The Duck Thread

[Miss Lydia]

*Sad post* husband came out this morning to check on the ducks and called me to come out right away. 4 of our 5 4 week old ducklings drowned last night

They had not been getting in the pool at night as that is our mallard territory but we are thinking the drake may have gotten them in there and drowned them or they couldn't get back out or combination of both. There was still one hanging on but barely. I wrapped her in a towel and brought her into the shed with the heat lamp. She has shown vast improvement in the past hour so fingers crossed she makes it. Hasn't eaten or drank yet still shivering a bit but she is peeping at me and has her bill tucked under her wing.

@EmilyP So very sorry

Hope your lil one recovers completely.

 

[EmilyP]

@EmilyP
   So very sorry  

Hope your lil one recovers completely. 

Thanks she had eaten a little bit and was digging in the hay when I left for work so praying she pulls through! Of course I have a appointment during my lunch but I'll run home and check on her in a few hours

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thanks she had eaten a little bit and was digging in the hay when I left for work so praying she pulls through! Of course I have a appointment during my lunch but I'll run home and check on her in a few hours

That sounds promising.

I wonder if them just being 4 weeks old that they may have gotten in the pool got water logged and chilled and just couldn't get out. Poor babies.

 

[EmilyP]

That sounds promising.

I wonder if them just being 4 weeks old that they may have gotten in the pool got water logged and chilled and just couldn't get out. Poor babies.

They have been in and out of the pool on their own accord for about 2 weeks now. Last night was pretty cold tho so that and our mean drake (who they have run out of the pool many times) might have done them in.

Also we keep a "ramp" in the pool during the day that helps them get out if needed (haven't really used it the past week) but we take it out at night cuz it freaks out our mallards who sleep in the pool so they may have been too cold and tired to get out

 

[Niche Flock]

Hey everyone,
My ducklings are now 6 weeks old and I was wondering what an appropriate age to mix them in with the rest of my duck flock is. Their feathers are in and they are about full size. Comparable at least to my adult runners.
I was concerned about their food requirements, but the adult ducks hardly eat anyboellets this time of the year and would rather forage most of their food anyway.
They are usually separated by a fence when they are not together, in their shared pen or when they are out free ranging. Just wondering what a safe/good time it is to introduce them to the adult flock. (Adults: 5 female runners, 1 female Cayuga, Ducklings: 6 female khaki campbells, 5 female Welsh harlequins, 2 female Cayugas)

Any suggestions are appreciated!

 

[Tevyes Dad]

I am completely JEALOUS as my Kahki's want nothing to do with me! However, today is their first day in their new paradise! It looks like we robbed a playground! Any advice to a first time duck owner?! If you can't tell, everything is covered in chicken wire.

I am very sorry to say this as it looks like you put a lot of thought and work into your setup and the general idea is great, but chicken wire will not keep predators out, it will only keep chickens / ducks in. 1/2" hardware cloth is a good barrier, but even that needs to be checked inspected for damage as raccoons given enough time can eventually work their way through that.

To give you an idea, my secure pen is made of chain link (a raccoon can reach through that and pull a duck or chicken out piece by piece, but there is no way it can get through it although smaller predators can), lined from 1' underground (to deter diggers) up to 5' above with 1/2" hardware cloth. (That fixes both problems with the chainlink.) It also has 3 runs of electric fence around it to keep the climbers at bay and is covered with a soccer net to keep avian predators out. This may be a bit over the top, but I do think that the 1/2" hardware cloth is a minimum precaution. Chicken wire has proven time and time again on this forum to only trap the birds and not keep predators out.

*Sad post* husband came out this morning to check on the ducks and called me to come out right away. 4 of our 5 4 week old ducklings drowned last night

They had not been getting in the pool at night as that is our mallard territory but we are thinking the drake may have gotten them in there and drowned them or they couldn't get back out or combination of both. There was still one hanging on but barely. I wrapped her in a towel and brought her into the shed with the heat lamp. She has shown vast improvement in the past hour so fingers crossed she makes it. Hasn't eaten or drank yet still shivering a bit but she is peeping at me and has her bill tucked under her wing.

I am sooo sorry @EmilyP - that is horrible. I know the sorrow of losing young flock members and it is heart wrenching. We are all here for you.

Hey everyone,
My ducklings are now 6 weeks old and I was wondering what an appropriate age to mix them in with the rest of my duck flock is. Their feathers are in and they are about full size. Comparable at least to my adult runners.
I was concerned about their food requirements, but the adult ducks hardly eat anyboellets this time of the year and would rather forage most of their food anyway.
They are usually separated by a fence when they are not together, in their shared pen or when they are out free ranging. Just wondering what a safe/good time it is to introduce them to the adult flock. (Adults: 5 female runners, 1 female Cayuga, Ducklings: 6 female khaki campbells, 5 female Welsh harlequins, 2 female Cayugas)

Any suggestions are appreciated!

Are they just separated by a fence all the time now? If that's the case, and they aren't too aggressive now, I would let them have supervised meet and greets now. Since you don't have any drakes, half the battle is over. Let them peck, even let them fight if both sides are coming back for more (usually pulling at each other's chest feathers) because pecking order is important. If they are fighting and one is trying to run away (usually getting its back feathers pulled), then I would rescue it. If there is just one problem adult, I would isolate it when it is being mean. If there are multiple problems (not just pecking or mutual fighting), then I would call the meet and greet short. I wouldn't let them be together unsupervised until they have calmed down to just occasional pecks and the big ducks let the little ducks eat without much resistance. I wouldn't let them overnight (and then be permanently together) until they have had about 3 days of unsupervised time without any major incidents. These are just general guides, every flock is different and each duck - duck dynamic is different. Just pay attention, and when you think it is safe, you can let them go a step closer. There are ducks in my flock that absolutely hate each other and they've been together for years, but they mostly just avoid each other or complain if the other one is near. (Tella - Noir, Tella - Tevye, Greta - Tevye)

 

[EmilyP]

Well it looks like our one survivor is going to make it. She has warmed back up is eating drinking and pooping and running and peeping! So I put her back in with her momma and they both seem much happier than they were this morning. Also she went straight to the pool and started drinking from it (I guess poopy water is better than clean water) and then got in!! DH thinks they may have fallen asleep in the pool and just got cold and waterlogged and drowned

But thankful for our survivor and will be making sure she is not sleeping in the pool!

 

[jerseynew]

How can I build a good coop that protects the ducks from predators?

I bought a large polytunnel that fits my coop inside. It has paving slabs holding it down on top of the flaps dug into the ground. They know when it's bed time and pile inside when I come out to lock them up. You may have more horrid predators than me though.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Well it looks like our one survivor is going to make it. She has warmed back up is eating drinking and pooping and running and peeping! So I put her back in with her momma and they both seem much happier than they were this morning. Also she went straight to the pool and started drinking from it (I guess poopy water is better than clean water) and then got in!! DH thinks they may have fallen asleep in the pool and just got cold and waterlogged and drowned

But thankful for our survivor and will be making sure she is not sleeping in the pool!

That is awesome news!!

 

[Crc14]

Can someone helo me figure out these possible mixes lol. Muscovy snuck off and hatched 8. 4 of the brown and 4 of the black. My friend free ranges all her ducks. She has 2 muscovys, 2 pekins. A crested runner? Fawn and white runner. To many Swedish, blue and black lol. Brown, grey and black ancona. 2 or 3 cayuga. 2 rouens. I think thats all the breeds. The number could be off lol. To many to count. Either way the muscovy went off and hatched these eggs away from the flock. I know no one can say for sure but id love some educated guesses. The little black one looks to be hissing sometimes but it also peeps so I'm curious if it could be part muscovy. Thanks.

Sorry about the poor quality pics..

They look like black Swedish and Cayuga to me, possible mixes with that many different breeds free roaming, how many drakes does she have and what breeds? That will help you limit daddy and breed