should i try to keep my duck inside?

[688peterl]

i decided i wanted pet ducks a while back now and at first my parents were like NO WAY! then i just wouldnt shut up about it for like a whole week so they gave in then lol, i told them that when they hatch (im incubating them myself) they need to stay inside for at least 8 weeks (its not really that long i know

) but then my dad said they need to go outside in a duck house/run that hes gonna build... but i only have 2 fertile eggs left so im gonna have 2 ducks max....

do you think i should try and convince my parents to let the ducks stay inside?

what are the pros and cons for the ducks of being inside/outside?

 

[Smartie_Pants]

Are you talking about putting them out right after they hatch, or after the 8 weeks they are inside? This time of the year, if you put them outside without a momma they might not make it. They have to stay very warm and dry for the first few weeks, otherwise they could get sick. After that, when they've gotten in a lot of feathers, they should be fine to go outside.

 

[schoebel_taylor]

If you put them outside make sure it is dry and you have a heatlamp on them and they should be ok. The main thing is that the are dry and warm.

 

[Le Canard de Barbarie]

Father knows best...

 

[688peterl]

yeah i know they wont be goong outside until 8 weeks old...

but when they are 8 weeks old my parents want them to go in the garden in the house/run, i want to keep them inside!

 

[Chickies-duckies-etc]

After taking care of two ducklings in the house for 8 weeks, you may be very happy to let them go outside to live and your parents may give you no choice. LOL

Ducklings are sooooo cute!! Ducklings are sooooo messy!!!!! Ducklings are sooooo fun!!! Enjoy them.

 

[headred]

VERY messy! I vote outside.

 

[CMV]

Messy, messy, messy. They make keeping chicks in the house look tame in comparison. They get everything soaked in water. And once everything is good and wet, it stinks. I kept 4 ducklings and 4 goslings in my kitchen for 3 weeks this summer, and that was a week too long. They were a disaster. I had to clean them 2-3 times per day including a daily bath for the whole crew just to keep them looking somewhat civilized. Still, the smell when you walked into my house was like getting slapped in the face with a nasty, wet, dirty towel.

I do not recommend keeping them in the house for any longer than is absolutely necessary.