Help! Baby geese or ducks?!

Okay I am bowing all the way to bed! CU tomorrow. night all! jeanmarie

I will do wooly lama dances, furry donkey dances and feathered duck dances in celebration of Claire's new fam. It's a given. Sometimes I'm told I make DH 'weary' with my dances of joy but then suddenly he's foot tappin so methinks it's momentary dropsy. I think the neighbours also luv it. (They snowblow our sidewalks go figure). Don't ya just get happy feet thinkin about it ^_^

Oh, how I tremble at the honour of having my farm featured in your dances, Oh Firstest Champion of All.

(foot twitching)

Being a BIG MOMENT IN HISTORY bears the responsibility of sharing the dances of joy. I think we should ALL dance together. Soooooo whose dancin???? Let's set a date and let the fancy footwork begin. Come on. Don't be shy. I will start first. It's like the waissaling that Cousin Nut started. It's easy. Instead of 'mi mi mi' it's 'toe heel toe'. I will just wait patiently for peoples to sign my dance card ^_^ Come on. Don't be shy ^_^ I

Well I will do a dance, and Kelly can take photos, but it will not compare to yours, of course. Nor will it ever be a BIG MOMENT IN HISTORY or even a small moment in history.

Lucky ducks that you are around to take them in!

Here is a site with some cute photos of goslings for comparison:
http://userpages.cheshire.net/~goldengoose/goslings.htm

It will be an AWESOME moment in history dear Claire cuz you are the mama of the baby ducks ^_^ Goodness is gathering, ya see, everyone, you don't have to take pics but just work those feets ^_^ It's very easy/peasy. Come on ya know you just want to do it ^_^ You can post 'Dancing".

How fun! They are adorable and I second one of the previous posts. I'm amazed at what the Rescue place has on hand! Mine too just has dogs, cats, bunnies, and the occasional ferret. ha!

Check out this website... http://www.newagrarian.com/category/ducks/ I learned a lot about ducks here when I was researching if I wanted ducks or chickens...

When is the dancing date going to be? I will post a picture, I am brave.

Thanks for the links all! I will be checking those out!

Our Animal Rescue League is nothing short of amazing. Our area is so lucky to have them. I used to volunteer there when I had more time - now I just adopt animals and make donations! They have dogs and cats, with big cat condo units to watch them play on these fun cat house/playground things. They have special rooms for you to take your own pet and interact with a pet you are considering adopting, to see how it works out. They have a pocket pet room that has gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs, mice, rats and other little furries - sometimes ferrets, chinchillas, sugar gliders. They have reptiles at times - iguanas and such. They also have a full rabbit room with lots of bunnies. They have volunteers to just socialize the rabbits - that is what I used to do. They have a barn with a number of stalls and an exercise ring and they take in horses, donkeys, goats, any kind of animal on the farm. They take in nearly anything, but wildlife is not for adoption, it gets transferred to wildlife rehab at the University clinic in Ames.

Sorry no dancing here. Bad back, feet and knees and really bad balance. I fall down a lot.LOL

Um, Wren, I think that's really grumpy and non-participatory of you. Haven't you heard of chair dancing? You sit in your chair and wave your arms about and wobble your head around and you can even make woot woot noises. You can wiggle your toes or tap them too, and you can even wiggle your ears if you know how. Dancing is highly subjective...you do it however you can. Now get that attitude fixed up and do a chair dance!

I'm in! Put me on the dance card! (practicing my chair dance) (bobbing head in crazy manner) make sure you stretch people! Dont want to pull a muscle! hehhehehe
Those web sites are great. The beaks on the geeses are definately more narrow. I never would have guessed! Thank you garden_mermaid. Thank you champion of knowledge. (Still bowing)

Excellent head bobbing Sewincircle! Keep it up! You are getting the pigeon look down pat!

Oh yes, next comes the Funky Chicken! Bawk Bawk! Coo Coo!
I got the arms flapping too. I am ready for take off!

I can wiggle the ears and toes but that is about all. LOL

Wren, that so works for you! Lookin good! ;)

It takes me a wall but I can get things moving as long as I do not make any sudden moves, I was not able to ride my bike or go for walks will up in Ga, plus sleeping in a bad kind of bed and the cold and my poor body is telling me about it. I did get on the bike this morning so I will get everything moving again.

Look like ducks to me.
I'm not sure what breeds.
The white one looks like a Pekin
and maybe the black a Swedish.
But they could be cross breeds too.
Post pics when they feather out.

I don't have time to read all the replies so sorry if this is repeated info.
For starters DO NOT feed ducklings or gosling medicated feed.
They are old enough to feed a grower ration.
Purina makes a duck grower.
Be careful to not feed too much protein (like game bird feed) because this can cause angel wing.. Just feed chick grower (preferably a pellet)if you can't find duck grower. Lots of greens if you can afford it.
Exercise and fresh water daily.
Don't let them swim or get chilled until they are feathered out.
They can get water logged and even drown in too deep of water.
Provide a heat lamp for them.
See more info on my websites raising waterfowl tip page plus theres tons of info online.
http://www.freewebs.com/cottage_rose_birdsnblossoms/

GOOD LUCK!

Noticed from your pics..
Do not use paper for bedding.
It can cause spraddle leg.
Use pine shavings.

Don't forget to provide chick size grit (sparingly)

This message was edited Dec 31, 2008 10:25 AM

CMoxon, you have dmail.

Kim

No swimming for the baby ducks yet. Very important to know and Santa Duck is helping too ^_^ Was she the lady with Eliza Ducklittle? That is a luvly story from the Pet Forum (I think). O this is so exciting. The Great Barn Dance shall be Saturday January 3? Does that work for everyone? I am working on a new special dance just for the occassion.Wren be careful not to hurt your back. Tapping feets in a chair is definitely dancing too. YOU GO GIRL sewincircle!

LOL dahlia, yes, I am the momma of Eliza Ducklittle. I will help in anyway that I can...

Eliza's story is on Mid-South. She has 4 threads, here is her most recent http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/930250/

OK, well, so far, they are all fine this morning. They didn't have a heat lamp overnight but nobody seems cold or shivery. They are inside the house so probably OK.

Yesterday they did have some medicated chick feed because (a) I didn't know they shouldn't and (b) it was all I had. Today I gave them non-medicated chick feed. I am going to the feed store today on the way home to get something different. If they don't have anything, I assume the non medicated chick feed is OK for a bit until they can order something for me.

I will get a bale of pine shavings for their enclosure today.

They are not swimming now- they just have a bowl for water. I will start to take them for small baths when they start to get more feathers.

Thanks so much for the breed IDs, DuckMother and Cottage Rose. DuckMother confirmed the Blue Swedish ID on the two black coloured ones! Yay! I have no idea what a Blue Swedish is and must now go look it up. She believes the rest to be Pekins and/or Campbells, except for the stripe one who may be a domestic mallard. You guys are all so terrific for helping me out with this.

How strange, don't you think, that this bunch of mixed ducks would show up at this time of year at the shelter. I suspect someone must have incubated them. I can't imagine that ducks are laying and successfully hatching at this time of year, can you? But then the different ages....well....it is strange.

I will keep posting pictures as they grow and develop!
Claire

Oh, wow! Eliza is a stunner!

I hope, DuckMother, that you can help me identify the gender of my ducks as they get older!

Thank you, Moxon. Eliza is now 8 months old and stays at the lake, now. She is a wild Wood Duck, so she will only return home for nesting (if I am lucky)

You betcha! I will help in any way possible! Gender is actually pretty easy...#1 only (domestic) girls quack #2 (All domestic ducks are related to Mallards except for the Muscovy) All mallard males have at least one curled tail feather and so will your domestic males...once in a blue moon, a female will have a curled tail feather. There are other ways, too but will give these a try first.

Kim

Wow.. there are a lot of Duck folks.. How fun is that! I love ducks.. I'm glad they are all ducks.. LOL Not that it has anything to do with me... I just love ducks!

OOOhh on the Mid-South Forum. No wonder I couldn't find it on the Pet Forum. Thanks so much for the link to Eliza's story duckmother so we can follow along.

Hey, does anyone remember when that Ideal Hatchery duck special was on. I realized that they have the breeds that are in this mix. I wonder if somebody bought them then and incubated them. I was trying to figure out if they were the right age to time with that special.

You are just going to loooooove having a duck party. Yes you can keep them with your chickens, but the chickens will NOT appreciate the mess the ducks will make of their pen around the waterer, they are much better off in their own area since they don't mind the water and mud, and chickens could definately do without it! They never like to be held, and the way I bonded with mine was by hanging out in their area with 'em and letting them piddle paddle at my feet. Then when they get a little older you can feed them tomatos, they looove tomatos! Make sure you keep their waterer nearby as they like to drink out of it shortly after swallowing chunks of food. They like to make holes in the yard by digging in mud with their beaks, thus creating new areas for more puddles. I have tried many times before, but it seems I can never quite express my true love for the ducks. Enjoy! I'm totally excited for you : )

Tomatoes? That makes me giggle Patchouli. Pasta too? I'm picturing Claire whipping up a batch of pasta with tomato sauce for the ducks for their Foundling Day Anniversary ^_^

I have ducks and geese, Those bills look like ducks to me. They grow real fast, I, had baby duckings hatch in the summer and they were swimming in their kiddie pool at two days old! You have never seen anything as cute as little bitty duckings diving in and out and under the water. They love cut up vegetables such as lettuce and tomatoes. Mine were also eating non medicated chick feed. I can't stress the need for a water source and a little ramp to get in and out of the water. Ducks are not happy without lots of water to drink and splash around in. They WANT to swim no matter how cold it is outside, but give them a nice protected area with some straw or hay to sleep. You will love them

Well, today I got proper duck feed - it's called Startena and it's a Purina food. That is what my feed store carries. Non medicated of course. They are eating it by the beakful. They are all very happy by all appearances, and enjoy their water dish too. I can scarcely keep it full.

What amuses me most is the way they move in a pack formation. If I come close, they all move as if they were one creature. All at the same time. We need more bonding. I bought shavings and will put that in tomorrow. All is well on the duck frontier.

Last night I let them swim in a rubbermaid tote but one got very wet and I think it wasn't ready, which is why I had to warm it up and dry it off in a blankie. It's fine today. I think they are adorable. I can't wait to get them swimming properly. I want to hang out in the tub with them!

I just luv the formation moves Claire. I think it's even cuter in the water. Usually there is one little one the end who is out of synch and frantically paddling to get back into formation. I think ducks invented the wave that we humans copy at sports events.

I love the pics Claire!

Many years ago, on a country road by the creek.. I saw a mom duck get hit by a car and she had babiez in tow.. it took me 2 hours to catch all the babiez, running through a corn field.. I brought them home and raised them.. I loved those ducks soooo much. One day when they were full grown they all flew away... I know they were big and healthy and did what was natural.. it was an experience I will never forget.. (My mom won't forget either.LOL)

I have a soft spot for ducks.. Cody loves them too.

I'm so glad you have a place for them.. they will warm up to you.. just use the same words every time you give them goodiez.. it doesn't take long.. how fun!

Trust me, your ducks are ready for a real pool, They are at least 2 weeks old. They will always move as a pack, it makes them feel safe. That is the nice thing about ducks, they really like each other. As they grow up, you will have the males trying to establish their hierarchy, but in the end, they all get along together and are very happy little animals. As long as you give them "treats" they will always be happy to see you and hear your voice. Maybe they will help you with your gardening too, I have a couple that are right their beside me whenever I do any digging in the garden,,,,, of course, they are looking for worms and grubs, but I love their company.

Ducks stay in a pretty tight flock, untill the females go off to nest. Turtles only take small ducklings so you shouldn't have to worry about that, but raccoons will take them when tey are larger too. The flock instinct will help to keep them safe as thery really raise a ruckus when something is about. Mine are excellent alarms in the yard at night. If I hear the ducks, I get up and check. In all the years I have had ducks, I have only lost one to a preditor and that one was taken by a fox while nesting.

The reason they got so wet in the water is that they get much of their oil when they are young from the mothers feathers. The ducklings hatched and raised by my silkies had to wait till they were about 5 or six weeks before getting into the pool.

You'll be able to tell if they need the light or not if they sit under it. It's a good idea for now as I think they chill easier than chicks, especially when they play in their water.

The medicated feed won't hurt them for a few days.

It's not that odd that they would show up this time of year. If given a protected area, ducks will lay and try to set nearly all year. One of mine started laying in November this year. The will activly start nesting in early March with snow still on the ground. With such an odd mix of ages and breeds, I wonder if they may have been hatched out by a bunch of broody silkies. Mine are notorious for stealing nests and my ducks will drop eggs in the silkie pen if they get in there. Silkies set all year. I have two chicks at about 2 weeks old and annother on a nest now.

My duck was making a big mess in the chicken coop with the waterer. So I placed the waterer inside a planter base to catch the water she splashes out. The coop is much dryer!
Claire, your ducklings are absolutely beautiful! You are going to have so much fun with them this summer!

They don't need to swim.
Just something to splash around in
and never in a container they can't get out of easily
on their own.

Baby goslings in dog crock...

Goslings & wee crocks...

When it gets warm out and they are feathered out you can give them a kiddy pool...