Ducks - Week 1

It’s not quite been a week since the arrival of our Mallard Ducklings. They have already grown noticeably, and have become much more active. Sometimes when they hear our voices they’ll burst into excitement, rushing around in a mad frenzy.

They have a voracious appetite and a seemingly unquenchable thirst. We leave fresh water and feed out for them, and they will spend 30 or 40 minutes at a time running between the two. We’re feeding them a starter/grower feed that is labeled for chickens, geese, and ducks. They sure are thirsty little guys; I’d started with a quart size drinker (watering can) and quickly had to switch to a gallon size in order to keep up.

They have a natural curiosity, immediately rushing to investigate anything new in their box. When my brother and I took a trip to the pet store he insisted we purchase one of those hamster running wheels. Despite my skepticism the ducklings have actually run on it, although I think it’s been mostly by accident. A small wooden box with holes in it also seems to keep them entertained.

We had to make some adjustments to the brooding box (duck crib). They are messy drinkers and spill water everywhere. In an effort to keep the bedding around the water can from getting soaked, we cut a section out of the floor and stapled a piece of mesh wire hardware cloth over it. A plastic bin underneath the box catches what runs through. This has helped some, but I still have to replace wet bedding a few times a day.

Another challenge was keeping the temperature consistent. We started with a 150 watt lamp, but it wasn’t staying warm enough. A stronger bulb (250 watt) placed directly above the box has done the trick. I use bricks to raise and lower the height of the lamp to adjust the temperature. I’ll be reducing the heat level over the next few weeks as they begin to grow their feathers.

We took the ducklings on their first trip outside today. They seemed to really enjoy foraging in the grass and playing in the sun.

They aren’t sure what to make of us yet and are more chicken than duck when we get close. After sitting with them a while, they started to get a little more courageous.

Our nieces and nephews have been helping us pick names for them. So far the list includes: Little-Dude, Kidd, Stew (that one’s just wrong), Leland, Zipper, and Skeeter, Ham, and Beans.