Pet Ducks Dumped in Neighborhood Pond, Help?

[SansDuck]

I would guess white layer ducks just because Pekins usually have bright orange bill with matching feet. White layers tend to have a little something different going on with their feathers and their bill color being a little lighter.
Here is a picture of a white layer
View attachment 1674102

They sure do look like white layers especially the girl, either way we love them to bits.

 

[SansDuck]

watched the video, and it seems like the mating for ducks is pretty short?
Where your ducks matting successful, or is that impossible to know?

Each duck is different. I have seen others that mate like mine. Your guy looks like he might be new to it and be learning, but maybe thats just how he does it.

How big should their run/pin be?
We would love to update their pin in the future but I would like to get some ideas on size.

Runs should be atleast 10 sq ft per duck. But as Miss Lydia said you are gonna want a bigger area, because they are gonna tear it up and make it muddy.

My idea pin, would be a DIY wooded fully enclosed pin, with a locked gate for easy access.

I am still working on my idea/dream run. Be forewarned they don't always work out the way we want them too.
We love pics here on the BYC so don't be afraid to post pics of what you have and what you want.

And deffinly will be buying a niacin supplement.

Nutritional yeast, Brewer's yeast, and B complex.

Thank you for answering about the light, we most likely wont be adding one unless it would deter predators away from house at night.
I agree no need to put stress on their little bodies, plus if they never had a family that's more love to give to them.

I bought solar motion detection lights off of amazon and put it on the front of the coop to deter predators and to get my attention through the window at night.

Oh yes they are getting spoiled with treats, though I am a bit concern.
I read the debate over angel wings, and the connection with a high calorie/protein diet.

I don't give mine alot of treats. They get some tomatoes once or twice a week and that's it. I didn't start giving the 20% feed until the temp dropped. Once it gets back up to 50°F I will go back to 16%. Each duck is different, some ducks might be more susceptible to angel wing. You will just have to watch them and see how they do. If a problem arises take pics and let us now.

What is your personal opinin on angel wings, is it diet or genetic?

Personally I think its diet, but I believe the susceptibility is genetic.

I gotcha, I will definitely sit and talk softly with them! I can even read to them as well.

That's good to know some days ducks just want to stay inside, and we definitely wont force them to come out.

Once summer is here they will probably come out and want to stay out all day everyday. Mine are like that in the summer.

At first we honestly thought maybe we made the door too small but they have come out a few times, so I'm sure its not that?
But I did read ducks rather come out together, so we might modify a bigger door in the future, so they both can waddle out together.

My coop doors are small. My ducks come out one at a time. My chickens on the other hands squeeze out together like the coop is on fire.

Your duckies are probably still getting use to their new place. They probably just need time to acclimate to their new way of life. Just give them time.

Thank you CM for the all the replies, each one has been a great help!

Oh I see, this might be his own style of matting.

My SO said their run should be about 100 square feet but we could be wrong too, i will post pictures of the pin in a second.

Now that we have the chicken wire up, a net over the top is the next step.

Oh yes, I understand about dream pins not working out, this wasnt the orginal pin.

The first pin we were building was way too small and not stable at all.
It was going to have the added benefit of being mobile, and would be able to be packed away when it was not in use. But it just wasnt going to work out, way to complex for a first pin.

I definitely will be posting future updates on their ark and pin/run!

Thank you for telling me exactly what supplements i need to get, very helpful!

The solor motion dector lights are a very good idea and something we should consider, right now they have the bright led garage lights that are kept on all night.

And a solor panel Halloween decoration that glows softly at night, right in front of their coop door.

BYC will be the first to know of any issues or signs of angel wing, you all have been so wonderful.

I bet they will love to swim in their moat when summer is here, or at least I hope so.

Oh good, so my door suze should be fine.

Also the chicken comment was hilarious, I love imagining a bunch of chickens trying to squeeze out of a door!

Also, here is the pictures of the updated pin, I would like to get your opinion C.M.!

And I took a video of me walking around their pin to get a better idea on the size, here is the link to the video;

 

[DuckyDonna]

Thank you CM for the all the replies, each one has been a great help!

Oh I see, this might be his own style of matting.

My SO said their run should be about 100 square feet but we could be wrong too, i will post pictures of the pin in a second.

Now that we have the chicken wire up, a net over the top is the next step.

Oh yes, I understand about dream pins not working out, this wasnt the orginal pin.

The first pin we were building was way too small and not stable at all.
It was going to have the added benefit of being mobile, and would be able to be packed away when it was not in use. But it just wasnt going to work out, way to complex for a first pin.

I definitely will be posting future updates on their ark and pin/run!

Thank you for telling me exactly what supplements i need to get, very helpful!

The solor motion dector lights are a very good idea and something we should consider, right now they have the bright led garage lights that are kept on all night.

And a solor panel Halloween decoration that glows softly at night, right in front of their coop door.

BYC will be the first to know of any issues or signs of angel wing, you all have been so wonderful.

I bet they will love to swim in their moat when summer is here, or at least I hope so.

Oh good, so my door suze should be fine.

Also the chicken comment was hilarious, I love imagining a bunch of chickens trying to squeeze out of a door!

Also, here is the pictures of the updated pin, I would like to get your opinion C.M.!

And I took a video of me walking around their pin to get a better idea on the size, here is the link to the video;

View attachment 1674322 View attachment 1674323 View attachment 1674325 View attachment 1674327 View attachment 1674328 View attachment 1674330 View attachment 1674331 View attachment 1674333

That is so adorable! I can see how much you love your ducks and it's great that they have such loving parents now. Just a question. Do you have room in your back yard for the ducks to have at least that much space for a duck run? If so, if it were me, I'd move things out back especially if there are some trees for shade out there. I don't know where you live but in the summer it can get pretty hot out and they will like some shade.

Also, you could make things much easier on yourself if you just get a little kiddie pool. I bought 4 last year at Aldi when they were $5 each. I just take a bucket and bale them out every day to clean them and it makes it pretty easy. They aren't huge but big enough for them. In the winter I put out 1 pool but they get 2 in the summer. Your pretty front yard is going to become a muddy mess pretty quick.

Duck run in the summer, note the blue pool and the grass! See fence, we're pleased with it. It's 4' high and its pegged on the bottom with stakes. Not expensive Home Depot.

Same duck run in the winter. Muddy mess! I put the "used" hay in the run and they love to pick through it.

 

[Miss Lydia]

@SansDuck @DuckyDonna has given you some excellent ideas and pics to go by. That is how secure your pen needs to be. What you have there is cute and will keep them in but won’t keep anything out. And shade is very important in summer.

 

[DuckyDonna]

Are there snapping turtles in that pond behind your house? If so I've "heard" that they will bite off a duck's leg. Maybe someone else who knows can comment on that.

 

[Miss Lydia]

They can take chunks of flesh out of any part of waterfowl including eating goslings and ducklings and yes bitten off feet. We’ve seen some horrific attacks on here of what snappers can do.

 

[Cayuga momma]

Some people get away with 100 sq ft of run, but since your duckies are use to having alot of space it might be hard for them once they get use to were they are they are gonna tear stuff up fast.
If it was me I would make them a nice big run out in your back yard, with a pool and all kinds of fun stuff for them to get into. That way when they want to get out and run around they have a place. And at night you can still keep them in their pen/run in the front yard.

Also they will need a shaded place in the summer since you live in Missouri.

 

[MissChick@dee]

I don’t have ducks....but on behalf of abandoned ducks everywhere....Thank You for your Kindness

 

[SansDuck]

That is so adorable! I can see how much you love your ducks and it's great that they have such loving parents now. Just a question. Do you have room in your back yard for the ducks to have at least that much space for a duck run? If so, if it were me, I'd move things out back especially if there are some trees for shade out there. I don't know where you live but in the summer it can get pretty hot out and they will like some shade.

Also, you could make things much easier on yourself if you just get a little kiddie pool. I bought 4 last year at Aldi when they were $5 each. I just take a bucket and bale them out every day to clean them and it makes it pretty easy. They aren't huge but big enough for them. In the winter I put out 1 pool but they get 2 in the summer. Your pretty front yard is going to become a muddy mess pretty quick.

Duck run in the summer, note the blue pool and the grass! See fence, we're pleased with it. It's 4' high and its pegged on the bottom with stakes. Not expensive Home Depot.
View attachment 1674354 Same duck run in the winter. Muddy mess! I put the "used" hay in the run and they love to pick through it.
View attachment 1674355

Thank you for commenting and yes, we very much love these ducks so much!

I wanted to orginally get them a kiddie pool, but because its winter we couldn't find any.

We have thought of the backyard and even the side yard, both seem a good size for a pin/run and pool.

But we do have some concerns to ask about, before we think about moving them.

Our backyard kind of sucks and, is not private at all.

I will be posting pictures of the backyard at then end of post, but first let explain my concerns.

The main concern is the road, our backyard faces a busy, dangerous, road.

People do not drive safely, especially in winter time and we have witness many car accidents where the fence was totally destroyed.

We have plenty of shady trees in the backyard but they are near the fence, so the pin/run would have to extend close to the fence to get enough shade.

Well that brings the concern if someone gets into a car accident, and destroys the fence.
What if it destroys the pin, and the ducks either get hurt or escape and get run over.

Or if the car hits the tree and it falls, that could cause serious damage to them or the pin/run.

A smaller concern of ours is the fact that the backyard is not lit very well, and on the side of the road is a deep forest.
And we have definitely seen raccoons in the backyard across the road mutiple times.

Also we have a outside AC unit, could they hurt themselves on it?

Will the noise of all the cars scare them? People are not afraid to lay down their horn, and bright headlights at night.

The front yard is a bit more quiet snice the street is a dead end one, so barely any cars drive down to our place snice we are the last house.

And lastly, I promised the neighbor who was helping us, that she and her brother to come over anytime and visit the duckies.

They could still come visit in the backyard but they currently have a great veiw of the ducks, because their house is on the other side of the pond facing our house.

Thank you for taking the time to comment and, thank you for all the lovely pictures.
I hope our future duck pin is as great as yours!

 

[SansDuck]

Are there snapping turtles in that pond behind your house? If so I've "heard" that they will bite off a duck's leg. Maybe someone else who knows can comment on that.

I'm honestly not sure. Ive never seen a snapping turtle in the pond, but of course the pond is so dirty that it is hard to tell what's living in there, unless it's a bright orange, white, or red color.

And that makes me not want to them to go to the pond even less lol
I am so overprotective, I blame my mom.