Getting ducklings, anything I need to know?

[bluejett]

I'm only getting three, two ducks and a drake and they'll be in with the chicks, I want to be sure I like having messy ducks first before I start anything I regret.

I have NatureWise Chick Starter, it doesn't have any kind of medication on the label but I've read on their website it has amporlium in it.?
I have a few 1g water fount. (reminds me I need to clean them), mason jar feeders, I'll probably make an easily accessible feeder for the ducklings the mason jars wont hold much anyway.
An extra large wire dog cage as a brooder, it has the floor space of a water trough.
Do they need water to dip their heads in from day 1? or should I wait a couple days until they're settled?

They'll be housed with a few chicks as well, I've read mixed opinions on this but I'll be trying it, I can easily separate them.

Anything else I need to know?

[lucyp]

Originally Posted by bluejett

I'm only getting three, two ducks and a drake and they'll be in with the chicks, I want to be sure I like having messy ducks first before I start anything I regret.

I have NatureWise Chick Starter, it doesn't have any kind of medication on the label but I've read on their website it has amporlium in it.?
I have a few 1g water fount. (reminds me I need to clean them), mason jar feeders, I'll probably make an easily accessible feeder for the ducklings the mason jars wont hold much anyway.
An extra large wire dog cage as a brooder, it has the floor space of a water trough.
Do they need water to dip their heads in from day 1? or should I wait a couple days until they're settled?

They'll be housed with a few chicks as well, I've read mixed opinions on this but I'll be trying it, I can easily separate them.

Anything else I need to know?

Allowing them to splash around in the deep end of a paint tray should be enough for a week or so. I graduated mine to the bathtub for 5 minutes, increasing time and height of the water. They poop more than anything in the entire universe, so you will need to clean out whatever you are keeping them in daily and will need to put them somewhere during that time anyway, so . . . bathtub fills that need for me. I keep mine in a big rubbermaid bin with wheels on it for easier cleaning.

It is advised that you not use wood shavings or chips until they are a few weeks old, because they will try to eat it, but man oh man is it easier to keep them clean.

[bluejett]

I may stick to brooding them in separate pens, to cut down on the mess, I also didn't think how quickly they grow in comparison to chicks.
There is no way I'm going without wood chips, I was told the same thing when I first started in chickens (10+yrs) - what the heck was I supposed to raise them on? They'll learn, lol.

[Shygal]

they make a mess. A huge mess. They poop A LOT. Everywhere.

Start them on paper towels for the first week or so. I have done that with my chicks and ducks and turkeys, they can see the food they scatter, on it, and its not slippery for them.

They splash the water everywhere and it mixes with the poop and makes a sort of poopy mud that never dries up.
They are lucky they are cute though lol


forgot.....I started mine with game bird starter, not chick starter. You might want to keep them separate from the chicks, they shouldnt have medication in their food.

[chickenista]

Try to get some pine straw if you can. It is baled long needle pine needles. It is great!! for ducklings because the water just drains right through.
I love it for chicks too. The poop dries and falls through as well.

[MO_cows]

Separate them from the chicks. The ducks need a "game bird" feed, higher protein. Also they will dibble their bill in the water, then the food, then the water, back and forth, and ruin the food for the chicks who need dry crumbs to pick up. They will get the brooder wet and chicks are better off dry. Ducklings don't need enough water to swim/bathe until they fledge. Normally they get the oils that make them "waterproof" from contact with their mother, but raised in a brooder they don't get the oils until they produce their own.

[mygoat]

We raise ducklings in a brooder with hardware mesh (1/2"x1/2" holes) off the ground, so any waste water falls onto the ground keeping them high and dry. It keeps them cleaner and away from their (very excessive) waste. They still smell and they still waste a ton of water. I've tried brooding them with chicks and though the chicks survived, it was definetely NOT ideal.

I prefer brooding them outside with their parents. Then it's not so bad. I prefer having ducks even if brooding them is a pain, though.

[Firefly]

#1 need-to-know is they're addictive! They're just so darn cute. I've posted my setup elsewhere, I'll copy and paste here. It was a lot easier than having them in a closed container. I read that they need to swim early to develop their oil glands properly, so I filled a dishpan and later the bathtub for them at least once a day with lukewarm water. They need a heat lamp to dry off fast and you have to be careful that they don't get waterlogged.

I started them out in a container with newspaper covered with paper towels, but after a week or so they pooped so much I couldn't stand it. After that I kept them in the spare bathtub on a wire grate with folded towels to sleep on. Every day I hosed it down with the hand held shower and then they had a swim. They loved it and got so excited when I turned on the water! It was the highlight of their day and they were lots of fun to watch. Be sure to put a rock or brick or something they can stand on in the pool for when they get tired, and don't leave them in so long that they get soggy, about 5 minutes to start. The bathtub brooder method worked out very well except that the tub eventually clogged. Ugh. If I do it again I'll rig up some sort of strainer.

[mekasmom]

Originally Posted by bluejett

I'm only getting three, two ducks and a drake and they'll be in with the chicks, I want to be sure I like having messy ducks first before I start anything I regret.

I have NatureWise Chick Starter, it doesn't have any kind of medication on the label but I've read on their website it has amporlium in it.?
I have a few 1g water fount. (reminds me I need to clean them), mason jar feeders, I'll probably make an easily accessible feeder for the ducklings the mason jars wont hold much anyway.
An extra large wire dog cage as a brooder, it has the floor space of a water trough.
Do they need water to dip their heads in from day 1? or should I wait a couple days until they're settled?

They'll be housed with a few chicks as well, I've read mixed opinions on this but I'll be trying it, I can easily separate them.

Anything else I need to know?

They are the stinkiest, nastiest poultry on earth, worse than geese. They just ruin your chicken house. I used game feed for ours, and moved them to a separate area pretty quickly. They do lay better than hens though.

[mygoat]

I think they're pretty easy keepers and not so bad about messiness, if they free range. I would not keep ducks/geese if I could not free range them, that's for sure! Penning them to a confined area is a no go, IMO... they make it into a mud pit, and covered with stinky poo.

I've had sucess keeping ducks/geese out of the goat water troughs to a good extent by putting it behind a cattle panel so they have to reach through to drink, but far enough back from the panel so that the ducks/geese have a harder time reaching it. I then put a pan of water behind the panel but close to it so that the ducks/geese can reach it easily. The panel keeps them from swimming in it and dirtying it with poo, but it will still get mucked up from the ducks/geese washing their bills in it.

I also prevent food getting put in the goat water by putting yet another pan of water right next to the poultry feed, so the ducks/geese tend to dabble in that instead. It works well for me.

[GrannyCarol]

I don't worry too much about swimming water when they are little, they can get waterlogged and chilled. If the weather is very nice, I take them out and give them a low cat litter tray with warm water in that first week or so. I stay out and watch them though, they would be cat food in no time!

Here's one batch out in their brooder ring in the front yard as a few days old getting some sun and a bit of a swim:



And the same batch at 4 weeks old:



Gives you some idea how fast they grow...

Ducks are cute, they are funny and sweet. They are messy and can be stinky. They need room and you need to deal with their water needs and wet poo. If you can do that well enough, you'll love 'em. If your set up doesn't work well for ducks, you might not like them so well.

[LFRJ]

Originally Posted by MO_cows

Separate them from the chicks. The ducks need a "game bird" feed, higher protein. Also they will dibble their bill in the water, then the food, then the water, back and forth, and ruin the food for the chicks who need dry crumbs to pick up. They will get the brooder wet and chicks are better off dry. Ducklings don't need enough water to swim/bathe until they fledge. Normally they get the oils that make them "waterproof" from contact with their mother, but raised in a brooder they don't get the oils until they produce their own.

I'd agree with the above. I'd separate them if you can. The ducklings will make a huge mess, and the chicks will be more likely to drink tainted water, get wet, and/or bumped around by their bumbling, flat footed companions, which will put them at higher risk. Lots more of a pain, and you'll need an additional light, but the two species really do have different needs.

[oregon woodsmok]

Ducks have fewer health issues than chickens. They aren't as mean to each other as chickens are. They lay better (if you get an egg laying breed) and they taste better.

The only place I've had mud with ducks is right where the water is. There are methods to control mud around the waterers if you don't want mud.

Their poop is wet, but if you have adequate floor space, it dries out. If the ground is slimy all the time with duck poop, you need a bigger pen.

I would prefer separate brooders for the two species, but if the brooder is big enough and you keep a close eye on them to head off trouble, you can probably get away with one brooder for awhile. I've certainly had ducks and chickens in the same coop and yard without any problem.

[Otter]

I brood ducklings the way that Cyngbaeld told me.
I get a bunch of big cardboard boxes, open one up, put bedding down pretty thick and every evening put ducklings in a new, well-bedded box and toss the old one, cardboard, bedding and all, into the compost pile.

This works beyond brilliantly for the small number of ducks I brood at a time (I'd need pretty big boxes if I was raising a dozen or more). By the time a box is dirty before evening shift the ducklings are generally old enough to go outside.

[Cyngbaeld]

They do NOT need higher protein or gamebird feed. Chick starter with amprolium is ok. You can mix some rolled oats with it, about 1/3 oats. Put their feed and water in custard cups or 1/2 pt wide mouth canning jars for the first few days. After that put it in coffee mugs. They will make much less mess than if you give them a chick waterer. Put some plastic under the brooder to protect the floor.

[nanadeb]

I goofed with the first litter of duck i had a poor duckling end up breakimg his foot
so now I put cardboard down ,so that dosent happen again

[GrannyCarol]

I feed my ducklings chick food too. According to "Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks", they do need more niacin than chicks and will be more likely to have leg problems without it, so I supplement with niacin. The one weakness that ducks have is a tendency to leg problems. I've had to put a couple down that injured a leg that just wouldn't heal properly over the years.

[mommagoose_99]

Take a shallow pan that is larger than the waterer, put a rack of some sort over the tray then place the waterer on top of the rack. make sure everything cannot tip over. Add a rock or a brick to weigh the pan so it doesn't tip. When the ducks splash the water, most will go into the pan and help keep the pen dryer. I always do that for my goslings when they hatch.
Linda

[cjb]

Def agree with raising them separately from the chicks. I have never had luck raising them together for the reasons listed (diff food needs and messiness).

We started with ducks, only have chickens now and I really, really miss having ducks. I wouldn't ever pen them in and wouldn't have too many because they're so dang messy but I need to get a few, me thinks. In fact, I miss geese too so I might need some.

I shouldn't have read this or looked at the pictures...

[GrannyCarol]

Those are totally the pictures of an enabler...