duncfmac Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 Hope to get 3 khackie campbells at point of lay in July and am preparing their new home at present. Is an area of approximately 5x5 meters ok? What does surface of pen require to be and will their feet be damaged by rough ground, stones etc? What height does fence need to be ? (Am hoping to have wings clipped ). Should pen be covered over to protect them? ( we live in semi-rural town on west coast of scotland) Do I require to inform neighbours or need ant other permissions? I guess this will do for starters! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miller30 Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 Hi the bigger the space you can give ducks the better as they are very messy mine just run free.Yes they can damage their feet on stones you could use woodchip also you dont need to get khakis wings clipped as they cant fly and i would just do a 6ft fence to try and keep them safe from the fox and you dont need to tell your neighbours but some ducks are really loud leanne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncfmac Posted May 29, 2012 Author Share Posted May 29, 2012 Thank-you for this. I know you said more space the better but will 25 square meters be an adequate space for ducks well-being? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miller30 Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 Yes that will be fine give them a rigid childs sandpit with water in and the will be happy also you could net the top just to stop the wild birds and cats leanne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncfmac Posted May 29, 2012 Author Share Posted May 29, 2012 Ok thanks again for this. Have paddling pool and will net top. Our ducks should be ready towards end of July so the "nest building " continues!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 Oh getting ready for one's ducks is such fun. Only advice I would have is that I think domestic ducks don't need special floating pellets. I just bought a big bag of Garvo ones and realise that they are supposed to be for lakes of ornamental fowl What a waste of pennies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncfmac Posted May 29, 2012 Author Share Posted May 29, 2012 Noted and thank-you Chubby Chook Any other general observations most welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miller30 Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 To make life easy aswell put a layer of shavings under a layer of straw for their bedding and then the shavings soak alot of the moisture up and the floor of the house shouldnt get so wet dont use hay as its not good for them.My ducks just eat layer pellets the same as my chickens but they love lettuce,pasta and sweetcorn in water from the tin as treats they just have a dog bowl which has bricks around it so they dont flip the bowl up leanne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Mine adore mealworms, but all other treats including sweet corn are being ignored. Should all their treats be put in water? (Oh, by the way, regarding rough ground, I don't think sharp stones would be good and I've read that ducks can dammage their feet quite easily, but mine are quite happy on pea shingle and on the sort of slate one buys as mulch.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miller30 Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 No they dont need their treats put in water as long as they have their drinking water i just feed mine out my hand leanne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncfmac Posted July 11, 2012 Author Share Posted July 11, 2012 Hi , thought would give wee update! Our ducks arrived on Monday and we are all thrilled. We got four in the end and they are not at point of lay yet , but are about 9 weeks old. We have one Aylesbury and 3 campbell cross. They spend first 36 hours in house and small run but finally ventured out into big run today. They are eating layers pellets and maize and also chopped tomatoes. My children all love them ( including my son with autism- we are hopeful this will be good for him especially) They have been exploring new home and the bigger Aylesbury made it into paddling pool. Two quick questions- what is best way to help ducks into paddling pool that is about 8 inches high? and how do we get them in house simply and without fuss at night? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miller30 Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Hi its nice to hear you have your ducks you can feed them layers but at nine weeks they should really be on growers and then put on layers at about 14 weeks you can put a little ramp upto the pool or just make steps out of bricks they will work it out and putting them to bed at night you will just have to herd them when mine were small i used a cane dont touch them with it but it just makes it easier and then give them a few weeks and they should get the idea they are creatures of habit and will learn leanne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 So nice that you have your ducks and that your children love them I have been putting a few meal worms in a small dish in my duck house when my chickens go to bed, then I used to herd them towards their house using a light bamboo cane to point them in the correct direction. Now when the chickens go to bed my ducks line up by their house and quack for their meal worms - no need to herd them at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncfmac Posted October 18, 2012 Author Share Posted October 18, 2012 Well three months into our duck adventure and all going well. In last three weeks three of our four ducks have started laying and seem happy and contented oh and spoiled! The Aylesbury is laying the biggest eggs I have ever seen and is a noisy big duck. They continue to love chopped tomatoes and demand them every day! There pen is now fairly muddy but is standing up well to the wet weather. The ducks are now looking to get in to big garden at least once a day to route about base of hedge and plants in search of slugs, which cause huge excitement among them. All in all going well, thanks for advice and encouragement previously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Well done you, duncfmac, sounds like it is all going swimmingly (sorry for the pun) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncfmac Posted October 26, 2012 Author Share Posted October 26, 2012 Thanks Shabby Chic, should also give an honourable mention to my other half ,Jen, who also now has the duck bug!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
