Imprinting!
Ducklings
Duck Wisdom - Keep calm and unruffled on the surface but, paddle like crazy underneath.
Mallards
Your comments below.
01/18/11 - So we got him Martha - a day old roan duckling. My daughter thought she was the cutest thing ever. The tiny duckling groomed my daughter's hair with her bill, and loved to sit in her lap. Martha grew twice as fast as the chicks we got at the same time. But, Matthew was completely uninterested in her UNTIL she blossomed into duck womanhood. Then he began to stay constantly by her side. The happy two-some wandered everywhere together and swam joyful circles in the wading pool together. An adorable pair.
01/07/11 - Matthew was ardent in his mating rituals and performed all the services of a rooster except for producing fertile eggs. He persued the girls constantly as they ran frantically away. Yet in a flock of a dozen or so he could usually catch someone by the neck feathers. I'm a firm believer in respecting the order of creation and this just seemed ... well, not RIGHT. Matthew needed a wife.
Matthew at the far left
12/20/10 - Well Matthew settled into a routine with the chickens, the one quack in the midst of the clucks. He passed his days mid-flock and entered into the coop each night with the girls. But, Matt was not satisfied to be just friends. If only he could have left well enough alone. I have read that ducks mate in the water so it seemed extraordinary when Matthew began to make amorous overtures much like a rooster. In fact, exactly like a rooster. I guess love will find a way. Has anyone ever heard of such a thing?
12/2/10—Our first duck came to us in an unusual way. He simply flew in one spring morning on an east wind. He appeared to be a young, wild mallard drake. He began walking around and inspecting things. We thought he was great and watched him with excited interest. Then he discovered our chickens. It was clearly love at first sight. He stayed right with them and quacked at them. We knew very little about ducks but we did run quickly to the hardware store and purchased a small plastic wading pool. On the way home we asked our friend at the feed store what ducks eat. He said lots of folks just let them eat chicken feed. Okay, that seemed easy.
Our Matthew, the duck who came in from the cold
When we returned home he was still following and admiring our chickens. When we put the chickens up that night he followed them into the coop. So our youngest daughter named him “Matthew” and hoped we could keep him since we knew of no duck owners nearby. He had a very hard night with the chickens as they were not as enamored with Matt as he was with them. That next morning he exited the coop tattered and torn, the victim of unrequited love, yet undeterred in his devotion. He continued to follow the chickens everywhere. Eventually the chickens accepted him and thus began the even more unusual story of Matthew’s life with us. Another time.
Raising Ducks
Raising ducks is an enjoyable activity for a lot of people. Ducks, like other barn yard animals, are useful to the homestead enterprise.
They provide us with eggs and meat. Only city slickers say, "Eeww" to duck eggs. Those of us who've tasted these big beauties know how delicious they are. The production of eggs is affected by daylight. When there is more daylight, the ducks will lay more eggs - like chickens. When the days are short, they slow down their production of eggs. Sometimes, they stop laying eggs completely. To prevent this you can use artificial lighting on a timer so that the ducks have about 17 hours of light per day to continue producing eggs.
Ducks can live up to 12 years, depending on the breed. Their feet cannot feel cold even if they swim in icy cold water. This is because their feet have no nerves or blood vessels! Another specialty of the duck is its water-proof feathers. There is a special gland that produces oil near the duck's tail. The duck's preening helps the oil spread and cover the outer coat of the duck's feathers, making it water-proof. You know, like water off a duck’s back! Beneath the water-proof coat are soft, fluffy feathers to keep the duck warm.
Ducks are known to be strong birds. They are not as easily affected by some bird diseases as are turkeys and chickens. However, you still need to practice proper care.
Ducks, of course, love water. They take to it .. well... like a duck to water! However, you don't have to have a pond or a stream to be able to raise them. They love splashing and bathing in a plastic children's wading pool. Put a board as a ramp up the side and change the water often.
If you're planning to raise some ducks yourself, there are a few basic things that you need to know to start out.
Basic equipment includes the things you will need for watering and feeding the ducks. While they are babies, you might want to consider the traditional chicken feeders. Local feed stores also carry special waterers for chicks and ducklings that minimize spilling. It provides water at a level of about 1/4 inch. Brand new baby ducks can actually drown in a larger bowl full of water.
You may begin ducklings on un-medicated chick starter or duck starter. They also get very excited over small insects.
You will want to provide your ducks with proper housing to protect them from harm. Initially this can be a large cardboard box or plastic bin in the barn or garage. Ducklings, like chicks, will need an adequate heat source such as a heat lamp or light bulb while they’re babies. They require a temperature of around 98º for the first 10 days. You may decrease the temperature by 5º each week thereafter. You can use straw or hay for their flooring and you will need to replace these daily to maintain cleanliness in the coop and prevent the spread of poultry disease.
Choosing what breed you want to keep is important. Some duck breeds are more suited to providing meat or giving eggs. Then there are also some duck breeds that are considered ornamental.
So there you have a few basics to get you going. Do read up on the care and keeping of ducks and enjoy your quackers.
