So much help needed-duckling biting my chick

[Zazaa14]

Hiya!

I have a duckling I bought last week from Windsor, and was told that it was 1 week old. I also have a chick, and was told that the chick was a week old too, so they're now 2 weeks old?

I have a few questions:

1) I picked up my chick to stroke it and noticed that ons sids of its neck looked a lil red.. I then looked at the other side and saw that it was fine, and so inspected a lil further and saw it was actually quite raw!!

My duckling, an indian runner, seems close to my chick-if I've ever separated the two, they both frantically search for each other, and I've noticed them sleeping well together, sometimes with the duckling's neck keepung the chick warm.

Anyway, so I did not suspect the duckling until I could hear my chick sort of shrieking a bit, whilst I was upstairs. I went down to sort of spy and see what was going on from afar, so that they couldn't see me. they seemed fine, duckling laying, drifting in and out of sleep and the chick doing the same. and then all of a sudden the duck starting biting at the chick's neck and the chick starting screeching! ! This happened at least thrice when I was down there.

What the juice should I do!?!?!?


2) My duckling, despite talking to it and the chick every morning, announcing myself before entering, always stays scared of me, and has taught my chick, who was not timid and didn't run away when being picked, to be the same. They now hate being picked, and run around the box SO much when I try picking them up to let them wander the garden, or to put them back in. Whyyyyyyy??

3) Is a box ok to keep them in? Where can I get an inexpensive proper thing for them in London if not? I also use a lot of newspaper as bedding for them.

4) Is there a way of cleaning them? I don't wash them at all.

Thaaaaaaaank you for your help! !!

Zari

 

[Free Feather]

Do you live in the city?

A box is okay for now, but they will eventually need a coop and the outdoors. Keep the box clean. Newspaper can cause spraddle leg. Put down newspaper, then put straw or hay on top to give them something to grip onto.

The chicken needs a chicken friend or two, and the duck needs a duck friend. They might like each other now, but they need others of their own species. Get two separate brooders and put the couple ducklings in one and the few chicks in the other.
You do not clean them because you can kill them from chill. Chickens dust bathe and ducks bathe in water when they are older, but the duck is too young to swim yet. They both have oils in feathers they maintain. Bathing them even as adults would strip off the oils - only bathe them if you really have to.

What are you feeding them?

 

[Amiga]

@Zazaa14 , welcome, you have good questions! I cannot answer for the chick, but we have a Duck Forum with all kinds of help for raising ducks. Free Feather has given you some good information, though I would modify a couple of the details - under constant supervision, ducklings can splash in water from an early age, and there is research that indicates it may even help them start preening behavior sooner, and so keep their feathers healthier.

Ducklings, usually around 3 weeks of age, often go through a phase in which they are stark terrified of anything taller than they are. They become frantic if they feel they are being cornered. It's just a normal developmental phase. But it is heartbreaking and frustrating. My eleven Runners went through that phase. Oh, mercy.

Fast forward, they are friendly, and lovely, and not skittery at all.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/42/ducks

I used old towels for bedding, by the way. And ducklings need food with water 24/7 for their first several weeks. There are many ways to keep the bedding from getting soaked - that is one of the key things for all new duck people to figure out. I admit I did not get it 100% right, though I was on the right track. Now I have it managed.

 

[Free Feather]

In truth, I let my ducklings swim in the shallow creek at just a few days old last July, bu that is not typically the advice that is given.

When I brood birds, I do it in the greenhouse in the warmer months, letting them have run of the floor space. It would be hard to use towels.

I do not know why your duckling is mauling your chick. Perhaps it looks funny to him/her? If it looks really bad, you will have to separate them. Is it bleeding?

 

[Zazaa14]

Do you live in the city?

A box is okay for now, but they will eventually need a coop and the outdoors. Keep the box clean. Newspaper can cause spraddle leg. Put down newspaper, then put straw or hay on top to give them something to grip onto.
  
The chicken needs a chicken friend or two, and the duck needs a duck friend. They might like each other now, but they need others of their own species. Get two separate brooders and put the couple ducklings in one and the few chicks in the other.
You do not clean them because you can kill them from chill. Chickens dust bathe and ducks bathe in water when they are older, but the duck is too young to swim yet. They both have oils in feathers they maintain. Bathing them even as adults would strip off the oils - only bathe them if you really have to.
  
What are you feeding them?

Hiya!

I heard so much screeching and now cut a box and have created a divider with holes, and I think it's going well?

I do indeed live in the city. In London. Do you know where I can get a decent but inexpensive coop from? and is it not too cold for them outdoors?? At what sort of age would the chick go outdoors.

hmmmmmmmmm. . I feel like pet stores will majorly bump up the prices of cheap things like hay etc. Where can I get that sort of stuff and how much would that roughly cost?

I was told at the time of purchase, that a chick and duckling are ok to be together, otherwise I would've only had two/three chicks and no duckling.
  
I am feeding the duckling the chick feed.

Thank you so much for your quick response and a lot of advice. Really lovely of you.

 

[Zazaa14]

@Zazaa14
 , welcome, you have good questions!  I cannot answer for the chick, but we have a Duck Forum with all kinds of help for raising ducks.  Free Feather has given you some good information, though I would modify a couple of the details - under constant supervision, ducklings can splash in water from an early age, and there is research that indicates it may even help them start preening behavior sooner, and so keep their feathers healthier.

Ducklings, usually around 3 weeks of age, often go through a phase in which they are stark terrified of anything taller than they are.  They become frantic if they feel they are being cornered.  It's just a normal developmental phase.  But it is heartbreaking and frustrating.  My eleven Runners went through that phase.  Oh, mercy.

Fast forward, they are friendly, and lovely, and not skittery at all. 

https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/42/ducks

I used old towels for bedding, by the way.  And ducklings need food with water 24/7 for their first several weeks.  There are many ways to keep the bedding from getting soaked - that is one of the key things for all new duck people to figure out.  I admit I did not get it 100% right, though I was on the right track.  Now I have it managed.

Hi Amiga!

Thank you for the greetings

I shall check out the duck forum-thank you for directing me there.


ah awesome! I wanna have my duckling in water. What sort of temperature should the water be?

Ohhhh ): I really wanted my duckling to be comfortable with me.. thought it had amnesia because it would be fine after I finally managed to get it to sit and be stroked, whilst it nodded off to sleep, only to see it run in a craze when putting back in the box ans giving it a final stroke.

old towels and towels not getting dirty or soaked??? Howwwwww???? how is that possible! ? newspapers keep getting wet constantly by the duck drinking water and also from jumping around in a craze around the box

Thank you so much for your advice! ! Much appreciated.

 

[Free Feather]

The best way to get the coop you want cheap is to build it yourself. That is what I did, so I do not know anything about buying them, other than they are typically way too small.
Chicks can stay outside when they are fully feathered out, at about 6 to 8 weeks old; earlier if it is warm out.
Are there any feed stores you know of? I imagine they would be really far away, though...Hmmmm.... You can check ads on Craigslist and places like that for people closer to you selling hay. You would just have to buy like your year's supply at one time since you have so few birds.
Chick feed for ducks is okay except in the Niacin amount. To give the duckling more Niacin for strong legs you sprinkle Brewer's Yeast on their feed.