The Quack Shack

[WannaBeHillBilly]

They really love their peas, ours are like that as well They hear the terrace door opening - aha, it's a human, surely they are bringing peas, let's encourage them by shouting

My wife wanted to have ducks instead of chickens, because ducks are so much quieter than chickens…

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I get my netting from our local Menards store. I don't know if you have those stores in WV or not. They are like a Home Depot or Lowes only usually cheaper.

Thank you very much! - The nearest Menards store for me is in Barboursville, not too far away from my nearest TSC. Need to check them out one day…

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Friends, some practical questions ...

1. Let's say we have 2 duck houses, one for the older flock and one for the young. They remain separated for a while and then they are allowed to mingle during the day. What happens in the evening?

- they each go to their own house,
- everybody tries to cram into a single house,
- something random and a bit different every day?

2. When is it safe to merge young ducks and drakes into the adult flock of 8 ladies and 1 very active drake?

- only when they are sexually mature, as demonstrated by first eggs,
- or can it be done safely (without expected harm to the young ducks) before that?

The young crew are now 3 months old (2 of them) and 2 months old (7 of them). They are most likely 5-6 ladies and the rest are young drakes.

Thank you!

I cannot answer question number one as i have only one duck-House, but as for question two: I never cared to isolate the young ducks from the rest of the flock. With the "naturally" raised ducklings, that are being hatched by a momma duck in the duck house and raised by their momma in the duck-yard and the pasture i would not be able to separate them. They all go together inside the duck house every evening and they start ducking around when they want to start ducking around. Never had a problem with "too young" to duck. As for store bought ducklings or incubator hatchlings, my strategy is to integrate them with the flock as soon as possible, including having them sleep with the others in the duck-house. Whatever happens in the duck house stays in the duck-house!

 

[Supercow]

I cannot answer question number one as i have only one duck-House, but as for question two: I never cared to isolate the young ducks from the rest of the flock. With the "naturally" raised ducklings, that are being hatched by a momma duck in the duck house and raised by their momma in the duck-yard and the pasture i would not be able to separate them. They all go together inside the duck house every evening and they start ducking around when they want to start ducking around. Never had a problem with "too young" to duck. As for store bought ducklings or incubator hatchlings, my strategy is to integrate them with the flock as soon as possible, including having them sleep with the others in the duck-house. Whatever happens in the duck house stays in the duck-house!

So one should not be super concerned about the adult drake trying to make out with the young ducks and hurting them on account of them maybe not being fully developed?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I would be careful letting young females with an adult drake some will leave them alone others won’t we see it often on here so you just never know. My Runners and Buffs were mating at 4 months old laying at 4.5 months. The girls were the ones to go after the drake not him after them.

 

[Luv Ducks]

Thank you very much! - The nearest Menards store for me is in Barboursville, not too far away from my nearest TSC. Need to check them out one day…

You are very welcome. I find it in the garden center at our store. They have several different types. Mine is strong with very small holes.

 

[Luv Ducks]

Glad to know its not just mine being spoiled ducks, lol.

Mister Harry Duckhini, their dad, does not like to eat peas at all. He tries one but spits it out with disgust every time. Also there are very few of my grown up ducks who like peas. You may have noticed the Runners in the background of the second video, they are not at all interested in peas.

 

[Luv Ducks]

I would be careful letting young females with an adult drake some will leave them alone others won’t we see it often on here so you just never know. My Runners and Buffs were mating at 4 months old lying at 4.5 months. Th

So one should not be super concerned about the adult drake trying to make out with the young ducks and hurting them on account of them maybe not being fully developed?

e girls were the ones to go after the drake not him after them.

Friends, some practical questions ...

1. Let's say we have 2 duck houses, one for the older flock and one for the young. They remain separated for a while and then they are allowed to mingle during the day. What happens in the evening?

- they each go to their own house,
- everybody tries to cram into a single house,
- something random and a bit different every day?

2. When is it safe to merge young ducks and drakes into the adult flock of 8 ladies and 1 very active drake?

- only when they are sexually mature, as demonstrated by first eggs,
- or can it be done safely (without expected harm to the young ducks) before that?

The young crew are now 3 months old (2 of them) and 2 months old (7 of them). They are most likely 5-6 ladies and the rest are young drakes.

Thank you!

I made my little Call Duck female wait until she was over 4 months old to let her and her mate be with the rest of the flock. They had been seen by all of them for quite some time in a separate pen attached to my larger one. She is fine with the other two small Call Drakes and my young Runner Drake that is too young to mate yet. I have no other drakes as I rehomed my big ones before letting her out to be with the rest of the flock. I did not trust my other males to not go after her and with her being so young and small they might have hurt or killed her. I would keep them separated until they are all at least 4 months or older just to be safe if they were mine. I guess I am not a gambler.

 

[Luv Ducks]

So one should not be super concerned about the adult drake trying to make out with the young ducks and hurting them on account of them maybe not being fully developed?

I also feel that it makes a difference if they were being raised by the Hen duck that they were born from rather than store bought or from an incubator. She would possibly be able to protect them, it would all depend on how rowdy the drakes are that you have.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

So one should not be super concerned about the adult drake trying to make out with the young ducks and hurting them on account of them maybe not being fully developed?

I never had that concern until it was mentioned in some threads here, years ago. And as said: When a Momma Duck raises her ducklings here, there were never any issues with the drakes.
Have you seen the second video of the hungry ducklings? - If you were a drake, would you dare messing with one of these momma-ducks ducklings? - Stibbel Entron did and his neck is bald since then. He's also limping...