What to do if your duck is sportin' the "wet look"...Thanks y'all!!!

[DrakeMaiden]

I sooo wanted to give him a bubble bath in the sink.

Hee hee. Maybe you should.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

I sooo wanted to give him a bubble bath in the sink.

Hee hee. Maybe you should.

Pictures are a requirement, if you have the means to take them.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

wow glad i read this! i didn't know where the ducks oil gland was either lol...

now i wanna go look!

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Ha ha ha . . . yes pictures are a must!

 

[Wifezilla]

This year when we got the campbells I thought that I made a well educated choice as they seemed to be favored for backyard pets. I was so disappointed with their personalities.

I have found khakis to be a bit stand-off-ish My Welsh Harlequins are friendlier. Another BIG FACTOR is how many you brood at a time. If you order a bunch of ducklings, they bond to each other, NOT people.

If you raise 2 or 3 at a time, they become very people friendly. If you raise a lot more than that, they just become this duck mob.

Nettie on BYC is raising ducklings and has each one in it's own brooder with a mirror. This way the duck isn't totally lonely, but bonds with people instead of other ducks.

Having accidentally gotten solo hatches and done the same thing, this really works. I had a buff/khaki mix and a runner/khaki mix that were total spoiled brats and loved people raised this way.

My harlequins I got as a trio from the hatchery. They are friendly. Two other harlequins I adopted as adults are almost as friendly as the three I got as babies even though they were part of a large flock.

They can be a bit loud, but mine are late sleepers apparently. They don't get mouthy until after 7:30am

 

[big brown horse]

Thank you everyone for your input. He looks great this evening. I gave them whole oats this morning as well as their other food mentioned above.

This afternoon I gave them cracked wheat and wheat germ. About 15 minutes ago, he looked normal again. I was shocked at how fast he recovered.

Thanks to all of your help!!!

 

[Wifezilla]

Awesome!

 

[Blackbird]

Yay! I'm glad all is well Sally!

 

[big brown horse]

Thanks you guys! I learned a lot from all of you.

 

[Dace]

I learn so much hanging out hear too Sally. Glad to hear that your little guy is better!!

Wifey, we got our ducks when we got the chicks in Feb. We got 4...aiming for 3 girls and a male but I think they were all girls. Stand offish for sure. The least friendly critters I ever had! Perhaps I'll try just 2 next go around. You make a very good point about the bonding, but I know from experience that if you have just a couple and lose one...well let's just say an unhappy duck is no fun!