Thinking About Getting Ducks, Looking For Advice Please!

[QuackSpeak]

@QuackSpeak - Called the feed store, they said the brewer's yeast should be in tomorrow, which is great! One less thing I have to worry about! :3

Ooh yes, now I remember I did ask you that, I think I'm loosing my mind with everything going on right now :b Those are all really cute ducks.

I'm thinking instead of putting the hardware cloth on the top of the lid I'm gonna put it on the bottom and secure it with zip ties (sharp edge inside the tub). I'd like to minimize the amount of time they're standing on the wire since I know with other animals it can cause cuts and that can lead to bumble foot. And since I'm only worried about the water now I may even cover the wire with that stuff you line drawers with. That way they've got a softer surface and the water can still get through. I wish the kind we had was a different color, but that's just me being picky.

I think I know what you're talking about, my grandmother has horses and she has one for them to drink out of lol it's not that tall though. That will make an awesome brooder. Why aren't you using shavings? I bought the puppy pee pads to use for the first couple days just until I know that they're eating/pooping okay lol then after a couple days of being monitored I'll switch to shavings.

Sorry, I've been busy!

Did your brewer's yeast come in yet?

For the waterer, I did think of bumble foot, and figured maybe the wire was too fine for them to hurt themselves on? But now I'm just putting the waterer on a tray - no hw cloth.

I'm not using shavings because the ducks will be in my room, and paper towels are so easy to dispose of that it doesn't matter if I have to change them twice a day. Maybe when they get bigger (And so will their poops

) I'll switch to shavings? But it really was a pain to muck out. I wouldn't mind it too much... But anyways, we'll see how this goes.

We still need:
A thermometer
Brewer's yeast
Another C-clamp
And a tray (To put water on)

And we have to go visit the PO to see when we can get our ducklings. I'm hoping we can pick em up and drop em off before I have to be at school. But that may not be possible. I have four lates in my first-period class; one more late and I get detention...

 

[WalkerNom]

@QuackSpeak - I was almost worried you dropped off the face of the Earth :b

Yeah, got the brewer's yeast (finally). Grandma picked it up for me today. I think in the future I'll just order it online myself, just because I like to know exactly when to expect it. That and, the feed store is about an hour away from my house so it's just easier to have it come right to my doorstep lol.

I finished the Stay-Dry Platform, the only thing I did differently was I left out the drawer liner, only 'cuz I found out the kind we had was solid, not mesh-like. I can always add it later if it becomes a problem 'cuz it's only a matter of cutting/replacing the zip ties.

Oh ok I was just curious, I'll be brooding my ducklings in my room as well. I'm used to spot cleaning hamster/mouse cages using shavings as bedding. Then again, I'm sure the mess will be a lot bigger with ducks! XD

Hope you can get all your supplies in time! Our ducklings will be here before you know it! c:

The poultry bands and Storey's Guide To Raising Ducks came in. The book came yesterday and I'm just under half-way through it! It is a good read, if you haven't already. I would recommend it!

We've already told the PO that they'll be getting a shipment of ducks and both employees looked at us like we had two heads LOL Although the guy had a sense of humor and said, "And I'll be blowing up your phone to come get 'em!" I don't think I'll get too much sleep the night before lol I'll be too excited to fall asleep! I hope you can get your ducklings before school starts, but tbh, that would kill me. Sitting in school all day knowing there's baby ducks at home.

 

[Ducklover3449]

Hey! I have two Saxony ducks, a male and a female. Watch out for sharp objects in your yard or wherever you keep them. There skin is actually pretty thin in their feet, so it can get cut and infected, which can lead to bumble foot. It's not life-threatening to your bird, but can be painful. Also, make sure to feed your ducks something like Purina Flock Raiser Crumbles. Do not feed them just scratch, for it is used like a treat. If you do, use it occasionally, and add grit or oyster shells for good digestion. Ducks are the cutest things, but they can get messy! Try to clean their cage often, and do not leave them in damp, dark places for too long. Their feathers will not be able to dry, which is possible to lead to Wet Feather, where their feathers are not oiled when they swim. This is very uncomfortable for your ducks. If you do get 4 Indian Runners, and are not wanting to have fertile eggs, only get females, for they can still lay eggs. However, if you want to hatch, get only one drake, because a drake is good enough for about three females. Have a blast with your duckies! Hope I could help.

 

[QuackSpeak]

@QuackSpeak - I was almost worried you dropped off the face of the Earth :b
Yeah, got the brewer's yeast (finally). Grandma picked it up for me today. I think in the future I'll just order it online myself, just because I like to know exactly when to expect it. That and, the feed store is about an hour away from my house so it's just easier to have it come right to my doorstep lol.
I finished the Stay-Dry Platform, the only thing I did differently was I left out the drawer liner, only 'cuz I found out the kind we had was solid, not mesh-like. I can always add it later if it becomes a problem 'cuz it's only a matter of cutting/replacing the zip ties.
Oh ok I was just curious, I'll be brooding my ducklings in my room as well. I'm used to spot cleaning hamster/mouse cages using shavings as bedding. Then again, I'm sure the mess will be a lot bigger with ducks! XD
Hope you can get all your supplies in time! Our ducklings will be here before you know it! c:
The poultry bands and Storey's Guide To Raising Ducks came in. The book came yesterday and I'm just under half-way through it! It is a good read, if you haven't already. I would recommend it!
We've already told the PO that they'll be getting a shipment of ducks and both employees looked at us like we had two heads LOL Although the guy had a sense of humor and said, "And I'll be blowing up your phone to come get 'em!" I don't think I'll get too much sleep the night before lol I'll be too excited to fall asleep! I hope you can get your ducklings before school starts, but tbh, that would kill me. Sitting in school all day knowing there's baby ducks at home.

Oh wow. Our Tractor Supply is only fifteen minutes away!
Yeah, your Stay-Dry platform should be pretty easy to touch up. With ducks, some of it is 'guess and test,' you know? As @Ducklover3449 pointed out, ducks are prone to bumblefoot; I just didn't know how tough ducklings' feet are. I might need to make a ramp or a stepping block for them to get into the tray, though.
Only five more days! I'm soo excited! I love ducklings. I brooded my first two in the basement, and they loved it. But I would have preferred them upstairs, you know? This time, I convinced my parents to let me have them in my room

.
I would love to read Storey's, but I'm not sure my parents would get it for me. We already have a book about ducks - although I'd more prefer a book about pet ducks as opposed to managing an indifferent flock.
And yes, I think duckie poop would be very hard to spot-clean.
Yeah, I really hope we can go before. Because not only will I have to sit through seven hours of school, but two hours of track after!!
@Ducklover3449 , thanks for the info! I know it wasn't directed at me, but it was helpful anyway!

 

[WalkerNom]

@Ducklover3449 - Thanks for the info! It's never too late to chime in The food I got is Purina Start & Grow Non-medicated crumbles. It's got 18% protein. Is that ok? Hope so, I was going off of jdywntr's guide to raising ducklings. It's got a lovely chart that says for the first 0-2 weeks use feed that has 18-20% protein. I've got a bag of chick grit.

@QuackSpeak - Oh, I've got a TSC that's about 15-20 minutes away from me but I'm talking about a different feed store. That's the one that's an hour away. We call it Hudson's because it's owned by Mrs. Hudson lol. My grandma knows her personally, and I guess she should, she's been buying feed from her for over 20 years. But they carry Southern States supplies. There used to be one closer but they went out of business.

I'm excited too, I can't wait. Glad you get to keep them in your room! I think in the long run it will help them be very sociable.

I'm sure your parents won't mind, after all it is educational! It's about $14 on Amazon, I couldn't find it at my local TSC but all the other Storey's books were $20 there.

Yikes, that would be rough lol. But whatever happens, you'll get through it!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I'd shoot for 22% or more for the first 2 weeks. 18% will be fine after that.

 

[QuackSpeak]

@Ducklover3449 - Thanks for the info! It's never too late to chime in

The food I got is Purina Start & Grow Non-medicated crumbles. It's got 18% protein. Is that ok? Hope so, I was going off of jdywntr's guide to raising ducklings. It's got a lovely chart that says for the first 0-2 weeks use feed that has 18-20% protein. I've got a bag of chick grit.

@QuackSpeak - Oh, I've got a TSC that's about 15-20 minutes away from me but I'm talking about a different feed store. That's the one that's an hour away. We call it Hudson's because it's owned by Mrs. Hudson lol. My grandma knows her personally, and I guess she should, she's been buying feed from her for over 20 years. But they carry Southern States supplies. There used to be one closer but they went out of business.

I'm excited too, I can't wait. Glad you get to keep them in your room! I think in the long run it will help them be very sociable.

I'm sure your parents won't mind, after all it is educational! It's about $14 on Amazon, I couldn't find it at my local TSC but all the other Storey's books were $20 there.

Yikes, that would be rough lol. But whatever happens, you'll get through it!

Googled Southern States; it seems like a pretty good brand. We just use Nutrena. I wish they developed a food specifically for ducks and actually put it on shelves, ya know? There is some duck feed out there, but it almost always has to be ordered online. We're trying to order Brewer's yeast, but my mom keeps forgetting to give my dad her Amazon acct..

My dad told me that if I don't go to sleep, he's moving them

. He has predicted (Probably correctly) that I will stay up all night to play with ducklings...

Hmm, I'm going to start looking into Storeys's.

Yeah, but thankfully, I get the ducklings three days before Spring break.

 

[WalkerNom]

@QuackSpeak - Tell me about it! I asked every feed store I know of around here if they had duck specific feed, all of them said no. Even went to a feed mill and had no luck. According to their website, my TSC sells Nutrena but when I went to buy food it wasn't there. Not really a surprise, they were pretty much cleaned out from everyone buying chicks/ducklings. All they had was Dumor and Purina. I'll check for it next time. Ducks4us uses that too, is yours 18%? It must be a good food if it was all bought up.

Oh yeah me too, I probably won't sleep much the first couple nights. Mostly because my dog will be VERY curious about them, he won't hurt them though, he'll just come running to the cage every time they make a new noise lol.

There's not much time left before they get here! I hope you got your camera ready, 'cuz I want to see them when you get them!

 

[QuackSpeak]

@QuackSpeak - Tell me about it! I asked every feed store I know of around here if they had duck specific feed, all of them said no. Even went to a feed mill and had no luck. According to their website, my TSC sells Nutrena but when I went to buy food it wasn't there. Not really a surprise, they were pretty much cleaned out from everyone buying chicks/ducklings. All they had was Dumor and Purina. I'll check for it next time. Ducks4us uses that too, is yours 18%? It must be a good food if it was all bought up.

Oh yeah me too, I probably won't sleep much the first couple nights. Mostly because my dog will be VERY curious about them, he won't hurt them though, he'll just come running to the cage every time they make a new noise lol.

There's not much time left before they get here! I hope you got your camera ready, 'cuz I want to see them when you get them!

Mine is 20%, so around there.

Gasp! You have a dog and ducks? Lol, my parents only considered ducks because we couldn't get a dog. Well, we could, but my brother and my dad is allergic, and sometimes we don't get home until later. Though I'd pick ducks if I had to choose, I think. Before Aye and Orrun (My first ducks) I probably would've chosen a dog. But ducks stole my heart

I'm planning to use my dad's phone or my camera to take pictures. From there, I'll upload to Google Drive, save on my computer, and post!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

@QuackSpeak - Tell me about it! I asked every feed store I know of around here if they had duck specific feed, all of them said no. Even went to a feed mill and had no luck. According to their website, my TSC sells Nutrena but when I went to buy food it wasn't there. Not really a surprise, they were pretty much cleaned out from everyone buying chicks/ducklings. All they had was Dumor and Purina. I'll check for it next time. Ducks4us uses that too, is yours 18%? It must be a good food if it was all bought up.

Oh yeah me too, I probably won't sleep much the first couple nights. Mostly because my dog will be VERY curious about them, he won't hurt them though, he'll just come running to the cage every time they make a new noise lol.

There's not much time left before they get here! I hope you got your camera ready, 'cuz I want to see them when you get them!

I don't think anyone would have a duck specific feed. It would be an all flock or game bird feed.