Prepping for Call Ducks

[pnptrapp]

Hello everyone!

I told my youngest son we'd get him some of his own birds to show at 4H and other shows along with his older brother. He choose call ducks. There are a couple shows coming up in October and November that are close enough for us to attend and get in touch with some breeders. I've been looking on line and have been finding tons of info for raising call ducks in the UK, but we live in IL and I need advice on how to set up their run, what food to get, how to deal with ducks in the winter, how many to start with, any helpful tips.

We also have our own meat bird (chicken) ration mixed up at the mill, is there any breakdown of what the ducks need by percent? If possible I'd like to tweek that recipe to fit what the ducks would need.

 

[rjohns39]

Hello everyone!

I told my youngest son we'd get him some of his own birds to show at 4H and other shows along with his older brother. He choose call ducks. There are a couple shows coming up in October and November that are close enough for us to attend and get in touch with some breeders. I've been looking on line and have been finding tons of info for raising call ducks in the UK, but we live in IL and I need advice on how to set up their run, what food to get, how to deal with ducks in the winter, how many to start with, any helpful tips.

We also have our own meat bird (chicken) ration mixed up at the mill, is there any breakdown of what the ducks need by percent? If possible I'd like to tweek that recipe to fit what the ducks would need.

@Ravynscroft is the most knowledgeable Call Duck person I know. I have a feed calculator, so if you share your recipe I'll be happy to work with her to come up with a tweak.

 

[chickens really]

A Duck is a Duck....Lots of excellent help on here in regards to Calls.....I raise them myself...

 

[chickens really]

Calls are small Ducks...they have higher metabolism than other Breeds but yet need lower fat......Just as easy to raise...Cute Ducks...Hatching can be a challenge but not really an issue...Why they are not extinct..lol...
House the same as any other Duck over winter..Warm place out of wind and they cuddle down ...Niacin is not always needed because they are not known as fast rate growers...Pekin and other larger breeds can suffer from niacin issues more often...

 

[pnptrapp]

@rjohns39 I'll have to talk to my husband and see about the recipe, he's the feed guy in our house!

I currently raise chickens, and haven't really had ducks. We've tried them a couple times to have some on our pond, the first ones we got we think they sent us mallards by mistake. They left with the migrating ducks that passed through. The other ducks we had left our pond for neighbors and we left them there. The neighbor wanted them and we found out our dog (a lab) has a soft mouth and great retrieving skills. So we've never had them for longer than a few months at best.

Since he wants to show these we want to build them an enclosure and make sure we are feeding them correctly. We won't be able to let them out to free range very often, if at all because of the dog mentioned above. Getting rid of the dog isn't an option so keeping them separate is a must. I want to make sure they have adequate space and I use materials that aren't going to hurt them in some way.

Are there any books/ websites besides this one that you recommend for first time Call duck owners?

 

[rjohns39]

I'm sure we'll have some feedback soon. I'm not a call person.