Will my ducklings follow me?

[Erinbez]

It's clear and slightly gooey, and occasionally bubbles. At the moment I've been making the water quite cool, should it be warm? We haven't been using a heat lamp though as its summer here, the lady I bought them from said they don't need a heat lamp at this time of year as they keep eachover warm, should i maybe find one?

 

[needlessjunk]

It's clear and slightly gooey, and occasionally bubbles. At the moment I've been making the water quite cool, should it be warm? We haven't been using a heat lamp though as its summer here, the lady I bought them from said they don't need a heat lamp at this time of year as they keep eachover warm, should i maybe find one?

How warm is it there? You have all different ages so I would say you need to go with the warmest it needs to be, around 85 degrees or warmer. The water also should be warm not cool since they will get cold fast.

 

[Erinbez]

How warm is it there? You have all different ages so I would say you need to go with the warmest it needs to be, around 85 degrees or warmer. The water also should be warm not cool since they will get cold fast.

Ok, thanks, it's about 79 degrees where im keeping them, do I still need a heat lamp?
Thanks so much for the help!

 

[Miss Lydia]

5days to 4 weeks? and your keeping them all together and the tiny ones are not being picked on? the 5 days olds need temp at 80* if they are sleeping next to older ducklings who would keep them warm. if not rule of thumb is 85* first week then 5* lower each week there after.

the 4 week olds need to be at temps 70* so see that's a 10* difference between the youngest and oldest. Make sure there are no drafts especially for the youngest if you are keeping them in a cage thats open all the way around you might want to cover it with a blanket or large towels keeping the front open. for fresh air. Plus they need alot of room and bedding will need to be kept dry as possible too. 13 ducklings what size is your brooder?

What are your temps in your home?

 

[Erinbez]

5days to 4 weeks? and your keeping them all together and the tiny ones are not being picked on? the 5 days olds need temp at 80* if they are sleeping next to older ducklings who would keep them warm. if not rule of thumb is 85* first week then 5* lower each week there after.

the 4 week olds need to be at temps 70* so see that's a 10* difference between the youngest and oldest. Make sure there are no drafts especially for the youngest if you are keeping them in a cage thats open all the way around you might want to cover it with a blanket or large towels keeping the front open. for fresh air. Plus they need alot of room and bedding will need to be kept dry as possible too. 13 ducklings what size is your brooder?

What are your temps in your home?

Sorry, im new at this.. It's about 85 in my house, but I keep them in my garage which is a little bit lower..

The little ones are not being picked on that I've seen of, and all pile ontop of the bigger ones to sleep. I do lay a blanket over their brooder during night but not in the day time, should I?

I've been cleaning their brooder once a day,so it stays fairly dry. The brooder is about 1 metre (38 inches) x 0.6 metres (23 inches) is that big enough?

 

[StBob]

My 5 ducklings were brooded by their mama and I took them inside when they were about 24 hours old. I handled them and played with them but they never got used to me. I eventually moved them to the spare bathroom and put them on a towel in the bathtub. Each day I would clean it up and give them a warm bath and when < 3 weeks dry them off. At 3 weeks I stopped using the towel as it was easier for all the spilled water and poop to run out that way. With 10 ducklings you are going to get a LOT of poop and spilled water. Depending on outside temperature (>65F at night) I would let them outside at about 4 weeks. Once I released them in the yard they still ran away from me. They always had food available so may help if they only get fed when you appear! I am sure it happens for some but there is no guarantee they will greet you cheerfully and follow you around. Not a problem really, just the way they are.

 

[Erinbez]

My 5 ducklings were brooded by their mama and I took them inside when they were about 24 hours old. I handled them and played with them but they never got used to me. I eventually moved them to the spare bathroom and put them on a towel in the bathtub. Each day I would clean it up and give them a warm bath and when < 3 weeks dry them off. At 3 weeks I stopped using the towel as it was easier for all the spilled water and poop to run out that way. With 10 ducklings you are going to get a LOT of poop and spilled water. Depending on outside temperature (>65F at night) I would let them outside at about 4 weeks. Once I released them in the yard they still ran away from me. They always had food available so may help if they only get fed when you appear! I am sure it happens for some but there is no guarantee they will greet you cheerfully and follow you around. Not a problem really, just the way they are.

Hmmm...ok, they're getting tamer but still not enough to acknowledge me as their mum...

 

[needlessjunk]

Hmmm...ok, they're getting tamer but still not enough to acknowledge me as their mum...

Mine never thought of me as mom and I got them as day olds. If it hasn't happened already then they won't imprint on you, but that's okay! They can still be tame and whatnot with lots of daily handling. Ducks grow really fast so be prepared to need a bigger brooder soon. That is a lot of ducklings and as they get bigger the smaller ones can get trampled to death.

 

[Erinbez]

Mine never thought of me as mom and I got them as day olds. If it hasn't happened already then they won't imprint on you, but that's okay! They can still be tame and whatnot with lots of daily handling. Ducks grow really fast so be prepared to need a bigger brooder soon. That is a lot of ducklings and as they get bigger the smaller ones can get trampled to death.

Awwww :/ Well there goes that Would they still follow me?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Awwww

Well there goes that

Would they still follow me?

I worry your youngest are going to be stepped on by the bigger ones that isn't very large brooder and your Pekins grow super fast which means the littlest ones may not even get enough to eat because of the older ones. might be best to have 2 brooders and put the youngest together and the oldest together but where they can all still see each other and when you can do it let them all out together with your supervision. and young ducklings need to have food offered 24/7 till at least 5-6 weeks old then you can feed during daylight only. When I come outside to give mine a snack which is usually dried mealworms or chopped lettuce my ducks come around and will follow me but the only duck that imprinted on me was the lil one we had to bring in the house to raise because mama rejected him. Ducks aren't like dogs but they can still enjoy your company we just have to accept that they aren't the same as a house pet. They are a joy to keep even with all the mess. Post some pics when you get time we'd love to see them. If the temps in your garage are around 80* and no drafts then your smallest are probably fine but I'd have a thermometer out there to keep track of the temps. you can also give them a nice big stuffed animal to snuggle up against if you put your youngest separate from the older ones. which i would recc.