Totally new to this!

[greenheartanne]

The fellow who sells me duck eggs has given me three Muscovy females and a drake. He has been quite "relaxed" about giving me information and at first told me I wouldn't really need to take care of them at all. I do have a two-acre pond with lots of growth along the edges. But as I begin to read about ducks, I'm realizing I'm going to need to do more for them than admire them. Right now, they are in my dog pen, with several shelters. I've been feeding them Tractor Supply duck feed.

What should I be feeding these ducks right now? How much, given that they are not laying and it is not winter? Does the drake need something different?

One female escaped to the pond right away and then re-escaped after being put back into the pen. I'd like to let the others out to the pond, too, because food will be more plentiful there and life will be more interesting for them.

Should I release the 3 remaining ducks?
Will they come back to the pen to get food?

I plan to cut a small door from the outside into an unused stall in the barn and put a small wood and wire enclosure inside for them to stay safe and a little warmer in the winter.

Is that a good idea?
Should I light it or heat it?
How do I introduce them to it?

These questions may be kind of dumb, but even after reading many posts and a couple of articles, I still am not sure of the right things to do. Thank you for your help!

 

[FunQuail]

No questions are dumb! It's always good to ask especially when it comes to living things! Yes too much calcium is bad for the kidneys with drakes or females not laying. Are your girls laying? I'm a little confused on that part. Most ducks at least Mallard derived lay into the winter some never stopping. I've heard you want to keep them in the same place for about a week before you let them venture so that way they come back to where they've been sleeping eating etc.
I hope this helps! Good luck!
Kelly

 

[FunQuail]

Also what age are they exactly?

 

[FunQuail]

I'm going to tag @Miss Lydia she will know more than me about Muscovy's

 

[greenheartanne]

Thank you so much, Kelly. I think the females are young. The owner told me they would not lay until March. The duck feed from Tractor Supply says it's good for all ducks of all ages, so perhaps it doesn;t have calcium. I will add oyster shell in the spring, from what I've been reading. Today I bought some corn and some duck crumble for the winter months.

My biggest concern right now is getting them the best shelter and having them learn to use it.

 

[FunQuail]

Thank you so much, Kelly. I think the females are young. The owner told me they would not lay until March. The duck feed from Tractor Supply says it's good for all ducks of all ages, so perhaps it doesn;t have calcium. I will add oyster shell in the spring, from what I've been reading. Today I bought some corn and some duck crumble for the winter months.

My biggest concern right now is getting them the best shelter and having them learn to use it.

That’s good to know thank you for the extra information! What feed are you feeding? When I clicked on the link it showed me a listing of different feeds. You can check the calcium content on the label if you want. That’s what I did, what is the protein content for your feed? I sometimes give them back their egg shells for extra calcium and oyster shells as well.
Good luck!
Kelly

 

[shineandrise]

Although I have never had ducks I have a good friend that does and have done a fair amount of research about them. If you let them out of there pen now, they might not come back, keep them in until they are used to it, comfortable in their area, and know where their food is. You can also train them to call... which is actually not that hard, just stand in their pen, a ways away from them then call out.... -whatever you want- then lay a treat down on the ground. If you repeat this twice a day with the same call I think they will catch on quickly. As for shelter, what are you doing currently? I think using an unused part of the barn is a good idea. As far as coops go, I don't think ducks need a lot of different stuff then chickens. If you have had chickens before. Just make sure they have enough space. (At LEAST four square feet.) however, you may want a heat lamp if possible. Ducks like to be warm, and especially in the coming cold months, they might need more heat. You said they were young, if they have their feathers completely grown in then this is a little less of a problem, but I would still suggest it. I hope this helps.