who know's how to raise Ducks!!!

[Todd T]

I bought 20 ducks about 2 weeks almost 3 weeks now. we wound up with 18 two died before we took delivery of them.



i have kept them in the basement in a plywood pen i built for them with a heat lamp and the works its a duck palace.



well they are getting big now and i think its about time to turn them lose on our pond. the last few nights i have been letting them run around with my son in the basement while i cleaned their pen. they dont really mind him but are still afraid of him and wont follow us or anything like that. i have to coral them into the corner and just start scooping them up to get them back in the pen.



if i let them go on the pond how can i get them penned up again if the weather turns rainy or cold? will they come back to their food source? can i just put it in the barn or something? we have an old chicken coop in one corner of the barn could i get them to come back to that some how? should i make a door in their current pen and try to get them to use it to come back in to eat? then just move it first to the pond edge and then to the barn.



HELP ME before a quack up!

 

[jwgary]

M R ducks

M R not

O S A R, C M wings

L I B, M R ducks



Sorry, I couldn't resist. Oo.

 

[BFC]

Dunno about raising them but we have 2 of them(Mallards) in my wife garden on grasshoppers duty and a fine job there doing. We feed them a little grain and give them bread as a treat. The fence around the garden is just 3 feet high so they could fly out if they wanted to but they don't, guess there happy where they are.



Took 'em about two weeks to get use to humans, now they don't mind us one bit. The have a duck palace too but they spend 90% of their time on the pond or eating bugs in the garden. The only time I've seen them in the coop is in a hail strom, ducks REALLY don't care if it rains . As for the cold..... what's that 50's. . (coldest it got since we had them is 45, they were still in the pond) They'll go were the food at, make them associate you with food and they'll follow ya anywhere. But then again I only have 2 of them.



FWIW,



Glenn

 

[lgibson]

I raised about 40 or so

I started of with about 20 of them. I also had a pond but they would not use it. Maybe because there are trees around it and they felt like they were in danger and no place to hide. I herd them to the pond and they would beat me back to the house I tried this for a couple of months and no succes. I ended up buying them a plastic swimming pool and they loved it. I never was able to handle one. They always ran away from me. This was in Texas, and other than those ducks, I had cattle, horses, hogs, game chickens( the ones that fight), and a pet deer.



When I moved to Cali. I found someone that wanted the ducks. The trailer was being used, so I loaded all the ducks in the cab of my 1970 chevy PU. I drove them things about 35 miles with them crapping all over the place. The guy that said he wanted them never shown up, so back home I go. Got home and called My friend Coy and told him I bringing him some ducks. He said bring em over. So another 25 miles with these smelly ducks in about 95% weather. I had to keep the windows up and of course no A/C.



I pull up at Coy's and saw him in the front yard. He told me later that that was the funniest sight he ever saw. Here I am driving about 40 mph opened the passinger door and about 40 ducks come flying out. The driver door opens with me hanging out. I locked up the brakes and jumped out walked passed Coy and grabed the waterhose and sprayed the inside of the truck out, dash and all.



They are not very good pets, they just want to be left alone. My chickens on the other hand were very good pets. The males( I don't know if I can call them by there real name on this board) would cut there wings and dance when they seen me. They would jump up on my hand and I usally had a grasshopper or cricket for them. They were very friendly. Old man, my first one, retired when I got him after his 8th fight and winning $8,000. I got him free from a friend but he was worth $1,500.



Good luck with those ducks. BTW Mine were Mallard and Pekin.

 

[Champane Flight]

Duck!

We had ducks when I was a kid. We had a covered duck house (for nesting), much like a chicken coop for them near the pond. Which was right behind the house. We would feed them poultry pellets (I think, been a long time). They were very entertaining, used to sit on the back porch and watch them for hours. At night they would head for the house and right after dark I would go down and close the door on the duck house for the night, so no critters could get to them. Every day we would get duck eggs, they were very tasty. A little richer and larger than chicken eggs. They do mate for life and are just like married couples after awhile, the females very vocal and the males under tow. We could learn alot from ducks!

 

[ZEEEW]

We only have 6, 20 must be a heck of a mess! After keeping them in the basement for a couple weeks, we put them in a fenced area outside an fed them grain, with a ground level buried bathtub for water. Still feeding them grain in the pen, we started letting them out in the daytime to wander and eat bugs, grass, whatever. They return in or near their cage everynite so far, and if they dont it has been no problem herding them back in.

A large pond might be a different story, but I would think if you keep them in a duckproof area for a few days, let them get some sunshine and something to swim in, they would return to it if needed. Ours arent real friendly yet, but you can get within 2 or 3 feet before they get nervous. We do force them to get petted everyday though.

I put a heat lamp out for them when it was in the mid30's a few days ago, and when we checked on them they were in the bathtub, didnt care about the lamp. They are still fine.

We have rouen? ducks. Kinda fun to watch them chase the cats. But then, our cats get out of the way for the magpies that come and eat thier food.

What about geese, will they get along with ducks

 

[DarrellB]

Ducks

Yum, Yum!!



I quak myself up. :-laf :-laf :-laf

 

[RottnDogue]

All I know is you need a Good pen for them @ night. I have two friends that "HAD" Ducks 1 group was Killed by there Boxer. . The Second Group Killed by a Fox...



Darren

 

[Oasis-3]

I had 2 ducks years back and they were better then a watch dog and would work for bugs. Handle them when they are young and the will not run from you. Feed them alot and they will be to fat to fly. I will look for a picture and update this post later.

Cliff

 

[Oasis-3]

I had 2 ducks years back and they were better then a watch dog and would work for bugs. Handle them when they are young and the will not run from you. Feed them alot and they will be to fat to fly. I will look for a picture and update this post later.

Cliff



Chase the watch dog off and eat his food.

 

[KPhillips]

I don't know diddly about ducks, but it reminded me of one time when I was out fishing in an ol gravel pit lake I used to fish in Waco when I was in school and we were paddling our john boat when we came upon a duck with a few ducklings.



I really didn't pay no mind to them, but i saw one of the ducklings swim near the shore, I looked away and there was a huge splash, and when I looked back, it was gone and all there was, was a huge water ring... . I don't know if it was a bass or what, but somethig ate that little 'ol duckling in one good gulp, kinda ****** me off too, cuz I mighta been able to catch that bad boy before he got filled up... .



kerryp

bastrop, tx

 

[rrausch]

KPhillips, I'll tell you what that duck eating monster was. They only strike next to shore. It is hard to believe, but the #1 predator of baby ducks is... Bullfrogs! True.

 

[merryman]

The way to RAISE ducks, is you send in a good dog.

The way you LOWER ducks is to RAISE your 12 gauge.



Vaughn

 

[QRTRHRS]

Originally posted by rrausch

KPhillips, I'll tell you what that duck eating monster was. They only strike next to shore. It is hard to believe, but the #1 predator of baby ducks is... Bullfrogs! True.

Bullfrogs kill birds that stop by for a sip too. Faster then the eye can follow.

 

[KPhillips]

Bullfrogs huh? I never would have guessed that. Thats why I like this place,,,,I learn something new everyday... .



kerryp

 

[LarryB]

Any relation to Duck Tinker?

 

[Todd T]

well now that i have the tears out of my eyes from laughing. you guys are a riot. I was told Bass and Snappers will eat the ducks. i have had two traps out for a few weeks now and we dont have Bass in the pond just some 3-4 pound cats blue gills and crappie.



I turned them loose this weekend, we just carried their pen out to the edge of the pond and let them out. i put the feeder in the doorway so they would see it was there. they hung out all day in the grass and played a little in the water. that evening we gathered them back up in the pen and put them back in the garage for the night. the only critters we have is the Cat. our dogs are both old and fat and the horses could care less. I just put the Kitty in the basement for the day. we bought them for the bug eating abilities and our kids boy 2yrs and girl 5months.



i was told once they get full grown they will be able to break the kitty out and ride him bare back we just have to watch him for now.



the 40 ducks in the truck story killed me. can you imagine the smell??



thanks for the replies gang.

 

[rrausch]

My dear sainted Mother, who certainly did chop the heads off a lot of chickens and ducks on our farm used to say, "A duck is nothin' but 10 pounds of crap in a 5 pound bag!"

 

[lschultz]

We got two that showed up on our tank several years ago. When ever we feed the dogs they hear us banging there pans around and hear they come they want to get fed too. Saw the male had the female mounted a few weeks ago so I guess we have some more again. She had 4 last time but they did'nt stay around two long. When my wife wants them to come up she starts quacking. Granddaughter always wants to feed the quack quacks.

 

[bighammer]

Did you keep tham all in one row? If that many died, you're either planting them too deep or watering them too much