To duck or not to duck?

[multiweb]

Xmas approaching fast I'm thinking of getting a duckling as a pet for my 11yr old daughter. I also need a pet around as I'm missing my cat, poisoned by neighbourg 2yrs long gone. :sadeyes: She's always glued to the cages whenever we're at the markets and I know she'd really really want one. I have a mate who rescued a small wild duck as a baby. He grew up to a good size and he's now like the family pet. A real bugger too. :lol: Where should I get one from? Pet shop? Farm? I'm a cat person. Don't know much about ducks. :)

[jjjnettie]

The markets are the best place Marc.
From someone who breeds them.
Ummmm, you do know that they make a hell of a mess, especially if it's going to free range around the house yard. And unlike cats, they don't make the effort to bury it. It'll be on the steps, on the porch, on the path and if you pick it up, on you.LOLOL
But that said, they are fun to have around. And will keep your garden clear of snails.

[DJDD]

how do you keep them from flyign away? (stupid question, i know).

[multiweb]

Cool - I had a feeling the market would be the place. :thumbsup: Unfortunately fat chance there will be any snails left for the duck. I'm faster than him. Been in the game far too long with garlic and butter. :lol: ... only kidding, they're too small here. :P

[DavidU]

Why not? I only like animals I can eat:D

[multiweb]

I reckon you can clip the long feathers (remiges in french) on their wings. Or feed them really well so they can't haul their butt over the fence? :question: :lol:

[JimmyH155]

dont know if I would have one as a pet. We have two chooks, and the mess they make in the garden is incredible. Forget about having flowers or vegies unless you cover the yard in wire netting.
My patio seems the favourite place for them to poop. I am for ever cleaning up. Then when I confine them to barracks, they bust out and squalk right outside our bedroom window at 0500 hrs:eyepop:
Their eggs are fabulous though.

had ducks though once on our farm - we even put their house near to the dam. For the first few weeks, they dutifully waddled down to the dam and swam on it. After that, they never went near it again!!
Stick to another cat or a nice lollopy labrador:D

[multiweb]

Don't get me started there... with olives they're not bad indeed. .. ok , back on topic, it's a pet. ;)

[AstralTraveller]

We have lots of ducks on campus, I'm sure one wouldn't be missed. :)

Actually there is one I could easily take home as a pet. Our bluegrass 'group' practises on the duckpond lawn and this one duck always comes to visit. It lets us pat it and it even tries to preen us - which is a bit painful. At first I though it recognised people carrying instruments but I've discovered it can recognise me from 25m away without the guitar. When I left campus yesterday I had to walk briskly to stop it following me. I don't know how far it would have followed me but I don't want to find out. So they can certainly get quite attached to people. I also second what Jeanette said about their toilet habits. :(

[multiweb]

:eyepop: Sounds like I'm in for a lot of .... then? :lol: I'll have to make sure I buy a nice pink shovel and bucket when I present the duckling to my daughter. If she asks I'll say "you'll know when it happens". :)

[Waxing_Gibbous]

Marc,
My own Duck experience. Yours may vary:
Breeders are one of the best sources, but check 'em out first. So are neighbours. If buying at a market be sure the bird is not 'cage-stressed:
Look for bright eyes, well-formed symmetrical feet, and glossy feathers.
The bird should not be either lethargic or manic, but "interested and aware" as my duck book says.
A duck that either runs away or pecks at you is not a good bet for a child.
It should be wary but not aggressive.
You'll absolutely need a pond - might as well start digging,- doesnt have to be huge, but something on the order of 2m x 3m will result in a happy duck. Plant some shade scrub around it to attract frogs and lizards. Ducks are carnivores mostly and like a good lizard.
When you first bring it home, pen it up in a decent sized chicken run with a shelter and don't let it out for 3-4 weeks. These are avail. commercially, but you can build one yourself easily enough. Be sure it has room to peck and move about (ducks need about 3 times as much room as chooks). An old bathtub or laundry tub works fine for a temporary pond.

Hand feed with grass, mealy worms, cock-chafers and/or earwigs and wood lice. This'll help train your duck to like these pests and hopefully he'll leave your worms alone. Every so often add some ground grain & grit. DO NOT give it bread. Its very bad for ducks, Gives them gastro-enteritis and the squits.
I've found that feeding them irregularly makes the duck more self-reliant. Don't starve it, but don't let him get used to being fed either. Otherwise he'll just sit around and wait for you to show up.
It sounds awful, but keeping him a LITTLE hungry, will result in a much better relationship down the road.
If he's going to be a pet, build him a little fenced-in house with a ramp (ducks are hopeless with steps or short flights). Talk to him often.
Be prepared for duck-doo-doo everywhere (good for the grass).

Ducks are fab. Almost any breed make good pets. Possibly not Muscovy though as they can grow to the size of a Turkey and are sometimes aggresive.
G'luck with yer duck!
Peter

[jjjnettie]

Either option.:lol:
If you clip the flight feathers, just do it on one side, and not too short.
They still need to be able to fly short distances, otherwise they're just "sitting ducks" for every predator in the neighbourhood.

[Waxing_Gibbous]

Oops. I forgot an important point.
You should get two (either M/F or F/F). Ducks are semi-social and will often pine for a mate/comapnion or just fly away to find one.
PJH

[multiweb]

Thanks for all the tips guys :thumbsup: ... and thanks Peter for all the interesting info. You certainly know your duck. :) See what bunch of talented versatile people you can find on astro forums. :thumbsup:

[jjjnettie]

Two girls are better. While breeding is fun and educational, you need to plan ahead as to what to do with all the little babies.

[multiweb]

Here they are. My daughter hasn't named them yet but I reckon dumb and dumber would be a nice fit. You can't take one apart from the other. As soon as you separate them the other one screams. Apparently they're 2 weeks old females. They love water. Got a couple of questions though.

Are you supposed to leave a bowl full of food in there and water at all time or just feed them once or twice a day? I'm asking because all they seem to do is run around, much about, make a mess and s**t every minute (on average). :shrug:

That's day one btw. :P

[jjjnettie]

Um...and that will be day 2, day 3, day 475, day 820.:lol:
Messy little critters.
They do need lots of water. Use a large shallow plastic container with a brick in it to stop them knocking it over, too often.
At that age they need food on hand all the time.
Dig up some worms, catch some snails, lots of fresh grass clippings.
They look adorable by the way.

[sjastro]

Heard any echos?;)

Steven

[multiweb]

Only my daughter running around screaming it's the best Xmas ever? I can put up with a bit of duck s**t for this ;)

[multiweb]

Thanks for the tips. I'll keep all that in mind. Gotta work out the water thing better though. It's like a swimming pool in there. :P

[[1ponders]]

What sort of duck? They look like Muscovies. You can multiply the poop factor by about 3 in that case.

[multiweb]

Well I picked them up again after my holiday break and ... they doubled in size in 6 days. :eyepop: so I'm by-passing the whole "small box" idea and moving on straight to the fenced enclosure in the back yard. :P

[jjjnettie]

:rofl:
They'll be full grown in a month or so.

[multiweb]

Cool - how often you feed them? One bowl a day's ok?
I have the plastic bath tub happening. i've canned the whole "elaborate water dispenser" idea too. :P They destroyed everything and put water all over the place so I figured they can drink and bath in it. Not my problem. ;)

[jjjnettie]

Have you thought of using one of those kiddie clams?? They cost about $20 at Kmart. It'd be big enough for them to swim in and drink from.
Do a google search, find out how many grammes of food they need a day.
Mine used to free range, and I only fed them once a day, just to coax them back into their pen.
They need lots of fresh greens.

[TrevorW]

Thinking of names how about

Roastie
Stew short for stewed
French as in fried
Marin as in marinated

[Waxing_Gibbous]

Marc,
They're cuteness squared to be sure!
At this age all they do is eat and poop. Don't try to separate them. They are bonding and this is important when they move outside (ASAP!!!) as they will need to watch each other's backs. By all means let your daughter play with them, though not too aggressively, and preferably together. They will pattern on her as a mother figure, so its important that she teaches them as you would teach her.
Alas yes, until they are about 4 weeks older you should let them have access to food at all times. Don't give them more than they can eat in 5 minutes and vary the content. Commercial Duck Food should be avoided as its very high in protein and can make them fat. Let them eat scraps & bugs - they will be WAY happier and healthier for it. Water must be freely available.
Get busy with that shelter!!! Ducks in the house is a terrible idea. Its not their natural environment, but they will quickly become accustomed to it and grow up all weird and disfunctional.
Dumb and Dumber are excellent names.
Happy New Year.
Peter

[multiweb]

They're already very clingy to her. They follow her everywhere. That's funny. You also can't separate them anymore. They're a pair. Take one and the other one screams and vice versa. They do everything together. One drinks, the other one has to go for a drink. They do the same for eating, etc... everything x2. Sourcing some weld mesh for the backyard to fence a small corner 3mx2m. Already got a box with a roof than they're used to go in to sleep. Just need to close up the area this week-end.

[multiweb]

Well here's a thread from the past but after close to 7 months of shuffling duck s||t around something came out of it. I get an egg a day! Whoohoo! :lol: ... and it gets better. Turned out I got one male one female so I'll be filling the freezer by summer I reckon. 'Confit' here we come! :evil: Learnt something too. Female ducks quack a lot very loudly, the males are very quiet in comparison. See a pattern there ;)

[jjjnettie]

Duck l'orange
Pressed Duck
Duck liver Pate
Kentucky Fried Duck (that's got to taste better than the Kentucky Fried Cat I had in Seoul once :P)
Just hope you're two duckies aren't brother and sister.....:rolleyes:

[multiweb]

:clap: Yeah ... all that!...



Ha... I don't know really. Does it matter? :question:

[supernova1965]

There is nothing better than Duck eggs with chips you have to dip the chips in the egg yoke it is simply the best YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMY:2thumbs:

[Jen]

Can we call em Daffy and Donald :D they are my two favourite ducks :lol::lol:
I sooo love it when Donald Duck has a temper tantrum it cracks me up every time :rofl::rofl: and yes im easily amused :rolleyes::lol::lol::P Nothing beats a good giggle hehe

[multiweb]

Well you're close.. my daughter named one fluffy and the other one daffy. :)

[Jen]

:lol: oh so she hasnt been introduced to the good old classic donald duck yet :lol:

[marki]

Wouldn't want to be around when you try to eat the off spring. Think I know what your daughters reaction will be, you will probably need to buy a bobcat to cleanup all the sh...excrement ;).

Mark

[multiweb]

Any additional donald ducks are headed for the freezer :D

[multiweb]

Nup - that was part of the deal. She knows about it and she's ok with it. I'll be 'growing' them off site so there's no emotional attachement to the ducklings.