Soon to be duck owner with questions

[Pinx]

Hello!

I have an order in for 3 Cayuga ducklings. I've never had ducks before so I have a couple of questions.

Is there a certain feed that I should feed them?

Is there certain things that chickens CAN have that ducks CAN'T? As in treats and such.

Can I put them in the brooder with the chicks that I am also getting, or would it just be better to seperate them completely.
I plan on having them in my chicken pen when they get older but if they require special feed when they are younger and shouldn't have chick feed then I can seperate them.

How often during the day should they get "playtime" in the water?

I have read quite a bit about Cayuga's but I would love personal experiences/pictures.

 

[madabouthens]

i have ducks and i just feed them hen food but i put the hen food in water so it softens down and i let mine go in the water whenevr they want hope this helps

GOODLUCK!!!

 

[Smitty's Farm]

Hi Pinx~

Feed~ Make sure the feed is NON MEDICATED and that they have Niacin supplement. Most people recommend a non med Game starter. I use Purina Flock Raiser b/c they were out of game feed starter.

Treats~ If you read the "Sticky Notes" that is posted at the very top of the Duck sec. Nettie has put together a long list of food, treats & things that are toxic for ducks.

Brooder~ I think it depends on how big and what your brooder set-up is to put them together w/ your chicks. The ducks grow so much faster and play in their water. I tried it, but the ducks kept getting the chicks wet, so I ended up separating them and they were much happier then.

Water play time~ Mine played in their drinking waterer every day.

I didn't let them have bath play time until they were a few weeks old, but it's been chilly here. They can't float without assistance of their mom's oil, so it has to be supervised and in shallow warm water. Their fluffy down soaks the water up like a sponge and they could drown. Make sure they are toweled off and dried real well afterwards, b/c they are babies and can chill until they are feathered out completely. In the beginning you raise them like baby chicks w/ a heating lamp. The reason #2 I separated the chicks from the ducks was the ducks were over heating at the temp that baby chicks needed.

I hope this helps. I've been raising chickens for years, but I'm also a first time duck owner and LOVING it!!!!

 

[Pinx]

I was afraid of them drowning unsupervised, lol I'm weird i guess... when they get older they will have full access to water to get in but I was wondering about when they were younger, what is a healthy amount of playtime in the water without me having to worry about them or the chicks drowning. (They would be able to stand up in it but with my luck things would go horribly wrong)

 

[Pinx]

Smitty's Farm :

Hi Pinx~

Feed~ Make sure the feed is NON MEDICATED and that they have Niacin supplement. Most people recommend a non med Game starter. I use Purina Flock Raiser b/c they were out of game feed starter.

Treats~ If you read the "Sticky Notes" that is posted at the very top of the Duck sec. Nettie has put together a long list of food, treats & things that are toxic for ducks.

Brooder~ I think it depends on how big and what your brooder set-up is to put them together w/ your chicks. The ducks grow so much faster and play in their water. I tried it, but the ducks kept getting the chicks wet, so I ended up separating them and they were much happier then.

Water play time~ Mine played in their drinking waterer every day.

I didn't let them have bath play time until they were a few weeks old, but it's been chilly here. They can't float without assistance of their mom's oil, so it has to be supervised and in shallow warm water. Their fluffy down soaks the water up like a sponge and they could drown. Make sure they are toweled off and dried real well afterwards, b/c they are babies and can chill until they are feathered out completely. In the beginning you raise them like baby chicks w/ a heating lamp. The reason #2 I separated the chicks from the ducks was the ducks were over heating at the temp that baby chicks needed.

I hope this helps. I've been raising chickens for years, but I'm also a first time duck owner and LOVING it!!!!

Sorry I must have skipped over the sticky note, but I'll go look at it now.

I'm fine with building another brooder for the ducklings, (hubby may not be

) but if it were easier I would have liked to put them in the same one... but it sounds like its more trouble then its worth lol. So they will have their own "room".

Thanks for the info!​