OOoooh! 1st Ever DUCKIES!!!

[Momma_Cluck]

Ok-- here's the story:

Tractor Supply was supposed to have their chicks, ducks & turkeys in Last Friday. After getting groceries (which I had put off 2 days so as to save the extra trip) I drove over--- NO Babies!!! They said they'd be here Monday.

SO-- because of a road closing, the kids bus routes changed during Spring break-- NO ONE told us it would be early-- so Monday they both missed the bus! Tractor Supply is "sorta" on the way (it's a 20 minute drive) so we stopped--- NO BABIES! "Check with us Tomorrow".....

So TUESDAY ... bus came EVEN EARLIER!! Missed it AGAIN! So stopped by TSC--- Nope! No chicks yet-- but they were "on the way from the post office, come back after 11:00"....

So I went and picked the kids up AFTER school and go pick out chicks...

THERE WEREN'T ANY!!

BUT: There WAS a brooder full of 150 baby ducks!

So we spent about 20 minutes or so watching who was alert, eating drinking and poo-ing...and bought the mandatory minimum of 6 ducklings instead of the chicks we were gonna get!

SO-- since these are our 1st ducklings ever-- ANY recommendations or advice (especially the kind that starts with :never" or "always"....) Would be GREATLY appreciated!!

They are SOOO cute and sooo friendly!!

OH NO!!

ANOTHER addiction!!???

 

[Chickie Mamma]

WHOO HOO DUCKIES!! The only advice I can give is to get a clothespin for your nose. I have 3 and they stink and the bigger they get the bigger the "squirt poos" are. They grow fast so enjoy them while they are small. I would have all ducks if they weren't so messy. Have fun!!

 

[Wifezilla]

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Remember, never feed medicated feed. Make sure they always have fresh water available.

 

[Momma_Cluck]

Thanks for the note on Medicated feed! Didn't know that-- but luckily I don't use it for the chicks either, and had a bag allready!

WILL post pics ASAP!!!

ANd yeah-- I did hear they were messier/smellier than chickens...

they will have a nice place of their own... not in the coop with my Hens as was 1st thought...

I have an old partially fenced garden area that is no longer in use--- so are rebuilding part of the fence, and cordoning-off part into a 40 x 30 area with a small wading "pond" and netting over the top.!!

 

[headred]

I am new to ducks but think I have learned a lot in a short amount of time. See my website for some ideas. Had to do the site just to appease my family so they could watch the cuties grow. They really are fun to watch! Good luck and enjoy!

 

[Fancie]

Quote:

LUV IT!!!

 

[Momma_Cluck]

Ermmmmm.... UPDATE:

We now have 12-- not 6!!

Stopped at TSC to check out the chicks... finally in...

all they had were Sex links, Buffs and Cornish Cross-- except for the mixed Bantams...
So I said-- nah... lets go...
BIG Mistake-- as it is DD's 15th Birthday...
OH MOM PLEASE! they have Cream Barbranters (sp?) and some other breeds we do not have---

I said-- oh no! your Dad will kill us!
So of course-- she snags the phone out of my purse and calls up Dad...

Dad gives in on ONE condition-- at least 2 of the 6 have to be MORE DUCKS!

This is the guy who thinks we're nuts w/ all the chicks/chickens in and out of the house...

So, on the way home, we notice one of the chicks acting odd.. and by time we pull in the driveway-- it's fading fast

So I call TSC-- and he says "yeah-- bring em back-- we've got Banties dropping like flies over here"

So we get there and figure we're gonna get sex links-- then I say "aw the heck w/it-- if the banties are sick, the others may be too-- lets just get ducks!!

So now we've got 12 in a tote till we get a bigger box tomorrow-- they are SOOO much friendlier than chicks!!!
And DH LOVES them! he's in tere all the time talking to them and holding em... poor DD said "Jeeze Dad-- can I have my room back or what???" LMAO!

Soooooo-- next week we start building their "aviary"... a 40 x 50 fenced area with net over the top and a small pond and shelter...
we will be letting about 10 Rocks share the area with them to give me more room in the coop for more "fragile" birds...

Anywhoo...
Thanks all for any and all help offered!
These lil buggers are SOOOO CUTE!!!

 

[PlumTuckered]

Congratulations!!!
I bought my first 3 ducks two days ago...today ran back to the feed store and got two more LOL They're wonderful! Lil ole poop machines LOL

Michelle

 

[Momma_Cluck]

ERRG!

TSC is really "on my list" if you know what I mean...
1st--sick chicks... then lied to us about they ducklings!

We ended up with 12 (6 per purchase) because they had told us there were at least 3 or more breeds in the bin... just straight runs tho... thats fine, we want males and females...

Then after we've had them a couple days-- we did a LOT of research on colors etc.. of the different breeds--
THESE ARE ALL PEKINS! and according to the bill/leg color-- 90% males!!

So-- I took back 6! The manager wasn't going to take them at 1st--- she says "why would you think theses were different kinds??"
Um-- HELLO!?
We've NEVER seen ducklings before other than the yellow kind-- so figured most breeds had yellow babies (like many breeds of Chickens have similar colored chicks) And THEIR people TOLD us they were different breeds! AND besides that, even the box they come home in SHOWS 3 breeds!!!
When I pointed this out-- she took them back... but acted like I'd committed some crime!!

I think I'm shopping elsewhere from now on......