The Duck Thread

[3amigos906]

Sorry I have no idea!

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Can anyone tell me how old these little guys are? My dad bought them at tsc as a surprise because I've always wanted ducks, but I have no clue how old they are. I'm almost out of the starter chick feed (I mixed oats in there to lessen the protein as they grew) and just bought the grower/finisher feed. I'm not sure if that's what I should switch to. I'm having second thoughts since you're not supposed to start that until week 8. I've looked everywhere to try and find an age range on what these guys look like and I keep coming up short. HELP!

 

[EmilyP]

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Can anyone tell me how old these little guys are? My dad bought them at tsc as a surprise because I've always wanted ducks, but I have no clue how old they are. I'm almost out of the starter chick feed (I mixed oats in there to lessen the protein as they grew) and just bought the grower/finisher feed. I'm not sure if that's what I should switch to. I'm having second thoughts since you're not supposed to start that until week 8. I've looked everywhere to try and find an age range on what these guys look like and I keep coming up short. I wear a size 8 women's shoe and they're the same size as my foot. Are probably mid calf height. HELP!

Pekins are a large breed and so they grow quick! Those look maybe only 3 weeks old, are they getting any feathers coming in? The dumar feed has a chart on the back for when to switch feed. I think ducks it was about the first 4 weeks (someone please correct me if I'm wrong) on the starter grower then switch to the grower/finisher. As they are growing they need the high protein content and Pekins especially need extra niacin!

 

[dan26552]

Pekins are a large breed and so they grow quick! Those look maybe only 3 weeks old, are they getting any feathers coming in? The dumar feed has a chart on the back for when to switch feed. I think ducks it was about the first 4 weeks (someone please correct me if I'm wrong) on the starter grower then switch to the grower/finisher. As they are growing they need the high protein content and Pekins especially need extra niacin!

I agree on the age, those are still slightly yellow, I've noticed at about four week they lose that yellow down as the real feather come in.

 

[3amigos906]

Pekins are a large breed and so they grow quick! Those look maybe only 3 weeks old, are they getting any feathers coming in? The dumar feed has a chart on the back for when to switch feed. I think ducks it was about the first 4 weeks (someone please correct me if I'm wrong) on the starter grower then switch to the grower/finisher. As they are growing they need the high protein content and Pekins especially need extra niacin!

I have been giving them niacin.

I did read that much. I received them April 1st and they had tiny tail feathers then.

This is how big they were when I got them. I thought it was about a week at that time. Again, I tried using metzer's guide on their weekly sizing for ducklings. It's the only thing I've found with a visual comparison. They are starting to be more white than yellow. The tail feathers they had in the first two weeks are completely gone now and are just fluffy back there. The tan one has an all brown belly and wings now and was all tan when I first got them. I'll buy another 20lb bag of the starter for the next 4 weeks since I can't start the grower/finisher until week 4. Gah I'm so stressed out trying to figure this out. I don't want to mess up their growth at all. Thank you EmilyP and dan26552. I've searched and searched for the last 4 weeks trying to figure it out. Ugh.

 

[Duckfuzz]

Tha

You never know. At about 8 weeks you should be able to hear the females, they are loud! BUT I had a hen that I was firmly convinced that she was a drake for a long time, her quack was very quiet. Then she started laying eggs (that's a definite sign! LOL). Now that she is about a year her quack is REALLY obnoxious and loud!

Good luck!

Thank you. I guess that's one way to know for sure lol.

 

[Eliya4Gpigs]

Hey, WARNING: I'm a newbie when it comes to ducks, and i got a few questions, i figure this is a good place to ask them. First, let me explain our situation.

My little sister who is almost 10, recently set her heart on ducks. I know how it feels to want a pet very badly. I had to wait 3 years to convince my dad to let me get pygmy goats. 2yrs to get a guinea pig. I thought the more i knew about ducks the easier i could help persuade my dad to let her get some ducks, preferably before she turns 13... (this would not be her firs experience with taking care of a life. She has gerbils who are healthy and happy) ..............So here are my questions:

I read if you don't have a pond, (which we Do Not) you can burry a kitty pool to make it ground level, and the ducks love it. Is this cruel to the animal to only have a small swimming area?
2nd, I don't hear anything about worrying about the ducks flying away. Would you have to "clip" their wings or something? I don't know much about clipping a duck's wings, except what i remember about that movie that i saw when i was like 9 where the girl takes care of the ducks and learns to fly a plane, then takes them south, or something like that.
3rd, She is 9 so she doesn't exactly make income, What are the expenses of owning two ducks? ... Also, i want to make it clear the ducks wouldn't starve if my sister ran out of money. She does save money, and if she did run out, I'd help her out. I never spend money on anything other than my pets, ( or the occasional book) so she'd be backed up.
Ooo.... and, Do you have to buy like frozen fish? or does all that protein come in their pellets?
Whats a good pet breed? Anyway, if you can answer any of these questions or have any other info i should know, let me know! Thanks!

-also, forgot to mention, she'd be getting them when their chicks, so if you have any useful info i should know about temperatures/Chick pellets/pricing/housing, Anything, Let me know :3

 

[homestead 101]

When will my ducklings internily pip

 

[Tevyes Dad]

Can anyone tell me how old these little guys are? My dad bought them at tsc as a surprise because I've always wanted ducks, but I have no clue how old they are. I'm almost out of the starter chick feed (I mixed oats in there to lessen the protein as they grew) and just bought the grower/finisher feed. I'm not sure if that's what I should switch to. I'm having second thoughts since you're not supposed to start that until week 8. I've looked everywhere to try and find an age range on what these guys look like and I keep coming up short. I wear a size 8 women's shoe and they're the same size as my foot. Are probably mid calf height. HELP!

You can check with weight also. With Pekins that should be a fairly good indicator. I cherry picked some points from https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1085992/the-brooding-of-allie-casey-and-latte (shameless plug).

Here is Allie at 14 days, she weighed just over a pound:


Yours are definitely older than this.

Here she is at 23 days (at 2-3/4 lbs).


Note she has very pronounced feathers starting above her winglets. I am guessing your 'lings are a day or two shy of this because in the picture I can see the beginnings of those feathers, but not as pronounced as Allie here, but it may just be the picture.

Here is Allie at 31 days (4-1/2 lbs)

Here the beginning feather growth covers most of her body (although it isn't really feathers yet). She is a lot more white than yellow which also seems the case in your photos. So although she doesn't look much different between 23 and 31 days, her weight has gone up by nearly 65%, so I would get a weight if possible. A baby scale or a food scale works best for ducklings. From the weight I could give you a very close estimate.

 

[Tlmcq]

@EmilyP I would agree with what the others have already told you. Seems they are about 3 to 4 weeks.

 

[jenniferlamar70]

Hormones most likely . And she maybe getting geared up to go broody.

You don't say how old your dd is but start teaching her to stand up to your duck.For one thing don't let her run from the duck give her the broom or a long pole and when the duck comes towards her the broom or pole is to stop the duck not hit her. Your right there so you help if need be. The chase means the duck has the upper hand. If your dd is old enough she can turn the table and bend over and come towards the duck acting like she is going to pick her up that may make the duck turn tail and run. I do that with mine just playing with them they usually turn and walk away.

My daughter is 11.she isnt afraid of her and usually just does like you say and turns the tables lol. Its not really a problem since none of us are afraid of her. I'm mostly just curious why the temperment change. Suppose breeding season isnt helping lol. I just always have experience with the drakes getting more moody then the females lol.