The Duck Thread

[backyardflock1]

Good luck ducks are a lot of fun ( and a bit more work than chickens ) you got some great advise from miss Lydia. One thing I'll tell you is they hate change, much more cautious than chickens.

Wow, I didn't know anything could be more cautious than chickens .

 

[hennible]

 

[backyardflock1]

I'll make sure to post pics. Hopefully they arrive ok. They are set to arrive by Christmas Eve, so they will be Christmas ducks, lol

 

[wildsam]

They're so much fun!
Just make sure they always have a deep enough bucket of water to dunk their entire head in. They need to clean their eyes and nostrils to not get sick.

And prepare for a watery and muddy mess, including lots of dabble holes since they simple can't refrain from digging and playing! They also poop a lot more and more watery than chickens. Fair warning! Lol.

 

[hennible]

X2

 

[backyardflock1]

Are all of their ducky poos watery because I know with my chickens each one has different water levels in their poo.

 

[needlessjunk]

Are all of their ducky poos watery because I know with my chickens each one has different water levels in their poo.

It all depends on what they ate. They can be total liquid or liquid with a lot of solid.

 

[Miss Lydia]

They are ducklings and will be drakes, so they won't go in with the chickens quite yet or potentially never because I've heard drakes might try to mate with hens and kill them. Thanks for the treat info

Well congrats and I love my drakes.. Please be sure to post pics when you get them. And your right drakes and hens[chickens] do not mix well at all.

 

[jtn42248]

Are all of their ducky poos watery because I know with my chickens each one has different water levels in their poo.

Duck poo is primarily liquid and it squirts out of them so don't stand too close to the back of a duck!!!

It is probably in part due to the amount of water they consume. Remember that they ALWAYS must have water available if there is food around (so always have water available). Ducks do not have a crop like chickens, they have an expandable esophagus that can hold a lot of food (you will see their necks swell up, not to worry, they are just gathering food like chipmunks do). The will eat a little grit if it is available but water is the most important. I don't recall if you said how old the ducklings would be but make sure you have everything ready for them when they arrive. They will suffer stress just like baby chicks do and will need a warm safe place with food and water available. Make sure they can completely dip their bill in water but also make sure they can not get in the water and drown. If they are young they will not have the ability to "waterproof" themselves yet so, if you let them swim be sure you dry them off when they are done. Ducklings can get chilled easily and get very ill as a result.

Best of luck, as everyone else has indicated, we would love to see pictures once they are settled in.

 

[the builder]

With new ducks its important to spend time with them. Throw a towel over your shoulder and put the ducklings on your belly. They will usually head for the high ground and nestle into your hair at your neck. Make sure you spend cuddle time with them. Remember they are babies and can get into trouble fast so you may want to cuddle one or two at a time and see how they do. Just have the tissues ready for poo. Thus the towel. The last Pekin duckling I got poo'd on me three times in 20 minutes. So I named her whinnie.
Enjoy your duckies!!