What to do?

[folgerrd]

So we have six chicks and my mom wants to get my sister her own duckling for her birthday, I suggested Calls(because my sister is picky on what is cute and what isn't) but we want to be sure of some things.
How much water do calls need? I know some breeds don`t need as much as others.
Will they attack the kids or chicks?
Muscovies need feed but not as much since they're great foragers, what about calls? Also what feed do you recommend?
I know they'll need a separate coop/house but what should it contain(I assume ducks don't need roosts)? What about brooders? How would those work?

 

[PetesMom]

I would suggest more then just one duckling

 

[Oregon Blues]

My opinion is that kittens make better pets for young children. Ducks do not like to be picked up, carried, or petted.

However, I would recommend the Pekin. They are large, but have very nice personalities. They are the ducks most likely to follow you around and to be interested is watching whatever you are doing.

 

[folgerrd]

My opinion is that kittens make better pets for young children. Ducks do not like to be picked up, carried, or petted.

However, I would recommend the Pekin. They are large, but have very nice personalities. They are the ducks most likely to follow you around and to be interested is watching whatever you are doing.

We do have a cat but kittens will scratch at everything and I am already allergic to the one we have and she doesn't like cats. We did consider other things we only thought duck because she loves chicks and ducks are apparently more child-hardy

 

[folgerrd]

I would suggest more then just one duckling

How many should we get? we don't want to get too many

 

[Going Quackers]

At least two.. i only have Muscovy, they do roost lol but that is there trait.. they just get pools and while they are less water loving than most ducks a lot of people use kiddy pools, easy to keep clean and you control where they are... less danger too..(snappers! come to mind)

Anyhow, i love calls.. but they are super teeny.. and loud so those things would have to be considered... I free range my 'scovies and lock them up at night.. but there barn contains pretty much what a chicken coop would... ventilation, windows and is secure to keep predators out and again because i have scovies i have a shelf/roost in mine so the girls can be up at night if they choose, i also keep my drakes separated from my ducks at night.

For feed i use a flock raiser by purina since i have birds ranging right now from day old through to over 1yo and offer free choice oyster shell for extra calcium for the ducks, plus they forage.

ETa; how old is this sister? personally unless she is an older child i would narrow down the choices to a couple and have her choose from that, you have to decide on a breed that best suits not just cute which is what a child would focus on but then all ducklings are cute!

 

[PetesMom]

I would go with Pekins, love mine and so do my kids. I would get atleast two...preferably 2 female as males will eventually cause havoc

 

[zooweemama]

What age is your sister? My own kids are aged 10, 8, 6 and almost 4. I have a variety of breeds. I will say that despite our handling and treats NONE of them like being picked up. If a child runs towards one- it scares the poo out of them and they make a mad dash. It only takes a few of those incidences for the ducks to just wanna stay clear of people.

If you want quiet- males of any breed are pretty quiet. They make a soft rasping noise. Girls of any breed (except Muscovy) are loud quackers. Some louder than others of course- but are generally more chatty and their volume can be quite loud. You do not want to get just 1. Two is fine though. All the breeds I have are pretty messy when it comes to water. I wouldn't say any of them are considerably less messy than another breed because it's just not enough to say oh yeah that breed is tidier. Ducks are a messy bird, no way around it.

We are new to chickens and my kids are enjoying them because they actually allow you to hold them as babies. Ducklings barely tolerated it and quacked alot. (even the males as babies do)

So age really helps. And researching ducks a little bit too. Their care is very very different from chickens. I am finding chickens and absolute breeze compared to ducks.

 

[Nyowpotopop]

Woof, I would NOT suggest a duck as a pet for a little kid. They're hard to handle and not very sociable and they grow fast and you're looking at a high-maintinence animal... Which falls to the parents to care for when the kid is no longer interested.

That's how animals end up in rescues or released into the wild. I worked at a pet store and every parent wanted to get a guinea pig for the first pet not knowing that's almost a decade of keeping an animal that bites, scratches and runs away form you at every turn, can't be picked up and isn't nice to pet (wiry fur). I always had to correct them that it was a terrible choice... And the sheer number of animals we had returned to us on a daily basis attests to people who had no idea what they were in for...

Rabbits can be a nice choice for a pet... The dwarf kinds get to be 5lbs tops, they're quiet, low(er) maintinence and friendly. My lops love to be snuggled. They can be taught tricks and litter trained. But I wouldn't get a duck for someone who is under 12.

 

[zooweemama]

My friend took my 3 male ducks. (she has no other ducks and no plans on getting any girls so it's fine) And they get along fabulously. AND they are quiet. When they come over to my house and they hear my ducks they were blown away with how much louder the girls are than the boys. hehe