Surprise Duckling Shipment Mid-Winter

[DiYMama540]

I was lucky enough to catch a couple on summer clearance before they were all gone...I'm hanging on to the beat up ones till they just dont hold water at all adds to the charm of my hobo camp in the backyard

 

[ColtHandorf]

I was lucky enough to catch a couple on summer clearance before they were all gone...I'm hanging on to the beat up ones till they just dont hold water at all adds to the charm of my hobo camp in the backyard

Lol I hate the plastic pools for that exact reason, although I do have one right now for the geese. I have a stock tank and if I can get the frame built like in this thread that I love so much I'll be thrilled if they use it...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/diy-raised-duck-pond.1302005/

 

[quackiemama]

Our Tractor Supply in Dallas (GA) has ordered Purina DUCK food. It's not in yet but I'm really excited about only having 1 food for my flock instead of mixing one for the layers and one for the boys. @Runner duck mom, another duck owner and I have been bothering them about getting some big 40lb bags in and it's paid off. It will be 2 more weeks but at least it's coming!

mine love it, I have one TSC that has the 40lb bags and one that only has the 5lb. So you know where I go.

 

[natem1270]

mine love it, I have one TSC that has the 40lb bags and one that only has the 5lb. So you know where I go.

I just took a look at the Purina duck feed and it appears to be quite a bit more expensive (5x) than my current feed setup. We do mainly cracked corn with on and off duck pellets and the occasional meal worm treat. My ducks do not free range (since Hawk took one a month ago). I was doing some calculations based on numbers I found (.3lb for a smaller bird and .6 for a larger bird). I think I’ll be going through about 2/3 pounds a day. Should I consider moving away from cracked corn for my drakes, or is an improved feed more important for a laying flock?

One perk of the cheap corn I’m using is I frequently throw extra corn on the ground around the yard. When I come out in the morning I love how the yard is alive with plenty of wild birds enjoying the free meal.

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

Cracked corn is not a good feed for ducks and should only be fed as a treat or supplement on very cold days. Flock Raiser or another all flock feed would work if it's cheaper.

 

[quackiemama]

Agreed they need more nutrition than that. I buy my 40lb bag of Purina Duck pellets for $15.99 which is comparable to other feeds to me and they are getting good nutrition. For a while I was getting waterfowl food from a local co-op and that was much cheaper but just not convenient for me.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yes please don’t use cracked corn as main feed Pekins really need a good balanced diet or your going to see leg problems all flock can be fed to all your ducks even your ducklings then once they go to laying you just put out a bowl of oyster shell. Make sure to buy crumbles since ducklings can’t eat pellets right off.

 

[Kiki]

About a month ago I decided that I wanted to raise three more ducklings to join my current bachelor flock of three. I went on pure poultry and ordered three sexed male Pekins to be delivered in April. I raised three Khaki Campbell ducklings last April, and felt like the weather here (Rhode Island) at the time was manageable with heat lamps and an outdoor coop.

This morning (mid snow storm) I got an email that my three ducklings with hatch date April 6th just shipped. I called them immediately and they stated that it was an error on their side and they would gladly still send us the three ducks in April, but the ducklings they sent today were already in transit and there was nothing they could do about that.

I have since then been frantically trying to prepare for the new group's arrival in the middle of winter. I understand that now that I have to raise these ducks indoors until they have grown their adult feathers. The following is a photo of the box I intend to raise them in upon arrival.

View attachment 1973586

I plant to place this box in my room (70-75 degrees Fahrenheit all day) with both heat lamps on because I read they need to be at about 90 degrees during their early life. I bought a small drown-proof water container for them to have fresh water and will line the bottom with clean hay. The bath tub will be their pool while they are inside.

If I get some answers on a few of my questions, or just comments on my plan overall I would appreciate it.

1.) I suspect that the Pekin's will quickly outgrow this 2x2x1 box and I will need to upgrade. My plan is to wait until they are ready to move into my garage in our old 4x4x4 duck pen (just upgraded) with two heat lamps until they have their full feathers. How long should I expect to have to wait before the birds are ready to be in an unheated garage with only heat lamps?

2.) With 70-75 degree indoor temperatures and the two heat lamps am I risking the ducklings becoming too cold/warm?

3.) Here's a link to a thread with my current flock and their new pen:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/adding-new-ducks-going-poorly.1339465/#post-21931132

I have a divider in which I can easily split the coop into two parts separated by chicken wire (see not touch method) to assimilate the ducklings in with the young adults I currently have. Any idea what age I would be able to get these guys outside in the outdoor pen? I would not plan to let them join the other ducks outside during the winter.

4.) Pure poultry credited me $80 for my purchase and scheduled another delivery of three in April which I plan to cancel. Are there any other essential duckling supplies I am missing that I could use this store credit on?

Sorry if a lot of this information is easily accessible and I have not searched yet... I was planning on doing thorough research before April but the surprise shipment has caught me unprepared.

Too lights is too much.
This will over heat them.

 

[NatJ]

Too lights is too much.
This will over heat them.

Agreed, given that it's in a 70+ degree bedroom! But by now OP's got another thread showing the ducklings with one heat lamp--I'm guessing they stuck a thermometer in the brooder and found that one heat lamp was enough.

They could go put the other heat lamp in the pen in the garage, test the temperature there, and see if it's warm enough to just move the ducklings out of the house already. (Probably want to check temp in the garage several times over a day or two, especially in the cold early-morning time, before putting ducklings out.)

 

[natem1270]

Thanks for the heads up on the lacking diet I was feeding my birds. Just went to TSC and picked up a 40lb bag of all flock 20% protein pellets that will go into use tomorrow. @Kiki I removed the second heat lamp (before their arrival) after others brought up the same point, but much appreciated nonetheless!