Pekin Duck Club!

[countrygirl74]

The feed store has some overgrown Pekin ducklings that didn't get bought when they were young and cute. My wife wants some of them.

Can Pekins forage and find enough food, given proper habitat, or will I need to feed them? We have a five acre pond and lots of open woods.

Because Pekins are a domesticated duck, you will need to supplement with feed. However, because you have a good section of land and a pond, they will be able to find a lot for themselves as well. I would make them forage for most of the day and then feed them some supper - this will help you with feed costs but still make sure they are getting enough nutrition. You definitely should provide free-feed for them at least for a few weeks though - those babies need 24-hour feed and they will not have a mom to show them how to find food.

 

[8GeeseALaying]

Just wanted to share a pic of one of my Pekin x brown runner cross ducklings. They are 6 wks old now.

 

[chickensnewtome]

Loved all the info thanks guys! I know I am asking alot of questions...sorry I am new to ducks. My little girl that broke her leg it has been about a month and she still limps. Will she limp forever? I put her on a higher protein diet and she seems to be doing a little better. And then My next question is: My ducks have a pool that I clean out every other day, Why do my ducks pant all the time? Are they getting over heated? Should I add ice or something to there pool? And my last question is this: I put some chicken egg shells out for my hens to chomp on and my Jumbo pekin girls went crazy over them is this ok? Will it hurt their tummies? Thanks for all the help Ya'll!

 

[happyducklings]

I'm new to the duck world. We got ours in march. They are pekins. We have 6 beautiful ducks. I absolutely love them. They hear my vice and go crazy, I like to think their are calling me mama.
As much as I love my babies I don't know much about the breed. So I have a few questions........ They are about 3 months old. When will I see the tail curl up on the makes, if there are any? When they start laying how will I know? They have a pen that they sleep in at night but are free range during the day. They like to hang out in the crick. Would it be ok to tag them so maybe I can tell then apart? By their quack and tag? They all look the same. Now on to snacks. I have tried everything.... Bread, onions, lettuce, tomato, potatoes, they will only easy their grain. Is that normal. Ohhhhh one more.... Haha. Should I give them some layer now? Our wait till the age they should start laying, at which I'm not sure of that age. Thanks in advance for the info.

 

[kodster]

Quote:

Loved all the info thanks guys! I know I am asking alot of questions...sorry I am new to ducks. My little girl that broke her leg it has been about a month and she still limps. Will she limp forever? I put her on a higher protein diet and she seems to be doing a little better. And then My next question is: My ducks have a pool that I clean out every other day, Why do my ducks pant all the time? Are they getting over heated? Should I add ice or something to there pool? And my last question is this: I put some chicken egg shells out for my hens to chomp on and my Jumbo pekin girls went crazy over them is this ok? Will it hurt their tummies? Thanks for all the help Ya'll!

It's summer... your ducks are panting to sweat, like a dog does, to cool down. They don't have sweat glands like humans. It's normal. Provide shade for them, and they should be okay. No, the chicken eggshells won't hurt them... just like chickens, they want the extra calcium, and if they're old enough to mate (since that's how your little girl broke her leg, being gang-raped by your two boys), they're going to be laying eggs soon. They have the same digestive system as chickens (crops, gizzards, etc.), and will be able to digest the shells as the chickens would.

As for your little girl continuing to limp, only time will tell. Keep doing what you're doing to ensure she doesn't re-injure herself. Time will heal. Even humans continue to limp a bit when we break our limbs, as part of the healing process, and favoring that limb.

 

[kodster]

I'm new to the duck world. We got ours in march. They are pekins. We have 6 beautiful ducks. I absolutely love them. They hear my vice and go crazy, I like to think their are calling me mama.

As much as I love my babies I don't know much about the breed. So I have a few questions........ They are about 3 months old. When will I see the tail curl up on the makes, if there are any? When they start laying how will I know? They have a pen that they sleep in at night but are free range during the day. They like to hang out in the crick. Would it be ok to tag them so maybe I can tell then apart? By their quack and tag? They all look the same. Now on to snacks. I have tried everything.... Bread, onions, lettuce, tomato, potatoes, they will only easy their grain. Is that normal. Ohhhhh one more.... Haha. Should I give them some layer now? Our wait till the age they should start laying, at which I'm not sure of that age. Thanks in advance for the info.

I have 4 Jumbo Pekins (3 hens, 1 drake), and 6 Rouens (4 hens, 2 drakes)... only my Jumbo Pekin drake has his drake feather, the Rouen drakes haven't displayed theirs yet, and they are the same age as your ducks (I can tell they're drakes because the Rouens are developing their coloring of adult birds already, which are identical to the wild Mallard duck) . So, it varies as to when the drake feather makes its appearance. However, at this point in time, you can tell which is a male and which is a female by the way they talk. The females will quack, and very loudly. The males will have a quieter, raspy voice.

Try thawed frozen peas for a snack. Most of us swear by them. Don't give them bread, onions, potatoes (unless the potatoes are cooked). I also feed mine dandelion flowers and chopped dandelion greens, and they come running for the flower heads. Someone has a list of foods NOT to feed your birds, as they can be considered toxic to them. The ducks are pretty smart to stay away from them.

Hens start laying around 24-25 weeks of age, so you have a little time. At about 20 weeks, start them on the layer feed, which will provide them the additional minerals and supplements to start egg production. Be sure to add calcium, in the form of oyster shell or crushed eggshells, to their diet, for egg shell development, at that time, too.

 

[chickensnewtome]

Quote:
It's summer... your ducks are panting to sweat, like a dog does, to cool down. They don't have sweat glands like humans. It's normal. Provide shade for them, and they should be okay. No, the chicken eggshells won't hurt them... just like chickens, they want the extra calcium, and if they're old enough to mate (since that's how your little girl broke her leg, being gang-raped by your two boys), they're going to be laying eggs soon. They have the same digestive system as chickens (crops, gizzards, etc.), and will be able to digest the shells as the chickens would.

As for your little girl continuing to limp, only time will tell. Keep doing what you're doing to ensure she doesn't re-injure herself. Time will heal. Even humans continue to limp a bit when we break our limbs, as part of the healing process, and favoring that limb.

Thanks Kodster. That is exactly how she broke her leg. We had a sucsseful mating between my good girl and one of the males so time will tell with the laying!!! Im so excited!!!!

 

[countrygirl74]

I'm new to the duck world. We got ours in march. They are pekins. We have 6 beautiful ducks. I absolutely love them. They hear my vice and go crazy, I like to think their are calling me mama.

As much as I love my babies I don't know much about the breed. So I have a few questions........ They are about 3 months old. When will I see the tail curl up on the makes, if there are any? When they start laying how will I know? They have a pen that they sleep in at night but are free range during the day. They like to hang out in the crick. Would it be ok to tag them so maybe I can tell then apart? By their quack and tag? They all look the same. Now on to snacks. I have tried everything.... Bread, onions, lettuce, tomato, potatoes, they will only easy their grain. Is that normal. Ohhhhh one more.... Haha. Should I give them some layer now? Our wait till the age they should start laying, at which I'm not sure of that age. Thanks in advance for the info.

Congrats on your new ducks!! The tail will start curling closer to 4-5 months, but you will be able to tell male from female sooner simply by their voice (loud quacking - female, raspy/whispery quack - male).

On the snacks, no bread, onions, or potatoes - or at least limit them. Stick to lots of greens and/or bugs - good healthy lettuces (limit spinach) like arugula, romaine, kale, dandelion greens, etc. Frozen, thawed peas are a super favorite! You can also get mealworms, earthworms, etc. Minnows in the pool are always fun!

IMHO - never give layer feed. It's just not a good healthy feed - too much calcium if you have males. It's hard on their organs to digest that much calcium and in turn can shorten their life span. I prefer to give all my flocks (ducks/chickens, all ages and genders) a grower/flock raiser forever. Then, I just provide calcium on the side and they can all get it when they need it - they know better than I. If you do decide to use layer anyway, don't use it until they start laying - it's very bad for young birds - actually depletes the nutrients they need for growth.

Loved all the info thanks guys! I know I am asking alot of questions...sorry I am new to ducks. My little girl that broke her leg it has been about a month and she still limps. Will she limp forever? I put her on a higher protein diet and she seems to be doing a little better. And then My next question is: My ducks have a pool that I clean out every other day, Why do my ducks pant all the time? Are they getting over heated? Should I add ice or something to there pool? And my last question is this: I put some chicken egg shells out for my hens to chomp on and my Jumbo pekin girls went crazy over them is this ok? Will it hurt their tummies? Thanks for all the help Ya'll!

X2 on kodster's reply - as long as they have shade and water, they will be fine.

Are they laying yet? If so, you can start providing oyster shell on the side - giving them eggshells is fine too... won't hurt them at all.

As for the leg, it is hard to say but I would maybe add some niacin to their water for a little while and give some extra greens that are high in B vitamins - might make a difference with the healing process.

 

[Deleted member 94844]

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Also, I've been reading a lot about bumblefeet and I'm afraid my little man has it he's about 2 months old and I really don't want to cut into his skin. Any other suggestions on how to treat it? He walks and swims fine and is in no pain but I heard bumble foot can get worse. Help!!!

[/quote his ]

Soak his feet in a dilute solution of Chlorhexidine... I soaked an old dish towel and let my duck stand on it while on my lap for as long as he would tolerate, at least 15-20 minutes, every day. Your duck is probably spending too much time on hard surfaces and/or needs more time in the water. The heavier breeds are prone to bumblefoot if there is too much stress on their feet. Do you have a pond or pool for them?

Also, please be aware that tea tree oil is toxic to birds... I do not recommend using it to treat ducks.

After the soak you can apply a duck-safe antibacterial or ointment (vetericyn, nustock, etc.), but I personally prefer medicinal honey as it really kicks *** on staph... better than most pharmaceutical antibiotics.

 

[ashswag14]

So I hear you are supposed to add niacin to their water when they first hatch. How much do I add, and do they have to have it forever? Or can you stop giving it to them after a certain age? Also what is the best thing to feed them? I've read alot of this but so many people seem to be saying so many different things... I'm new to ducks too so sorry all the questions lol. Just want them to be happy and healthy.