Show off your house ducks!

[tracyjg]

 

[Julie Birb]

Your yellow fuzzlings are very much absolutely cute. They are baby ducks. Love them.

 

[Julie Birb]

Our sweet babies were hatched and shipped from Metzer a week ago. We got 1 male and 2 female mallards and 1 male and 2 female buffs.

Adorable lil babies.

 

[CristyT]

My first babies...excited but scared

 

[CristyT]

My babies will get real loud in their cage until I give in and let them swim.

 

[Tevyes Dad]

My babies will get real loud in their cage until I give in and let them swim.

Your babies are beautiful

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If you know this or know better, disregard, but since you said these are your first babies, this seems to apply.

Ducklings can't regulate their temperature well so I measure with a thermometer 100F bath water for fuzzlets and let them swim until 95F. Then it is out and under the heat lamp. These are temperatures I came up with on my own based on their body temps and I have had good luck with them. Someone else might have a more authoritative procedure here. All of mine (so far) preened themselves dry very quickly, so I let them. Others usually towel them off before putting them under the lamp. If I get any slackers in my new batch, I will towel them, but as long as they get right to work on their own, they are learning good habits. Also ducklings can drown very quickly in very little water. They are expending so much energy growing so fast that they can just drop off to sleep any time. Make sure they are 100% supervised every second they are in the water.

More pics !!!

 

[CristyT]

Your babies are beautiful .



If you know this or know better, disregard, but since you said these are your first babies, this seems to apply.

Ducklings can't regulate their temperature well so I measure with a thermometer 100F bath water for fuzzlets and let them swim until 95F.  Then it is out and under the heat lamp. These are temperatures I came up with on my own based on their body temps and I have had good luck with them.  Someone else might have a more authoritative procedure here.  All of mine (so far) preened themselves dry very quickly, so I let them.  Others usually towel them off before putting them under the lamp.  If I get any slackers in my new batch, I will towel them, but as long as they get right to work on their own, they are learning good habits.  Also ducklings can drown very quickly in very little water.  They are expending so much energy growing so fast that they can just drop off to sleep any time.  Make sure they are 100% supervised every second they are in the water.

More pics !!!

Thank you so much I need all advice I can get. I don't check with a thermostat I just make it as warm as I would for one of my children. Now I am guilty of leaving them in there sometimes when it cools off because they literally don't want to get out. I will make sure to get them out before that occurs next time. I allow them water time 3 to 4 times daily for 30 minutes each time. Is this to much? I wrap them in a towel just to carry from water to cage but they immediately start pecking at their feathers and fluffing out under the lamp. Is that what they are suppose to do? Well so far I guess I haven't done to bad but would love to get even better. Now only if I can get my cat to quit thinking they are toys or lunch....

 

[Tevyes Dad]

Thank you so much I need all advice I can get. I don't check with a thermostat I just make it as warm as I would for one of my children. Now I am guilty of leaving them in there sometimes when it cools off because they literally don't want to get out. I will make sure to get them out before that occurs next time. I allow them water time 3 to 4 times daily for 30 minutes each time. Is this to much? I wrap them in a towel just to carry from water to cage but they immediately start pecking at their feathers and fluffing out under the lamp. Is that what they are suppose to do? Well so far I guess I haven't done to bad but would love to get even better. Now only if I can get my cat to quit thinking they are toys or lunch....

I am not sure, but I listen to (watch) my ducks. If they are shivering and clamoring over each other or huddled up shaking under the heat lamp, they got cold and that was too much. If they preen themselves mostly dry then sleep under the heat lamp (or away from it) and aren't huddled together or shaking, they are probably fine. It sounds like your ducklings are preening. When they have real feathers, that is how they straighten them out, remove defective ones and spread their oil from their glands on the feathers. With your little fluff balls, it mostly knocks the water off them. As they get older, their fluff will start to get some oil on it and they will come out much drier. We all like to error on the side of caution so most advice is going to be from that perspective. Ducks will NEVER really want to get out of the water, so you have to be common sense for them. Also until they start to get semi water proof, they will soak up water in their skin just like we do. I don't really know if that can be harmful or not because I only gave mine 10-15 minutes until they started to water proof a bit. You will see the air trapped in the fluff that is under water as a silver sheen and their fuzz won't mat against their bodies so much once they start producing some oil.

 

[CristyT]

I am not sure, but I listen to (watch) my ducks.  If they are shivering and clamoring over each other or huddled up shaking under the heat lamp, they got cold and that was too much.  If they preen themselves mostly dry then sleep under the heat lamp (or away from it) and aren't huddled together or shaking, they are probably fine.  It sounds like your ducklings are preening.  When they have real feathers, that is how they straighten them out, remove defective ones and spread their oil from their glands on the feathers.  With your little fluff balls, it mostly knocks the water off them.  As they get older, their fluff will start to get some oil on it and they will come out much drier.  We all like to error on the side of caution so most advice is going to be from that perspective.  Ducks will NEVER really want to get out of the water, so you have to be common sense for them.  Also until they start to get semi water proof, they will soak up water in their skin just like we do.  I don't really know if that can be harmful or not because I only gave mine 10-15 minutes until they started to water proof a bit.  You will see the air trapped in the fluff that is under water as a silver sheen and their fuzz won't mat against their bodies so much once they start producing some oil.

Well I haven't seen them shiver but they do huddle together under the lamp as soon as I put them in the cage sometimes so I agree I'm allowing them to go to long at times. I feel so bad when I make them get out and they aren't ready but safety has to be first. Thank you do much for your advice. Hopefully everyone won't get tired of my constant questions.

 

[Amykins]

Well I haven't seen them shiver but they do huddle together under the lamp as soon as I put them in the cage sometimes so I agree I'm allowing them to go to long at times. I feel so bad when I make them get out and they aren't ready but safety has to be first. Thank you do much for your advice. Hopefully everyone won't get tired of my constant questions.

Not at all, it's wonderful that you're asking them! All too often people assume they know best, which can sometimes lead to tragic results. Baby birbs are so delicate, but just so cute and heart-touching. It's why we love our webfoots so dearly!

Speaking of webfoots, Wobbles hurt his leg. Poor bubba. I trimmed his nails and he's already on antibiotic for his eye; I suspect in the next couple days it'll straighten out but if not my sister has a trusted avian vet here in norcal. Look at me, I'm learning, hehe! A year ago I'd have gone into insta-panic mode!