them). I have it on me with 3 of its siblings to finish drying off, and then i'll put it with the 12 others in the brooder when I go to bed. The 4 of them are just sitting on me (see photo) very calm.

I did end up rigging up something with chicken wire today, as the ducklings can technically crawl between the puppy housing, so I was afraid they'd get stuck between it and the heating element. Now there's no way they can get anything through except their beaks and heads. Also I have the white towel (in the photo) between them and the chicken wire just to be extra safe.

Of the photo of the 4 ducklings on me, you can tell who the new hatch is. It's not as fluffy or dry as the others, but it's very happy being with its siblings. It's quietly preening itself. Too cute.

 

[ljmastercraft]

Duckling #14 hatched overnight and is healthy. Completely black - including its little webbed feet

That concludes this hatch - 14 out of 20 eggs - not bad!

 

[DukesDucks]

A very good hatch ratio. Really cute. If you think they are cute now, just wait a couple of days when you have 14 ducklings with the crazies.
Do you have a thermometer in their space in front of the heater? You need to decrease the heat there by 5 degrees every week with day 1 being the day you put the last one in. Hopefully there is a control on heater to turn it lower or you will have to move it further away.
Your profile doesn't list your location. What are your future plans for all these ducklings. They grow incredibly quickly and will soon outgrow their current space.

 

[ljmastercraft]

A very good hatch ratio. Really cute. If you think they are cute now, just wait a couple of days when you have 14 ducklings with the crazies.
Do you have a thermometer in their space in front of the heater? You need to decrease the heat there by 5 degrees every week with day 1 being the day you put the last one in. Hopefully there is a control on heater to turn it lower or you will have to move it further away.
Your profile doesn't list your location. What are your future plans for all these ducklings. They grow incredibly quickly and will soon outgrow their current space.

Oh good to know; yeah i'll turn the heater down slightly each week. I have a thermometer i'll put in.

I'm in Houston, Texas.

My plan is once they're old enough, to take them outside and keep them (during the day) in a 20'x20' section of the garden that i've closed off, with a fence and house wall making up 2 sides. Enclosed on all 4 sides including the top (to protect them from hawks, etc). Depending on the weather, i'll keep them inside, but wanted them to go outside and learn to forage. When i'm outside with them they can move around the entire yard.

Long term (2 months or whenever they're big enough) i'll take some back to the pond where the eggs came from, so i'm keeping the ecosystem going. The rest will go to a family member that has a few acres of property, including a large pond

 

[DukesDucks]

Long term (2 months or whenever they're big enough) i'll take some back to the pond where the eggs came from, so i'm keeping the ecosystem going

This is beyond my knowledge but first thoughts is that this is not a good idea. Since they have been raised by a human, they will not have learned duck social and survival skills. I'm not sure they would be accepted by existing ducks meaning they could be attacked. It may also be illegal so you need to check. In my opinion, far better to sell them to someone who wants to raise ducks.
I'm going to try tagging some more experienced duck people so hopefully they can also give their opinions. @Miss Lydia @New duck mommy 2021 @Canadian Wind. @Magnolia Ducks @Texag87

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

This is beyond my knowledge but first thoughts is that this is not a good idea. Since they have been raised by a human, they will not have learned duck social and survival skills. I'm not sure they would be accepted by existing ducks meaning they could be attacked. It may also be illegal so you need to check. In my opinion, far better to sell them to someone who wants to raise ducks.
I'm going to try tagging some more experienced duck people so hopefully they can also give their opinions. @Miss Lydia @New duck mommy 2021 @Canadian Wind. @Magnolia Ducks @Texag87

I have to agree
Once a duckling is domesticated it’s very hard for them to become wild
They learn how to do this in the wind be their parents
Without guidance they won’t know
They will be use to having security from predators. Feed in a bowl
Please just find them homes

 

[Miss Lydia]

I agree weith @DukesDucks and @New duck mommy 2021
even at 2 months they are still babies and most likely will not be accepted by any other ducks at the pond. They won't know how to defend themselves or find food. I hope you can find good loving homes for them they are precious.

 

[ljmastercraft]

Hmm, ok good to know. Thanks.
Is it worth trying to find a (wild) mother duck in the next few days that has ducklings, to see if she will adopt them? best case i thought is for them to go back to the wild somehow. i'd read that they are good at foraging for food, flies, mosquitos and so forth.

Guess i hadn't thought that far, to be honest. Didn't want to abandon the eggs to die, but now I have 14 little ducklings that I want to do the best for. I can't see people here in the city adopting ducks as pets, especially Muscovy ducks (which are pretty ugly as adults). I can keep them as long as necessary, and my sister can take the entire 14 if necessary, but the plan was for them to eventually have their own little life, if possible.

Open to suggestions

@Magnolia Ducks - if you're from Magnolia, TX then you're <20 min from me. You want some ducks?