Hi All!
I decided that raising ducklings would be a great experience for my daughter and I, so after building a pen in the garage and gathering supplies (including heat lamp), we went and picked up our three ducklings!
They were a week old when we got them, and that was two weeks ago. I'm shocked how fast they are growing!
We live in the suburbs outside of Portland, OR. We have a good-sized backyard that's ALMOST fully fenced in. I'm hoping to get the fence finished in the next couple weeks, mainly because I want to get the ducks into the backyard soon.
I've been watching Craigslist etc. for duck/chicken coops, but we may end up building one specific to our space. I plan on getting a kiddie pool for them to swim in.
Once the yard is fully fenced, would it be safe to allow the ducks to roam? Or should we build them a fully enclosed area which would hold their coop, pool, and grass area?
I tried to hold the ducklings as much as possible when we first got them. They didn't like being picked up, but once in hand would calm down and even fall asleep. Work has been so busy the last couple weeks that I don't get to spent as much quality time with them anymore, and I've noticed they seem to get more frantic when I approach the pen than they used to. I make a point of moving slowly, speaking gently, etc. They don't panic when they see me enter the garage, just when I reach into the pen to change their food/water etc. I feel terrible that I'm scaring them- but I have to approach them to take care of them. Thoughts/advice would be greatly appreciated! I'm even wondering if they would be better off with a larger group of ducks on a farm somewhere.... I'm just feeling a little lost!
I decided that raising ducklings would be a great experience for my daughter and I, so after building a pen in the garage and gathering supplies (including heat lamp), we went and picked up our three ducklings!
They were a week old when we got them, and that was two weeks ago. I'm shocked how fast they are growing!
We live in the suburbs outside of Portland, OR. We have a good-sized backyard that's ALMOST fully fenced in. I'm hoping to get the fence finished in the next couple weeks, mainly because I want to get the ducks into the backyard soon.
I've been watching Craigslist etc. for duck/chicken coops, but we may end up building one specific to our space. I plan on getting a kiddie pool for them to swim in.
Once the yard is fully fenced, would it be safe to allow the ducks to roam? Or should we build them a fully enclosed area which would hold their coop, pool, and grass area?
I tried to hold the ducklings as much as possible when we first got them. They didn't like being picked up, but once in hand would calm down and even fall asleep. Work has been so busy the last couple weeks that I don't get to spent as much quality time with them anymore, and I've noticed they seem to get more frantic when I approach the pen than they used to. I make a point of moving slowly, speaking gently, etc. They don't panic when they see me enter the garage, just when I reach into the pen to change their food/water etc. I feel terrible that I'm scaring them- but I have to approach them to take care of them. Thoughts/advice would be greatly appreciated! I'm even wondering if they would be better off with a larger group of ducks on a farm somewhere.... I'm just feeling a little lost!
Thanks for sharing! 
to have you here with us. Enjoy your time here at BYC!
