# Duck Question



## Sherry in Iowa (Jan 10, 2010)

This is the first year that I ordered ducks with my chicks. I have 11 of them and my goodness they are growing! I absolutely love them.

They are 3-4 weeks old now. The ducks are in a plastic livestock tank. I have newspapers covered with wood chips. But wow..the water is tremendous. 

We are wanting to move them. Where they are going, there will be a 12x12 ft. pen. We want to make a door to the outside and build them an unbreachable pen where we would like to put their waterers and feeders.

At night, we would like to shut them inside the big pen. Will they do alright without their water over night? We are just trying to get away from the water mess they make inside the new building.

Thanks for any advice or insight!


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## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

Ducks dont need water at night, especially if there is no food.
As long as they have water and food from sun up till sun down they will be fine. Thats how we did our ducks to keep the water outside in spring, summer and fall.

As for them going in at night, our ducks hated going inside at night except in winter. I got tired of chasing them to lock them up and eventually the **** got over the fence and killed them all. 

For me ducks where a pain between the mess and their lack of co-operating with getting locked up. 
With our winters we couldnt get away from water, food and poo yuk in the duck coop. It was a mess all winter long and a pain in the butt. Just nasty.

So once the ***** took them all out, I happily went to pet my chickens.


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## Sherry in Iowa (Jan 10, 2010)

Oh my! It doesn't sound good for the long haul, huh? I have totally been surprised how much I love the darned ducks! And boy do they ever grow fast. 

Thanks so much for the advice and input.


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

I have an old storage shed we made into a "duck house" and built a small very secure pen onto that. Unless I have little ducklings, their water is outside on a grate over concrete blocks. They are messy and a bit of work when small. During the day they are usually out in our large fenced yard with water and no food (just whatever greens and bugs they can find). They are happy to come into their shed at night for dinner and have food and water all night. They have water all day too. 

If your ducks are making a huge nasty mess in their water, they need more room in my experience. At 3-4 weeks, they are old enough to move outside, I usually get mine a bit later in the spring and move them at at about 2 weeks under a brooder. Maybe as early as 1 week old, though ducklings are SO cute, depends on how many I raise at a time. 3-4 weeks are like teenagers, really messy and big and gawky, I love that age.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

Give them a night light in their coop and they will happily go in at night. It doesn't need to be real bright and a solar light will do fine.


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## Sherry in Iowa (Jan 10, 2010)

I cannot thank you both enough! I've always hatched or bought chicks, but never baby ducks. I am so smitten by them I can't believe it. I find myself down on all fours (not a pretty sight) talking and playing with them. 

I laughed reading that they are "teenagers" now, because that is truly how they act. I know they are really messy, but I am in hopes that when they get their new digs they won't be quite as bad. At what age can they have a swimming pool?

We have 5 runners, 3 khaki campbells, and 3 black swedish. We specifically got these because they said they were great foragers. They are getting their real feathers in and they look, well..kind of quacky.


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## BackfourtyMI. (Sep 3, 2007)

My ducks had to be hered into their house at night the first few nights after we got them but then all we'd do is go down at night & they were all in waiting for us to shut the door.

I do not give my ducks feed or water in their house at night, they are way too messy in there. I let them out first thing in the a.m. though.


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## Sherry in Iowa (Jan 10, 2010)

Thanks Backforty! That is exactly what we had hoped we could do.


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

They can be without water overnight, but if there is no water, they can't have feed. They use the water to wash the feed down and out of their nostrils.

I've got a secure coop that has a very secure small run. The water stays outside, but they have a little door to go in and out whenever they want.

Water is set up on a screen to limit mud. They are in a larger fenced yard during the day and come in at night because I feed them. Ducks are very food motivated.


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## Sherry in Iowa (Jan 10, 2010)

oregon woodsmok said:


> They can be without water overnight, but if there is no water, they can't have feed. They use the water to wash the feed down and out of their nostrils.
> 
> I've got a secure coop that has a very secure small run. The water stays outside, but they have a little door to go in and out whenever they want.
> 
> Water is set up on a screen to limit mud. They are in a larger fenced yard during the day and come in at night because I feed them. Ducks are very food motivated.


Thanks for the great info. Can you explain the screen a bit more? Sounds like a great idea if I understand it right. We were going to have a little ramp to the door of their permanent digs and then have their outside pen with the water and feed. 

Can ducks eat greens at night with no water?


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

I wouldn't feed them without water. 

I love to look at the facilities at the Holderread farm, looks like a great setup for easy care:

http://holderreadfarm.com/photogallery/brooding_facility_page/brooder.htm


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## Sherry in Iowa (Jan 10, 2010)

PERFECT! That is just the setup we were trying to achieve. Something that makes the mess less and gives us more time to enjoy those quackers!


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

Of course I started to look over their website and now I just want to order more ducklings from them! hehe


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## ufo_chris (Apr 30, 2010)

Sherry,I feel quite opposite of riverpines. I love my ducks and the mess is minimal because they have their kiddie pool in the yard and only a dogbowl sized waterdish in their outside run,and I feed them inside.
They also come in when called or wait for me already!
And I prefer them over the chickens (but love my chickens too)
I've had 10 for years.
Their outside run does get muddy if it's wet out but I put old hay or straw down and it's fine.
Chris


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## Sherry in Iowa (Jan 10, 2010)

Thanks so very much ufo Chris! We are working on the pen and stall this weekend, and hope to move them sometime this week. I surely hope warmer temps are on the horizon before we do!


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## coonripper (Jan 8, 2009)

not sure what part of Iowa you are in but its supposed to get back into the 50's in our area, "Tama County". I got all my ducks outside now but i start mine earlier than most. Good luck and have fun with them.


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## Sherry in Iowa (Jan 10, 2010)

coonripper said:


> not sure what part of Iowa you are in but its supposed to get back into the 50's in our area, "Tama County". I got all my ducks outside now but i start mine earlier than most. Good luck and have fun with them.


We're in Louisa County and if we get through the next 2-3 days I think we are supposed to start warming up too! Thanks.


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