Please, please, please lock your ducks in a secure covered pen every night.
The night you forget or "just don't feel like it" will be the night the local predators discover your ducks.
My birds are always in a fenced yard. On very rare occassions when we are going to be outside, we let them out in
the bigger field. But we keep a wary eye out for cats and roaming hunting dogs. There's a reason the term "sitting
duck" means a helpless victim!
Ducks need access to shade even in cold weather. It doesn’t have to be fancy. A folding chair will cast a shadow
big enough for 2 ducks.
I change all water on a daily basis.
They need access to water deep enough to rinse their nose and eyes, but shallow enough to climb out of. (Remember, I have
had one drown who climbed into my gooses’ bucket, but could not climb back out the steep sides.)
If food is available, they MUST have access to water to prevent choking.
All feed for ducks should be WITHOUT medication.
Inspect all feed for mold and/or bug infestation. Just because it's a new bag, doesn't mean it's clean.
DO NOT use moldy or bug infested feed. It can sicken or kill!
Don’t make their housing too airtight. A windbreak and a dry spot to rest should be sufficient to keep them warm
in our usually mild winters. I have been told that too warm a house will cause illness.
I provide my ducks with swimming water year round. Winter in central Virginia isn't usually too bad. At
worst this means hauling water in buckets in the morning and hoping the hose will work in the afternoon to rinse and drain
the pool. I've only had a couple days they had to go without their bath. My minimum goal is to get them
bath water at least once a week. A dirty duck is a poorly insulated duck who doesn't shed water in bad weather.
Indian Runner ducks are excellent foragers and are almost always on the move. They will find much of their own food
if they have access to plenty of grass and other places to search for bugs and little critters.
They seem a bit timid and easily frightened but they herd well and will trust you if you are quiet and slow when working
around them. This includes anytime you need to catch them. One wild chase around the yard will quickly destroy
a good trusting relationship. If they need to be caught, calmly walk them into a small pen and slowly corner them.
Quiet and slow are the keys to maintaining a trusting duck.
A nest box 18”x18”x18” should be available by early February so they can get used to it before they begin
to lay in late Feb. or March. It doesn’t have to be fancy, just provide a dark corner where they feel safe and you can
easily gather the eggs and change the nesting material. If they are not let out in the morning until 8:00AM, most of the eggs
should already be laid.
The following probably applies more to young ducks than to adults: If they have been without water for some time, they
should be given lukewarm water first before being allowed to play in large quantities of cold water. They seem to be able
to chill themselves from the inside and will be found looking “drunk” or even lying flat out on the ground if
this has happened. They need to be put in a quiet place with a heat source and the room to move to cooler spot if they get
too hot. (You want to slowly WARM them, not cook them.) If they are saved, they should look good as new in a few hours.
I feed my ducks free-choice. This means they have constant access to their food. Some sources recommend feeding
only what can be consumed in 5 minutes, but I have found my ducks gulp down pellets so quickly that they spend the next 10
minutes trying to swallow. This doesn't seem like a wise method to me. Since my ducks have access to a large grassy
yard all day, they pop into the night pen periodically throughout the day for a quick bite and then run off to forage
again. So they get plenty of exercise and don't get overly fat, although I'm sure they are heavier than they should
be if I wanted to show. But seem to be the perfect weight for breeding and general good health.
My adult ducks have been eating the following available at all times:
- PURINA DUCK GROWER W/O - #8858 - a pellet feed so there is little waste. (With crimped oats mixed in to no more
than 25% when a lower protein level is desired.)
- Crushed oyster shell
- Granite grit
- Pasture forage for grass and bugs (during daylight hours)
- Cracked corn or scratch (cold weather only)
