The Duck Thread

[Abraeri]

What type of ducks are they all? And how old are they?
Have you ever dewormed them? Worm overload *can* cause them to be skinny, j/s...

5 of them are Golden 300 Hybrids and 5 are White Layers. They turned an year old August 1st. Never dewormed. Skin and bones might have been an tad bit of an exaggeration; they're just not fat at all. Some are pretty big though, so.... Are there any other signs of worms I can look for? Could it possibly have to do with decrease in egg production?

 

[Ravynscroft]

5 of them are Golden 300 Hybrids and 5 are White Layers. They turned an year old August 1st. Never dewormed. Skin and bones might have been an tad bit of an exaggeration; they're just not fat at all. Some are pretty big though, so.... Are there any other signs of worms I can look for? Could it possibly have to do with decrease in egg production?

Could possibly... or they could be going into molt... if you can, best to get a fecal float done and check for worms... I have found my ducks are much, much more susceptible to worms than my chickens...

Vet can do a fecal or there are labs you can send in to... will have to look that up though...

 

[Abriana]

Hi all! Could I join the duck thread? I am getting blue Swedish in the spring (date keeps moving further away!) and would like to get some general info on ducks.
Does anybody have ducks and chickens living together? Mine will be and I want to know if that will work out well or not. Also what can you feed them? And has anyone tried the DIY duck waterer made from a vinegar bottle? I want to try that to cut down on costs as much as I can. Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[Abraeri]

Could possibly... or they could be going into molt... if you can, best to get a fecal float done and check for worms... I have found my ducks are much, much more susceptible to worms than my chickens...

Vet can do a fecal or there are labs you can send in to... will have to look that up though...

Hmm... going into molt seems plausible too. Could you check out the thread I just posted here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/duck-egg-production-and-other-stuff.1195574/

I don't think a vet would be affordable :/

My mom suggested turmeric for de-worming, do you know if that would work? It's got a lot of beneficial uses and I gave it to my duck when it was sick/hurt and it works wonders.

 

[Abraeri]

Hi all! Could I join the duck thread? I am getting blue Swedish in the spring (date keeps moving further away!) and would like to get some general info on ducks.
Does anybody have ducks and chickens living together? Mine will be and I want to know if that will work out well or not. Also what can you feed them? And has anyone tried the DIY duck waterer made from a vinegar bottle? I want to try that to cut down on costs as much as I can. Thanks in advance for any advice!

Are you getting ducklings or ducks? I couldn't give any advice about chickens and ducks living together, but I can tell you one thing. Ducklings or ducks, they will make a mess with their water. We tried lots of thing; nothing seems to work. They'll muddy their water in minutes. Right now we just put a bucket that is tall enough they can't get into, but short enough that they can dip their head in and clean their eyes and nostrils in. We have an RO system, it works in a way that for 1 gallon of purified water we get about 4 gallons of un-purified water so we use the for the ducks; that way we're not wasting water either.

 

[Abriana]

Are you getting ducklings or ducks? I couldn't give any advice about chickens and ducks living together, but I can tell you one thing. Ducklings or ducks, they will make a mess with their water. We tried lots of thing; nothing seems to work. They'll muddy their water in minutes. Right now we just put a bucket that is tall enough they can't get into, but short enough that they can dip their head in and clean their eyes and nostrils in. We have an RO system, it works in a way that for 1 gallon of purified water we get about 4 gallons of un-purified water so we use the for the ducks; that way we're not wasting water either.

I am getting ducklings. Yes, I have heard how messy they are!
Do you have to mix their food with water? I heard that today. Also I heard they can have chicken feed, is that true?

 

[Ravynscroft]

Hmm... going into molt seems plausible too. Could you check out the thread I just posted here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/duck-egg-production-and-other-stuff.1195574/

I don't think a vet would be affordable :/

My mom suggested turmeric for de-worming, do you know if that would work? It's got a lot of beneficial uses and I gave it to my duck when it was sick/hurt and it works wonders.

Replied..

Turmeric does have great boosting and healing properties, but as an effective dewormer, it is not...

Sounds like yours may just be going into molt, egg production will drop or stop completely during that time... their bodies need the rest to concentrate on making new feathers...

 

[Ravynscroft]

I am getting ducklings. Yes, I have heard how messy they are!
Do you have to mix their food with water? I heard that today. Also I heard they can have chicken feed, is that true?

I have never mixed food in water for any of my ducklings, and I raise Calls, lol... just never leave them food without water as they need to flush it down and can choke with only dry food...

 

[Abriana]

I have never mixed food in water for any of my ducklings, and I raise Calls, lol... just never leave them food without water as they need to flush it down and can choke with only dry food...

Okay good, I was hoping I didn't have to mix their food with water every day. How often do you have to clean a blue Swedish's pool? Every day? Or more than once a day?

 

[Ravynscroft]

Okay good, I was hoping I didn't have to mix their food with water every day. How often do you have to clean a blue Swedish's pool? Every day? Or more than once a day?

Once a day should be sufficient... will also depend on how many and how big the pool is... some do weekly pool cleanings and that is fine... will have to see what works for you...

As for keeping ducks and chickens together, many do... I prefer to have separate coop/duck house, but mine free range together frequently... if you have drakes, you need to be aware and keep an eye out for drakes trying to breed hens... chickens do not have the same equipment as ducks and drakes can internally fatally injure a hen...