newnie duck owner

[karlooben]

i have kept my chocks for several years now nd have been thinking of getting ducks for a while but as i have limited space i was looking at getting 4 little miniature appleyards , i called quite a few places today but had no luck so i thought i would call a friend on another site as he had ducks last year but he never had any but suggested i called the swan sancatury so i did luckily i know theses guys really well as i work for them on and of and keep watch for the birds and swans on my local pond but they had an aylesbury duck thats just been handed in to them as the owner had died very recently had the wife didnt like the bird so she gave it to them its appartently really really tame as the guy used to take it home with him each night and let it sleep in the house lols well the bird is coming to me sunday morning and i have everything it needs including little sandpit bowls for mini ponds but i am wandering about food the guy at the sancatury told me to feed it just bread mixed corn in water and greens which is great as we have lodas growing but is there a pellet feed i can get for it as well .
i am hoping to find it a friend very soon as it will be in a run on its own for a while as i think it might be a while before my big girls accpet him thats if they ever do .all advice very welcome

 

[dorsetduckowner]

Ahhh how lovely

Firstly, where are you based? So we can try and get you another rescue to go with your new duck, is it male or female? They do much better with company.

Secondly, dont feed the duck bread as part of it's main diet, it has little no no nutritional value.

Corn will make the duck fat rather than give it good nutrition, but good as a treat.

You can get lots of pelleted feed for ducks:

http://www.smallholderfeed.co.uk/Products/Poultry/Goose-and-Duck-Breeder-Pellets.aspx

http://www.fancyfeedcompany.co.uk/products/fenlandwaterfowl.htm

http://www.heygatesfeeds.co.uk/general/poultry-feeds/ duck and goose.

Your duck may take time to settle in as they are very sensitive to change. Change it's diet over slowly.

You will have lots of fun with the duck!!!

Keep us posted

zo
x

 

[karlooben]

dont worry i will be on here non stop ,lols .

well the little pond is made including pebbles around the edge on the floor so it makes it look kinda nicer the housing is cleaned and re bedded with fresh bedding and i got the small holders range of pellets today which i was told by my local bird centre will be fine for it i sooooooooooooooooooo cant wait to get him or her but the guy at the sanctuary said not to worry about getting it a friend as its never been with another bird its only ever been the bird and the owner 05 05 so tell you the truth i dont know wether to find it a friend or not or shall i let it settle in for a few weeks first , the chocks are going to be in the run with it just behind a fence so it wont be totally on its own , i am near heathrow airport staines if anyone could help me out with a friend though in time will do pics tomorrow .

p.s so funny though i put the sandpit pond in postitoin last night and this morning considering it was empty a toad had moved into it during the night :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[dorsetduckowner]

Ahhh bless! It may be an imprinted duck then, so yes good idea to see how it is when you get it

This site is a great resource, so keep posting here.

I have a duck behaviour group on facebook alos where you can get a lot of info on introductions and imprints etc.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/287784711232717/

Cant wait to hear about your duck!

zo
x

 

[karlooben]

what do you mean by imprinted ?? excuse me being dumb asking that .
i went on preloved and asked about some bali ducks and another breed before i got this aylesbury and they have come back to me saying them have 4 rouen ducklings which are old enough to be out doors and she seems to think they would make perfect companions i have sent her my number to speak to her about them etc , if i feel it can do with friends then i can collect them next weekend as shes only 20 mins away surely it would be better for the birdie to have friends it cant spend its whole life on its own every animal needs to be with its own kind .

 

[karlooben]

heres my new pet think i need to make a bigger pond for it :lol: or get more plastic sand pits but i did think about gravel boards then pond liner 05 then i could make it whatever size i wanted but have read that they can rip the pond liner so not sure if to do that or not .dont know anything about it or what sex it is the swan people only had it a day as it turned up an hour after i called them asking if they had anything all i know is it belonged to an old boy so it was just him and the duck and each night he took it home with him ?? my girls are a bit confused though :lol: :lol:

 

[dorsetduckowner]

Lovely duck Cant tell from the picture if it's male or female, what noise does it make, loud quack or a low donald duck type sound? Single loud quacks or short double quack quack sounds?
How does it react to you? Best give it a few days and find out some more about it before you get more.
I will PM you back
x

 

[karlooben]

someone has mentioned that its female { i hope so } and i have the chance of getting 4 rouen ducks at 5 week or 7 weeks old would they be ok to put with my girl as they are not that far from me if not i can go futher a field and get another aylesbury if this bird centre has any left what would be better or doesnt it matter .

 

[dorsetduckowner]

Depends on how much space you have. I would be tempted to get just one, as if you get a group they are likely to stick together and not mix with your single duck. I would wait and see if you can get a rescue or another that needs a home. Lots of drakes going spare at the moment. Will try and call you later Dont rush into anything just yet....