what age to leave ducklings without food overnight

[jdywntr]

Okay, I feel like an idiot because I know I have read about this I have been searching and searching for the answer and I can't find it again.

At what age can I leave ducklings without food overnight? I always leave water but we have a HUGE fruit rat problem (not size of rat just #). I had started picking up the feed in the evening from the chickens and adult ducks and then getting up early to give them food. I didn't ask with the runner ducklings and just started not leaving food at about 7 weeks old. but with the month old Muscovy, I figure I should check.

Thanks.

Edited to add- I think I will start tomorrow as I just looked outside with a flashlight and there was a f***ing rat in the muscovy food bowl about 1 foot from the sleeping babies!!!!!!!!!

 

[Amiga]

Funny, I just looked into Storey's Guide and didn't find it either!

I believe my runners were about eight weeks old, perhaps ten weeks old, when I let them go overnight (8 hours) without food and water.

They were especially sore about the water.

Now they're in Little Fort Knox, I let them have both in the veranda overnight. I love half inch hardware cloth and electric fence.

 

[cracking up]

I took away the food, water and light at about three weeks. They go out on the lawn in a pen during the day and into the house at night so it's a little warm and they're happy to get back outside in the morning with a kitty litter pan full of water and plenty of food. I just make sure they're well fed and watered before I bring them in. I can get away with it this time of year because they're in the dark so I don't think they need to eat and drink. If it was cold and they had a light I would give them food and water.
If they were peeping I would figure they were cold, hungry or thirsty.

 

[jdywntr]

Quote:
I did the same thing. I swear it is in there somewhere!!! Even on BYC I can't find an answer.

Unfortunately, cost prohibits me from covering my entire run in hardware cloth. 10X15X6' my DH would kill me.

I have open air runs because of the weather (or just plain heat and humidity down here). But because of the predators, I wanted something that I can leave them in all the time if need be like when I won't be home before dark.
I didn't notice the rats until about 2 months ago. Its weird since it is mild here. I think what happened is they went from destroying my garden (they got more heirloom tomatoes than I did

) to the chicken and duck runs when the veggies depleted. I don't want to poison, to worried with all of the animals but I figure if I can get the darn food up at least eventually they'll stop coming around.

 

[Amiga]

Yes, we all have such different setups! No one-size-fits-all here!

You're right - forget poisons, try to eliminate the food that attracts them.

Last year I took the food away at night. But this year I decided to try leaving it in the veranda. So far, no issues.

BTW, we have had a couple of raccoon visits. Each time, one would touch the electric fence. The first one quietly beat feet into the night, the second one yelled before it ran away.

 

[jdywntr]

Quote:

I worry about my dogs and electric fence. I, knock on wood, do not think that I have had any predators, coons or possoms visit. I am surprised. I did my best to secure my coop and run. I have hardware cloth around the bottom 3' in the duck run and the chicken coop is secure. The biggest scare they have had was a black racer snake that slithered right on by my runners in the middle of the day. I happened to be outside when this happened and it was hilarious. The ducks just looked at it and watched it go.

 

[dianaross77]

Rats can be predators. We had a veritable baby rabbit massacre by rats when I was little. They grabbed the babies feet through the wire of the pen and chewed the legs off up as far as they could. It was awful. I keep food and water in with my ducklings but they are locked up tight in the tote I made into a house for them.