New duck Momma!

CoriM

Crowing
Jun 6, 2019
1,415
2,861
288
Well he's beautiful and probably was just a few days old when you got him. I wouldn't worry too much about how he swims, but if it were my duckling I would add the extra niacin now to prevent a problem. When my pekin was a few weeks old she just started walking less and I noticed that she had difficulty getting up. Her legs really splayed out to the side when she was sitting. I used liquid vitamin B complex and used vet wrap to pull her legs into proper position and the condition corrected in a few weeks. Here is a photo fo the vitamin - you can get it on Amazon your local feed store. You can put it on top of a treat - dosing is 1 ml per day. It will never hurt the other ducklings to have it either, and you can't over-dose. I was fermenting feed at the time, so just added a bit to their food and small waterer as well to make sure they were getting plenty, but I know some people prefer to just offer it over treats, like frozen peas.
 

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Coldbreeze

In the Brooder
Jun 28, 2022
18
44
43
Well he's beautiful and probably was just a few days old when you got him. I wouldn't worry too much about how he swims, but if it were my duckling I would add the extra niacin now to prevent a problem. When my pekin was a few weeks old she just started walking less and I noticed that she had difficulty getting up. Her legs really splayed out to the side when she was sitting. I used liquid vitamin B complex and used vet wrap to pull her legs into proper position and the condition corrected in a few weeks. Here is a photo fo the vitamin - you can get it on Amazon your local feed store. You can put it on top of a treat - dosing is 1 ml per day. It will never hurt the other ducklings to have it either, and you can't over-dose. I was fermenting feed at the time, so just added a bit to their food and small waterer as well to make sure they were getting plenty, but I know some people prefer to just offer it over treats, like frozen peas.
I will go to my barn feed store and ask if they have it. I'm sure they do but if not I will get from Amazon.

Any tips or tricks about easily cleaning up their waste? From what I gather you kind of stir/flip new pine chips/hay/whatever you may use as bedding in the area that you know they prefer to poop in and around 5/6 inches of that is when you clean it all out and start over? Or???

How do we all feel about First Saturday Lime to keep odor/insects/pest away?
 

CoriM

Crowing
Jun 6, 2019
1,415
2,861
288
Everyone's set up is so different. I will attach a photo of my coop. I live in the Pacific Northwest - my weather is very wet and I have a lot of potential predators. My coop has an enclosed sleeping area that has stick-on tile on top of plywood. I put about 5-6 inches of pine shavings on top of that. I scoop it every day and top it off so it's completely clean for them each night. In the screened in run area it's half wood shavings and rounded pebbles around the pond area. I scoop the shavings area a couple times a day and hose down the pebbles once a day when I drain their little pond and refill it. There are lots of good ways to keep their area clean - I don't sprinkle or add anything extra. I have 8 ducks and don't have any issues with bad smells.
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Coldbreeze

In the Brooder
Jun 28, 2022
18
44
43
Everyone's set up is so different. I will attach a photo of my coop. I live in the Pacific Northwest - my weather is very wet and I have a lot of potential predators. My coop has an enclosed sleeping area that has stick-on tile on top of plywood. I put about 5-6 inches of pine shavings on top of that. I scoop it every day and top it off so it's completely clean for them each night. In the screened in run area it's half wood shavings and rounded pebbles around the pond area. I scoop the shavings area a couple times a day and hose down the pebbles once a day when I drain their little pond and refill it. There are lots of good ways to keep their area clean - I don't sprinkle or add anything extra. I have 8 ducks and don't have any issues with bad smells. View attachment 3167583
That's SUCH a good roof. I originally called my town to "ask" about a building permit to build such a thing and they made such a big ordeal. Or I joined a local FB group and all of them said as long as you keep the smell down and you have good neighbors you should be fine. One neighbor fights with his wife every night and am 70% sure one of them is secretly swinger. The other neighbor on the other side never comes our or uses hus years for anything. I left about 20 feet of space between chicken wore and property line fencing.
 
Oct 19, 2021
1,065
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Medicine Hat , alberta , Canada
For this run I just leave grass. Every night I take the hose and hit the poo it’s great fertilizer for the grass and it turns to water right away
For my duck house I use pine shavings
I started with hay and never again. It doesn’t absorb and goes all over. I had flies and stink up the you know what
The shavings many do it different
I prefer to go in each morning and take out all the poo from the night before.
Others will roll over and add fresh then do deep clean later. It’s what you have time to do and what works best for you
Make sure the dig house is secure as many predators come at night
It also needs proper ventilation
So adding openings at the top and use hardware cloth as a screen
You can also add a kid pool to the run for now
My ducklings are 3.5 weeks old and outside all day with a small pen to go in for shade and a kid pool to bath and cool off in
Congrats on the ducklings :)
 

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