Facts about our Ducks
and your emailed questions answered. We hope these answered questions help answer yours.eggs, basic duckling care, personality, routine, yard maintenance, pro- duck diapers , and do ducks have teeth?
EGGS: laying, free range, nesting, how many?......
What do you use for a nest? I purchased a doggie bed for Jack. She also made several nest herself around the yard. YET, her doggie bed nest is located in her house, which is all around safer place for her to be all day long. I make sure all of her eggs end up in the doggie bed nest. When will my duck lay an egg? Around 4 to 5 months of age.Give or take a week. Your duck can be earlier or maybe later. But the standard rule for ducks is 4 months. Jack Jack started laying eggs at about 4 months of age. How many years do ducks lay eggs? Consistently your female duck will lay eggs for 3 to 4 years. Jack Jack laid eggs for 3 years. Please know, ducks, any breed, can keep laying eggs after 4 years of age. Not everyday like "normal" but on occasion. At age 5, I took Jack to the vet because her belly was bulging. She had an egg stuck in her ovia duct. Her vet, Dr. Greenberg said, ducks can lay and produce eggs long after 4 years of age. Are Pekin ducks good brooders? Yes, they can be. Also remember if your female duck is young and just starting to lay eggs it is new to her. She is doing her best to figure it out as much as you are. Unless you are building nests, laying eggs, and sitting on them to show her how it is done, it is gonna take her some time to figure out what is best for her eggs. How many eggs should or can my female duck lay before sitting on them? This depends on your female duck. She will learn after each nest how much she can handle. Jack Jack has laid between 13 to 21 eggs! She had a real hard time sitting on all 21. She would get frustrated and cry out. Her next sized nest was 13. How long do ducks sit on eggs? 28 days, give or take a day. What if my duck sits on them longer? That is okay! Nothing is wrong with that. Your little girl is determined to hatch her eggs. Is it okay to remove your females nest if it is past 28 days? Yes. I suggest when you do remove your duck's nest, make sure she does not see you do it. She will never trust you around her future nests. How do I know if the eggs are fertile? First, do you have a male duck? If there is no male duck, there will be no ducklings. Second, you can check by "candle sticking". There are some great Youtube videos on it. How do you incubate eggs? I don't know. I have not done it. My duck lays eggs around the yard? It is normal if your duck lays eggs around the yard. It is also normal for her to have more than one nest. Jack Jack did it, and how I kept her laying and sitting on her eggs in one spot is... I would get her eggs from the yard and place them in the nest in the duck house. I LET HER WATCH ME DO THIS. Even though this is my sweet Jack Jack... she will feel... What the hell is Mom/ Dad doing with my eggs!?! When I or Brian did this, Jack Jack, protested and she was not happy!! But you and I know which nest is safer for your duck, the one inside her duck house. The key is to be consistent. You are her duck Mom or duck Dad, you are teaching her what place is safest, she will eventually get it. Should I free range my duck? Sure, just keep track of where your female goes so you can collect the eggs. Even though your ducks are roaming your backyard or acreage, your duck/s still need a safe, solid, four wall home, to go at night. To keep dangerous predators from eating or attacking them. I can't find my free range duck! What do I do? YOUR BEST, TO FIND HER or HIM!! If you have more than one duck, get the missing duck's partner or best buddy. Ducks tell on each other. If your duck is "lost" and you are shouting out for it, so will its partner or buddy be quacking along side you. Jack Jack LOVEs to hide. Thank God, Rocket always knows where she is. He leads me to her every time. If this doesn't work for you, then you either keep looking and looking with flash lights OR pray your duck to makes it through the night. Update: In Arizona, I lost track of one of the ducks. As you can see from picture on this site, our land in Arizona is a vast open area. I took my own advice and I did NOT stop looking until I found my missing duck. It took tears and what felt like a life time, but I found my duck who crammed herself under a bush because she was scared. Can I eat duck eggs? YES, they are good. And great for baking as well. Put the eggs in the refrigerator. And use them to cook or bake with. They are very good. The taste is like chicken eggs. Any difference between duck and chicken eggs are: 1. your duck's egg shell is stronger than a chicken egg. 2.The white of the duck egg is denser. But the taste, I can't tell the difference. As a family we did an egg taste test. No one could tell the difference between duck and chicken eggs. I want a female duck for eggs. Great. Please know, when your duck lays her egg you need to take the egg as soon as you see it. DO NOT let her keep one. Once a duck gets to keep one egg, they want to keep them all. She will begin laying eggs all over the place, "hiding" them from you. If you keep your duck/s in the daily practice of: I lay.. Mom and Dad takes my egg. It will become routine. Most ducks accept it when they are trained to. I am afraid to eat their eggs. What if there is a baby duck inside? If you do not have a male duck aka "drake" then you do not have to worry about ducklings growing in the egg. If you collect her eggs before she sits on them, there will not be a duckling inside. Also, if your duck is not sitting on her eggs consistently everyday for hours and hours, then not to worry, there is not a baby duckling growing inside the eggs. I don't want ducklings because I can not take care of more ducks. What do I do? Do not let your female keep her eggs. You have to take the egg away every time she lays one. No Biggie! She will be okay. |
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My Brian calls me the Crazy Duck Lady.
I am not crazy, I'm loving.
I care about my ducks, their feelings, their health, & their lives!
I am not crazy, I'm loving.
I care about my ducks, their feelings, their health, & their lives!
SIMPLE CARE FOR DUCKLINGS
Shelter. How do I keep my ducklings safe? I kept my ducks inside my house when there were small ducklings. I did not let them sleep outside in their duck house until they had all of their adult feathers. Even being indoors it is important to create a warm and safe environment for your ducklings. Their bodies are 106 degrees, even so, you need to keep your ducklings warm because their fluffy feathers are not enough. Use a Warm lamp/ low watt light bulb or warming pad to help keep them warm. What if they get to hot?? If your duckling is PANTING, (yes ducks pant like dogs to cool off) move the light or pad away from them. OR have their area big enough so they can move away from the heat source if they get too hot. The shelter area you create for your duckling/s needs to be big enough for them to roam, move their bodies, groom themselves, and fully expand their wings. What do I feed my duckling? Duckling feed. Mazuri has "starter" feed. No time to wait? you need food now? When I didn't know a thing about baby ducks I bought this. ( see the photo. A tan bag with green writing, first photo on right) Most "feed stores" carry this brand of starter food. It is good for ducklings. Get the non-medicated starter feed. (medicated? non medicated? what is the difference? ( read below) ALWAYS serve duck food with fresh clean water! Make sure the bowl of water is deep enough that your duckling can dunk their entire head into it to wash their face. Ducklings can naturally eat on their own. Provide them with the right foods, vitamins, and supplements they need to grow up healthy and strong. (see photos below for details) Can I let my duckling swim? and for how long? Yes, you can let your duckling take a bath. Make sure whatever you use is clean and free from soap or any detergent. The advice all over the internet is 10 minutes. Why only 10 minutes?? Because ducklings don't produce waterproofing oil until 4 weeks of age. Also your duckling can get a chill if in cold water and get sick. If the water is too deep they could even possibly drown from fatigue. Ducklings have to build up muscle in their legs. So keep the water low enough for them to stand or keep a constant eye on them when they are in the water. Do I teach my duckling to take a bath or will they do it naturally?? Show your duckling how to take a bath by, you the duck parent "being" a duck in the water. What?? In the tub, container, pool, whatever, fill just enough for your duckling to float but also stand if they get tired. Train your duck to take a bath, this is how I did it, I placed my hand in the water and would dive my hand in and out of the water, wiggle my fingers, splash a little bit, and for some reason they get it. And my duckling copied what my hand was doing. If you do it, your duckling will do it too. Also show your duckling where their oil gland is by mimicking ducks. Again, crazy, and a bit hard to explain use your imagination. Many of my readers have said, their duckling naturally swam and were able to groom themselves. AWESOME! You can try either way. It is your choice as a duck parent. FOR ME, Jack Jack needed to be taught, she is NOT a groomer. One of her nicknames is "dirty bird". Will my duckling's feet get sores from walking on hard surfaces? YES! Please don't let your duck walk on any hard surface, including hard outdoor surfaces. Even hard dirt. Jack Jack has sensitive feet and she gets sores on them. This "sore" is bumblefoot. The longer bumblefoot goes untreated the worse it gets. This sore, sores, or bumblefoot will look like a brown round scab to you. To help it heal I apply a generous amount of neosporin directly on the sore, put a band aid over it, and put knitted booties on her feet. Recently I made her a pair of fitted duck shoes. Anyhoo, these sores can lead to serious leg disease if not treated right away! It is always good to check your ducklings and ducks feet regularly. Some ducks have very sensitive feet and may get bumblefoot even walking on grass. (Jack Jack!!) I read recently, that your duckling/ duck's diet can also help prevent prevent bumblefoot. A diet of fresh green leafy veggies. As well as exercise. Every bit helps. (please note: Jack Jack has a great diet! But she has delicate feet that I keep a weekly eye on. I am ready to keep her feet in duck shoes 24/7 but I am not sure what that will do since their feet are used to keep them warm.) Best advice: Create a health check routine for your duckling/s.) What else do I need to know about giving my duckling the best care? Talk to your duckling. Say your duckling's name all the time, shower your duckling/s with attention. They will love it and love being around you. Sing to your duckling. I created a song for Jack Jack and Rocket. Like a lullaby when they were little. I sing to them all the time. Ducks are birds, they love music, and the sound of your voice because you raised them. I created songs for different things. I sing and repeat: "JACK JACK is my baby bird," and she comes running to me. When she gets scared I sing, "its okay, its alright, mama is here to hold you tight. You're my Jack Jack. " Rocket's song: Rocket to the moon, Rocket thru outter space. Rocket thru the stars. But don't go very far, cuz I would miss you." Anyway....embarrassed... These are examples. I hold them and sing to them even at the age of 5 my pet ducks love their little songs. Sometimes they are like, not now, I have more important things to do, like eat. Eh, I take what I can get. Don't run away from your duckling. I LOVE the pitter patter of their little feet, don't you?? Please, do don't be cruel and run from your duckling/s. Even if it is a "game" and you think it is "cute". It would be like, if you were a small kid and your parents took off running away from you. YOU would be scared, sad, and wonder why?? Your duckling is scared, sad, and wondering what is my duck parent teaching me?? Also, when your duckling is forced to run fast to keep up with your shenanigans, it is hard on their little legs and feet. While this can happen innocently, please keep in mind that your duckling's legs are delicate and smaller than yours. An over exertion of their little duck legs can lead to injuries like sprains. Please walk in a slow steady pace. Your duckling follows you because you are it's duck parent, it loves you, and wants/ needs to be with you. Exercise and play. Exercise and play VERY important for all living creatures. I would take my ducklings out every day for exercise. Walking in a slow steady pace is fast enough for a baby duckling to keep up with you. Slowly walk around soft grass or carpet and let your duckling follow you. Also teach them to play with safe natural element toys, like a corn husk ball, I used to play catch with Jack all the time. Rocket wasn't interested. I also hold them around their body in the air and they flap their wings like they are flying. I watch their little tail so I know where they want to turn. I will say... "Do you want to FLY!?" in an excited voice and YES, they do. I will say, "are you ready?" And they squat down in a ready postition and when I put my hands around their sides they spring with their legs and we take off! Its very cute! Great excercise for them and me. Please note! We land gently and slowly to the ground. Jack Jack sprained her leg after she leaped out of my hands and landed poorly. She was only about a foot from the ground. It took months for her to heal. |
HELP-full photos |
DO DUCKS HAVE PERSONALITY?
YES! Jack Jack and Rocket are full of personality! Our ducks love to be hugged and held. They get mad and upset at each other and us. They are frisky and love to splash in the water. They are sneaky and try to explore in dangerous places like the garage. They also get into trouble and just like a little kid they still try and get away with it. Jack loves to take pictures, Rocket not so much. Jack is sweet and loving. Rocket is protective and never stops talking for a boy duck. Rocket loves to sit on our laps and Jack likes to sit close to you or under your chair. Jack loves to stand on one leg and Rocket likes to lay down. Jack doesn't bite, yet she likes to chase our friends. Rocket will bite anyone especially when Jack is nesting. You have the privilege to see how your duck is going to be and act during its life. You can train them, by giving them a routine, and teach them how to react to things. Like run for cover when a bird of prey is flying in the sky. YOU ARE THEIR PARENTS! You are teaching them in their young age how to be. Their duckling stage of life is SO IMPORTANT. Everyday, every hour, they are soaking up what you are teaching them. Start off by being cuddly and loving to your little fluff balls. And your ducks will love you back! a ROUTINE ??
Get your ducks into your routine. When we get up, our ducks get up. I clean up after them (clean out the poop), get them food and water, make sure they have all that they need to have a great and safe day. I go out & run errands, I go to work, etc. Our pet ducks are used to us not always being around. It is okay, we all have jobs or something to do! At about 4pm I am home and I check on the ducks to make sure they are well. I hug. kiss, pet, groom, and sing to them. They also get a treat! A tomato is their favorite treat. Bedtime is at 9pm. We say, "Bedtime!" and they go to their duck house, whining and complaining. Sometimes ignoring us or running in a different direction. Always make sure to close & lock their door. The sneaky critters come out at night. Do your best to keep these dangerous night animals out of your duck's house. PLEASE NOTE: we never leave our ducks unattended at night! Even living in the city there are wild animals that will attack, hurt, and kill our pet ducks. THIS IS OUR NORMAL DAILY ROUTINE. |
YARD MAINTENANCE:
Keep the harmful bugs away. Ducks can get mites and lice. How I keep my ducks free from bugs is by keeping their environment clean. Clean their poopy messes by raking, sweeping, scrubbing, and water blasting these poopy messes away. I also plant mint, lavender, and a pine tree around their habitat. These plants keep the bad bugs off and away from my ducks and their duck house. My ducks love sleeping in these minty plants. Which is fine by me. Because these plants are good for them, by helping them breath and they keep the bugs off of them. Dangerous Debris: broken glass, nails, nuts, broken pottery, bottle caps, plastic, random wires, & etc. It doesn't matter how hard I try to keep the yard free from dangerous debris it shows up!! I can not stress how important it is to keep up with your yard maintenance! Like raking and mowing your lawns. Keeping the grass at a shorter length helps me find broken glass, nails, nuts, broken pottery, bottle caps, plastic, random wires, & etc. YARD MAINTENANCE & dangerous debri PREVENTION: Perfectly sane yet possibly wacky maintenance I recommend is to vacuum the lawn,( YES, i wrote vacuum "Crazy Duck lady") reverse the leaf blower or use a dry/wet shop vac. Hey! it was handy after 4th of July fireworks AND when I drop a nut in the lawn. Metal Detectors: I would also recommend using a metal detector especially if you are over zealous with decorating for the Holidays and use Metal staples! Our neighbors have let us know that our previous home owner loved Christmas lights. And with a borrowed metal detector I can vouch for their word, yes they did! With the metal detector I found a cork screw buried under the grass and dirt only a few inches under. Remember, Ducks dig holes with their duck bills. I wish I owned one. I think they are a smart investment when owning ducks. Broken glass & pottery is harder to find. You might accidently come across pieces when gardening. DO YOUR BEST!! It is all you can do. |
DUCK DIAPERS??
I wish I kept it up. I had Jack Jack in duck diapers when she was a small duck, "ugly duckling stage". My vet at the time was against duck diapers. So I stopped doing it. But now, I wish I didn't. Now that I have been a duck owner for 5 years, I feel that ducks have heavily feathered bottoms. Can an infection happen? Maybe. If you don't change their diaper when it needs to be changed. Many duck owners use them successfully and I wish I was one them. NOW, my ducks are like, Don't do that, bite bite, wail, bite. Oh the regret I have. Live and learn people, live and learn. |
DO DUCKS HAVE TEETH? No they have ridges. These ridges keep creepy crawlies and fish from falling out of their duck bill. Do ducks chew? Not like a human chews and grinds with their teeth. A duck mashes with their duck bill. They will shake their head to tear off small pieces of food that is too big to swallow. They will also do the same thing if they have something in their mouth they do not like. Ducks will swallow little rocks or pebbles they find. Their bodies store the rocks in their gizzard. The gizzard with the help of tiny rocks, grind up all the foods your duck/s swallow. |