Show off your house ducks!

[iwantaduck]

You are not alone. Here's Gizmo (Cayuga x Khaki Campbell) and Sebastian (Sebastopol). They live inside with us. They bring a lot of joy into our lives!

what kind of duck is she/he? Beautiful eitherway

 

[ILoveDucks1991]

I have a question for all of you lovely duck parents out there! I have been researching getting ducks for months and I am going to be getting them in March. They will be indoor/outdoor ducks we have great areas inside the house and outside of the house for them. My question is I am a little worried about not being able to sex the ducklings from tractor supply. My hope is that I would get 2 females (because they will have great egg production and my husband and I will be first time duck owners so we want to keep it low in numbers at first). Have any of you had experience with being able to sex ducklings? I have watched Metzers video but I dont feel comfortable trying to vent sex them, so I am wondering if anyone can give me some guidance?

Also are there diapers that the ducklings can wear as babies and then grow in to as they get older?

 

[Amiga]

We feed ours less today. Because they didn't eat it all. But they still will not eat the pellets. We tried oatmeal barley grits you buy at grocery store they didn't care for it . Or the meal worms. We keep trying.

Have you been weighing them? I am wondering if there is an obstruction or parasite infestation. Have you had a stool sample checked?

 

[Debs Flock]

I have a question for all of you lovely duck parents out there! I have been researching getting ducks for months and I am going to be getting them in March. They will be indoor/outdoor ducks we have great areas inside the house and outside of the house for them. My question is I am a little worried about not being able to sex the ducklings from tractor supply. My hope is that I would get 2 females (because they will have great egg production and my husband and I will be first time duck owners so we want to keep it low in numbers at first). Have any of you had experience with being able to sex ducklings? I have watched Metzers video but I dont feel comfortable trying to vent sex them, so I am wondering if anyone can give me some guidance?

Also are there diapers that the ducklings can wear as babies and then grow in to as they get older?

I can't help with vent sexing. I'd caution you that damage can be done to a duckling by vent sexing incorrectly. Maybe you could find a breeder local to your area? Maybe you and a friend could split an order from Metzers? I'm not sure how small an order you can place.

We got our first 4 ducklings in April of last year. We started with 4 in case we lost one. Ducks do much better when they have their own kind around. We did buy from our local feed store and I was so stressed about their gender. We got lucky with 3 females and one male.

Two members that I know have lots of experience (and one sells) ducky diapers:
@Amykins
@kukupecpec

Best of luck & welcome to BYC!!

 

[Tevyes Dad]

I can't help with vent sexing. I'd caution you that damage can be done to a duckling by vent sexing incorrectly. Maybe you could find a breeder local to your area? Maybe you and a friend could split an order from Metzers? I'm not sure how small an order you can place.

We got our first 4 ducklings in April of last year. We started with 4 in case we lost one. Ducks do much better when they have their own kind around. We did buy from our local feed store and I was so stressed about their gender. We got lucky with 3 females and one male.

Two members that I know have lots of experience (and one sells) ducky diapers:
@Amykins
@kukupecpec

Best of luck & welcome to BYC!!

Metzers will go as low as 2 but it is pricey. (2-7 ducks cost virtually the same). Never-the-less they were my option both when I got Noir and Mystique and the 3 duck order I just put in. The purchase price of a duck is the least money you will ever spend on it

 

[ILoveDucks1991]

Metzers will go as low as 2 but it is pricey. (2-7 ducks cost virtually the same). Never-the-less they were my option both when I got Noir and Mystique and the 3 duck order I just put in. The purchase price of a duck is the least money you will ever spend on it

I have thought about that. What I am worried about though is what time they will reach the post office at. I have to be at work by 7:00 a.m. so I am worried that they will call me while at work and I wont be able to pick them up. I have been looking a lot at their site though! What breed of ducks do you have? Do you have any suggestions for me? I would like mine to be very friendly, right now I know I really want a White layer I just am unsure of what other breed to get!

 

[Tevyes Dad]

I have thought about that. What I am worried about though is what time they will reach the post office at. I have to be at work by 7:00 a.m. so I am worried that they will call me while at work and I wont be able to pick them up. I have been looking a lot at their site though! What breed of ducks do you have? Do you have any suggestions for me? I would like mine to be very friendly, right now I know I really want a White layer I just am unsure of what other breed to get!

I would call the P.O. They know their schedule. Mine has them in by 3-6am. Otherwise you or someone in your stead would probably want to take the day off anyway. If all goes well there is nothing as cute as a brand new duckling and you need to make sure they are eating and drinking and finding the brooder not too hot, not too cold. If all doesn't go well, even minor things (heat lamp burns out), do you want to add calling into work last minute to the list of things you have to do? The first day is about stabilizing, acclimating and IMPRINTING I believe that day old ducks imprint on humans in general, but their vision is not that good and then they are in a box - they know they are ducks because they have brothers and sisters in the box. When the box is opened, I think the imprinting finishes when they can see which human is mommy. I know it might be impossible, but if not, I would take the day off.

I can't make any real observations on breed because once I get my shipment in, I will have:

1 Rouen Drake
1 White Crested Drake
2 Rouen Ducks (and all the rest are ducks)
1 Welsh Harlequin
1 Blue Swedish
1 Black Swedish
1 Fawn and White Runner
1 Blue Runner
1 Black Runner
1 Chocolate Runner
1 Cayuga
1 Khaki Campbell
1 Buff Orpington
1 Pekin

The last three are in my next shipment. As you can see, I can't comment about what is breed specific and what is individual duck. Where I do have duplicates in breed (Rouen/Runner/Swedish), mine behave more differently from each other than from other members of the flock. What I have heard from other members and will acknowledge in my experience but in no way claim to be fact:

Pekins may be the smartest of the domestic breeds.
Pekins and Cayugas are very social.
Welsh Harlequins are very calm and sweet.
Runners are some of the most fun to watch.
Drakes should be avoided unless you have a reason (there are plenty of reasons - just don't not care and take whatever.)

But if I had to do it again, I would do it just the same. Although I might have some second thoughts about drakes. I wanted a Rouen drake because they are beautiful, I got a Crested drake because I didn't want my drake hurting a Crested duck and a 5:1 ratio is generally accepted as "reasonable". Most of my problems have to do with Kaine's hormones getting the best of him and if there wasn't a second drake, he would probably behave much better. I might do it again, but I don't know - kind of a coin toss - I love my boys, but I want to strangle them sometimes... I ordered all different breeds because I wanted to tell them apart easily and learn their personalities. If you are only getting 2, I would either not get a runner, or make both of them runners (different colors) because although runners get along fine with other ducks, they get along with each other on a whole different level, which is part of their entertainment value, so I have to believe they are happier with another runner around.

I don't know if you said if you had any other poultry, but if not, ducks do need quite a bit of protection. They are one of the tastiest things out there and domestic ducks generally can't fly. The term sitting duck doesn't mean vulnerable for nothing... Check out the Pests and Predators links and get a good idea of what can happen or read the book in my signature for how I learned the hard way. With two ducks, they can have a relatively small secure area but they do need to be secure. Take it from me, you won't know if you have any predators unless you leave prey out for them.

 

[tracyjg]

No I have not put a weight on them yet. Or a stool sample. I have only had them since Sunday . I now she has eye issues.

 

[ILoveDucks1991]

Thank you all for the replies! I really appreciate your input. I have learned some interesting things (I thought having maybe one runner and one other breed would be fine) and I am glad that I asked. I still have a little while before I get my ducks and they have predator proof shelters already built. They used to be old outside run/kennel and they have a roof and a cement slab so no one can dig under. Also inside the dog run are 2 outdoor dog kennels that they can be locked into at night. My biggest question I guess is about bumble foot. I know that cement is not good for ducks, and my thought was I would use the deep layer method to help prevent that. I really want to make sure that they dont have hurting feet. So should I be placing something down under all of the bedding (such as a tarp of some kind).

 

[Amiga]

No I have not put a weight on them yet. Or a stool sample. I have only had them since Sunday . I now she has eye issues.

A tablespoon apple cider vinegar in a gallon to a gallon and a half of water in a container deep enough for her to wash her head in will probably help.

Initially, I would give her some tub time (I forget, please forgive me - has she had time in a lukewarm tub of water yet?) to make sure she cleans herself up really well, then let her dry off some place where it's at least 45F for a while. You will be able to assess her feather condition and other things. When one of ours was first rescued, a dip in some water began a huge transformation. At that time, she could not even float. Now she floats and has beautiful feathers, and is quite healthy.