Scared Ducklings

[Finnisher]

Hi,

Just got 11 crested pekin x runner yesterday and they're not eating or drinking. They're just hudled in a corner of the brooder. I dipped their bills in water and pecked at food.

They're also in there with turkey poults that are eating and drinking well. The turkey poults are pecking at the ducklings webbed feet and harassing them.

Both the ducklings and poults are a week old, ducklings maybe couple days older.
How can i give these ducklings a better quality of life without changing brooders?

 

[djstanczak]

I am new to ducks but we just got ours a couple of weeks ago and we put down the bottom of a clay planter about 2" high by 10" diameter and put about 1" of water in it them sprinkled some food in it and they went to town. The red clay is not slippery. I did change it about 5 times a day.

 

[Tlmcq]

The turkey poults may not be allowing them to eat or drink due to harassment. Sorry to say, but I would put them in another brooder, ducks are wet n messy and may cause sickness in your poults and the ducks are not gonna need the heat like poults do. You can just put your ducks in a big tote or cardboard box to brood them they don't need much other than food or water and 100 watt lightbulb which they'll probably only use a week or 2

 

[Finnisher]

So do the ducks need heat or not?

 

[TyKyra Lancaster]

Yes, between 2 and 6 weeks depending on the weather and how fast their feathers grow.

 

[Tlmcq]

They do need heat for first few weeks. If too hot they will feather slow and pant. You can tell by how they act better than age. If they're too cold they won't move about the brooder and stay huddled up under heat or together, if too hot they avoid heat and each other panting with their mouths open. Depending on temps where you live they can go outside off heat about 3 to 4 weeks old as long as it's not below 50°F at night. I live I Ohio and my newest ones went to garage at 2 weeks and have been outside in separate coop from big ones for a week. They are 4 weeks now. My older guys had to wait til 6 weeks cuz they hatched in early February when was still freezing temps here. If they're in house that maintains at least 69 or 70 degrees F they won't need heat after 2 weeks

 

[Finnisher]

So i put in dry food and they ate that but they're not eating the fermented feed. I also haven't seen them drinking the water (it's magic water)

 

[chickens really]

Ducklings when newly hatched do better with a soupy wet feed and dry in a separate bowl ...Water deep enough to dunk their heads and keep nares clear..I would not brood they with the Turkey's ...