pet duck

[duckteencare]

my friend was just wondering not saying she going kill hers she just wanted to know when they get old and stuff sorry

 

[Vosh Sahaal]

Okay. Context is very important. First ensure you give them the correct feed. Provide them with predator proof shelter at night. Make sure their water is deep enough to submerge their heads. I take it she has already given them to you. How many, their genders, and breeds would all make it much easier to provide specific advice.

 

[duckteencare]

no she has not giving them to me and i refuse to take them but she said she will throw them away so i must take them in.
i have a wire cage with blankets on the bottom and sadly idk if its bad but wire bar on the side . i have a heat lamp and a feeder and water ready . idk now what to do with them when i go school for 8 hours luckly i will get them in the summer but if not what will i do?
i can let them swim in a little bowl while im watching them and doing homework . Im willing to get diapers and lease and also take them outside i have a small patio. but when they get older can i get a larger dog cage and put blankets on the bottom and make the bowls bigger. im willing to get a kidde swimming pool for them. Please help everyone upset with me on the page but If i dont take them in the will bw killed no farm or shelter will take them in. I HAVE TO DO WHAT I GOT DO SO ALL I ASK IS FoR HelP.

 

[buff goose guy]

Well throwing them away is illegal so :/.

 

[enola]

There were some pretty good descriptions of how much mess they will make indoors. Ducks are NASTY, not at all like having a dog or cat indoors. The larger they get, the nastier the mess will be. Duck poop is GROSS compared to most household pets.

Have you asked your parents what they think about ducks in the house?

I had ducks once. They were free ranging on our farm. I was so dig used by their habits, I can almost guarantee I will never have ducks again. But, if I do, they will be kept on wire, not on the ground.

 

[Amykins]

There were some pretty good descriptions of how much mess they will make indoors. Ducks are NASTY, not at all like having a dog or cat indoors. The larger they get, the nastier the mess will be. Duck poop is GROSS compared to most household pets.

Have you asked your parents what they think about ducks in the house?

I had ducks once. They were free ranging on our farm. I was so dig used by their habits, I can almost guarantee I will never have ducks again. But, if I do, they will be kept on wire, not on the ground.

Please, please rethink that, as wire can be painful and even damaging to a duck's feet. Would YOU like to be forced to walk on paper-thin wire all day, every day?

Also, must say, I prefer dealing with my house ducks than any cat or dog I've had. Yeah, you gotta change diapers, but as far as mess goes, I've seen better and I've seen worse. My ducks are WAY less maintenance, mess, and effort than even one pet dog.

 

[arr36]

This whole thread makes me horribly uncomfortable. You just can't keep ducklings/ducks inside. For a week or two as a stop gap maybe (while they await a forever home, or when they're tiny, or if their owner is sick and you are just minding them or whatever) but as a long term solution it's just not cool. Ducks don't want diapers and a bowl to swim in. They'll be stressed and miserable and your house will stink to high heaven. Tell your friend no and look for a better solution. Someone in the area will take them where they can have a proper life - have you tried asking around? I bet lots of folk on this site would rather take them on if they're local than let you try and house them, even if you are trying to do the right thing.

 

[enola]

A quality galvanized wire is not paper thin.

 

[MartinezChix]

I am new to ducks, but we just recently got 3 ducklings to add to our flock of 17 chickens. After just one week, I already had to move them from a large plastic storage bin to mine and my husband's large bath tub. I found it was not only much more roomie for them but easier for me to keep clean. I layed puppy pads across the bottom that I can just roll up and throw away, then I rinse the rest of the mess down the drain. It also works out because I fill the tub up and let them swim for a little.

Now, mind you, my ducklings are only 2 weeks old and I'm ALREADY having to figure out another new living situation for them because they are getting too big and stinky for my bathroom. It's winter 9 months out of the year where we live so it's still too cold to put them outside.

duckteencare, I strongly advise you to reconsider taking these ducks in. Although you may think you're doing the right thing and trying to help, in due time, you will only be making the situation worse. Help find them a better home.

 

[Amiga]

I have seen people keep healthy, happy ducks indoors. I had my ducklings indoors for three months. All eleven of them. It was some work, due to the large number of them, but they were fine, there was barely any odor.

They are not smelly. They do need to have their water, food and manure managed properly. But it can be done and it is done. Amykins is a good example, and there are a number of others. There is an indoor ducks thread here on the duck forum.

And I am the kind of person who would think ahead and ask about how to properly dispose of the body if a duck should die. Reading Storey's Guide, I expected to lose a number of ducks in the first year based on statistics. We only lost one. So I give duckteencare credit for thinking ahead through the entire life cycle of the duck, and even thinking ahead about worst-case scenario.


https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/641902/created-a-water-saver-for-my-duck-brooder

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/679433/water-water-everywhere/10

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/858161/feed-water-solution-for-brooder#post_12901321

http://frankiemakes.blogspot.ca/2012/06/watering-solution-for-ducks.html

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/259876/do-your-ducks-have-water-at-night/10#post_13568197

post number 8 from this
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/959603/ducklings-getting-stuck-on-their-backs#post_14939819

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/969751/help-baby-ducklings#post_15125952