new ducks

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We have been given a drake by a friend, (unsure of breed, as I havent seen it yet) and in addition to this a friend has recently hatched a clutch of duck eggs and has given us a female. before they arrive I need some advice.
My questions are:
1. how big does their house need to be? currently I have a 1.5 x1.2m fully enclosed run with an atached, elevated coup for my pekins. During the day they also have run of a large grass area in the garden. I had planned to make a kind of enlarged nest box on the ground, in the run area, for the ducks as I am guessing that they dont roost, as such and probably wont climb the little ramp and go in the coup with the banti's
2.The drake is adult, (not that old but Im not sure of exact age) the hen bird will be four weeks old next weekend. what age should she be, to be suitable to introduce to the drake and the rest of my little clan
3. The pekins currently have a mix of layers pellets, mixed roled seed and grit, as well as greens in the form of thinned seedlings /plants from the vedgie patch. what else should I be feeding for the ducks
4. I have been told that ducks dont need that much water as long as they have something to splash around in, but I want them to be very happy and settled, so what would be ideal, (within reason as although there is a big garden, I dont want to engulf it all with pond!!.
5. What sort of nest box, for laying, should I provide and at what age will the hen bird begin laying?
6. probably should have been higher up the list, but as the friend who is giving us the hen bird is far from knowlegable on these matters, how do you sex gucks and at what age is it possible?
Doubtless there will be lots more questions in the future!!
Thanks, in anticipation.
Matt
 
Hi Matt,

1. The house size depends on the size of ducks you have - Call ducks to Aylesbury ducks - there's a big difference. For a pair of medium size / light ducks I would be thinking around 1M x 1M minimum as they need to be able to move around a little and sit down, lay eggs etc.

2. The female duck will need to be kept away from the drake until she is mature - 12 to 14 weeks at least as the drake will jump on her at the first opportunity and if she isn't mature, risks damaging her.

3.Wheat should be fed to ducks as well as layers pellets. The drakes will eat more wheat than the ducks - I provide 50% of layers pellets, 50% wheat, they will self regulate. Ducks in lay need more calcium for egg shells but in winter you can feed just wheat for a while. You can feed some of the wheat under water so the chickens don't get fat which is problem number 3 part b!

4. They need to be able to dip their heads in the water as a minimum - to wash their eyes (no tear ducts) and clean their feathers. They love hopping into water for a paddle and splash - so an underbed storage container in the garden and small / washing up bowl in the run would be the sort of thing I'd be thinking of, bigger if you can. It needs to be cleaned daily so if you have a bowl that can be tipped out, that would be ideal.

5. A clean area in their house should be good enough for laying = they will lay in some strange places but usually lay early in the morning so as you let them out, there's usually eggs.

6. Young ducklings can be vent sexed - but don't try unless you are shown as it involves putting pressure on the abdomen and you can cause damage if it is done incorrectly. If not, you can sex them by the Quack as they reach 8-10 weeks or so and a little older and the drakes start to get a curl in the tail and more of a shine to the head / different colouring in some breeds.

Ideally, I would try to get 2 ducks to a drake although you can keep a pair but during the breeding season, the female can lose neck feathers where the drake is treading her continually. See how randy he is!

Hope this helps...

Tim
 
Brilliant. As allways Tim, top notch advice and exactly what I was looking for.
Much appreciated.
I will let you know how we get on and when I get a mo, will try and post some pictures up, of my little gang.
Thanks again,
Matt
 
Well the drake is now with us, as the owner desperately needed him moved, so he is now pottering around the garden happily, however as the pekins have decided he is best avoided, he is in need of company!! So I'm waiting to hear back from the other friend that is giving us a female, they are at least ten weeks, by my recollection, but she is going to check her calendar as she thinks older. A couple more questions:
1. The previous owner said that she could never get them to go in the house and true to form he puts up opposition to going in the run at night, the garden is secure from foxes, but surely he will be better in a house, once the weather deteriorates?
2. What would be ideal size-wise as nestbox/nighthouse for him and the female? They are both aylesburys.
3. When I feed him grain under water, what sort of depth water do I need to deter the pekins, but allow him to find and get it easily?
Cheers, matt
 
Hi Matt,

1. I leave mine out in the summer but they can find shelter (their house) if they want. You are right - Ducks need a draught free house with a roof and dry bedding in the winter. They have to be in a fox safe enclosure at all times though. Housing need not be elaborate. A wide door is an advantage as they 'tumble' out over one another in the mornings.

2. For Aylesburys I would say big - 1.5 x 1M perhaps as a minimum. Ducks are quite active in their house at night and like to move around and will lay their eggs on the floor in the early hours. Keep the floor dry with woodshavings (I add fresh on top every time in it looks damp) they will not lay in a nestbox. Aylesbury's lay around 100 eggs a year.

3. The pekins will not try to get wheat under water - the ducks need to be able to (at least) dip their complete heads under water to wash themselves and keep their eyes clean. Ideally give them something big enough to get into (I use bricks to allow easy access in and out of my tubs) mating is easier in the water and they will be able to clean themselves far easier this way. They do need to get used to finding some of their food under water.

Ducks love routine and once they have gone into their house for a week or so, they will normally go inside their house at bed time. A good system to drive them in is to build a small 'L' shape fence in front of their house so that when the door to the house is open, it hits the end of the L shape fence. You can drive them towards their house and then they have to go in and can't skirt around the back of the house - they love playing silly buggers with you if not going around the back of their house. I have trained mine to go in when I say 'Bed Ducks' - they know the routine very well now.

If they are stood in front of their house, you can stand with your arms raised either side of you in front of them and make them go left or right with a simple left or right side-step.

Hope this helps.

Tim
 
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