Can someone help me figure a way to help my big pekin get into the pool? I will post a picture when I take one. The other ducks have no problem. Even my 1 month holds have no issues. He just walks around and around it but does not get in. I know he wants in and I figured since the others get in and out fine he would watch and learn... he hasn't.
Pekin Duck Club!
- Thread starter DenverDucky
- Start date
- May 6, 2013
- 38
- 6
- 72
Here are the pics of my new ducks. Some peas finally got them out of their house this morning. Now to show them their new pond I installed for them this morning.
We used a big rubbermaid container in the house, with a heat lamp. Ducks get hotter faster than baby chicks so raising them in the summer, you might not need the heat lamp for long. Just make sure they can get away from the heat. I found the best bedding for ducklings is this... it's like a pine crumble. Pine shavings aren't really good as I found they tend to eat them too much.
Feed them unmedicated chick starter.
Make sure they have fresh water - yes, it will seem impossible - LOL. They are very messy with their water. Make sure that you provide water deep enough for them to dunk their nostrils in and wash their eyes - very important for their health. As they get older, you can cut a hole in a gallon milk jug that they can fit and dunk their heads into but not climb into - this will help keep their water clean and less mess for you.
They can have supervised swim times - must be supervised until they get feathers as they can tire easily or get waterlogged and drown. Also make sure they can get warm when they are done swimming.
Provide niacin in their water for the first 10-12 weeks unless you are feeding a feed that is specifically made for ducks. 100-125mg per gallon. Get regular niacin (no "time-release", "no-flush" or "flush-free").
Treats - limit them while they are very young so they are eating the food they need. Frozen, thawed peas are a favorite - might need to smash them a little when they are very young. Any chopped greens (limit spinach) - kale is good, as well as arugula, romaine, etc. Stay away from breads, etc. Mealworms are good - when they get bigger, you can put minnows in the pool too.
Hope this helps! Have fun with your new babies!
Definitely need some sort of ramp - but I have also found that our jumbo doesn't seem to like swimming as much as the others. The funny thing is, we have a ramp but we have spoiled her by picking her up so now she stands by the pool and quacks for us to pick her up and put her in instead of using the ramp - LOL
- Jul 12, 2013
- 42
- 2
- 24
We used a big rubbermaid container in the house, with a heat lamp. Ducks get hotter faster than baby chicks so raising them in the summer, you might not need the heat lamp for long. Just make sure they can get away from the heat. I found the best bedding for ducklings is this... it's like a pine crumble. Pine shavings aren't really good as I found they tend to eat them too much.
Feed them unmedicated chick starter. Make sure they have fresh water - yes, it will seem impossible - LOL. They are very messy with their water. Make sure that you provide water deep enough for them to dunk their nostrils in and wash their eyes - very important for their health. As they get older, you can cut a hole in a gallon milk jug that they can fit and dunk their heads into but not climb into - this will help keep their water clean and less mess for you. They can have supervised swim times - must be supervised until they get feathers as they can tire easily or get waterlogged and drown. Also make sure they can get warm when they are done swimming. Provide niacin in their water for the first 10-12 weeks unless you are feeding a feed that is specifically made for ducks. 100-125mg per gallon. Get regular niacin (no "time-release", "no-flush" or "flush-free"). Treats - limit them while they are very young so they are eating the food they need. Frozen, thawed peas are a favorite - might need to smash them a little when they are very young. Any chopped greens (limit spinach) - kale is good, as well as arugula, romaine, etc. Stay away from breads, etc. Mealworms are good - when they get bigger, you can put minnows in the pool too. Hope this helps! Have fun with your new babies! Definitely need some sort of ramp - but I have also found that our jumbo doesn't seem to like swimming as much as the others. The funny thing is, we have a ramp but we have spoiled her by picking her up so now she stands by the pool and quacks for us to pick her up and put her in instead of using the ramp - LOL
- Jul 12, 2013
- 42
- 2
- 24
Thank you for the help and pics!
- May 23, 2013
- 55
- 1
- 31
They love watermelon too. I find they love bathing first thing in the morning and like to wonder the yard eating the bugs. Then in a few hours they are in their kennel. We don't let them out unsupervised as we have fox visiting our yard. We have put an electric fence which we turn on when we are away or at night. It protects our chickens and ducks at the same time. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do ours. They give us a lot of entertainment.
- May 23, 2013
- 55
- 1
- 31
I heard eggs don't ave to be refrigerated. They last for a long time. Longer than the ones in grocery stores.
- Jul 11, 2013
- 16
- 0
- 22
I want to join how do I join I love the pekin ducks me and my family are considering getting a duckling for me from a local farm there beautiful but I have a couple questions about the temperature of the heat lamp I looked online but everyone says something different so what do you guys recommend
Similar threads
New posts New threads Active threads
-
Latest threads
-
Marek's Disease and its Aftermath
- Started by Chickenpax
- Replies: 0
-
-
-
Likely respiratory issue...brand new to chicks. Please advise!
- Started by twowildgirls
- Replies: 0
-
-
-
Threads with more replies in the last 15 days
-
