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The call duck is a lively and dynamic duck breed. It is small and could weigh at maturity to about 1.7 kg (1.8 lb) with a flabby bowl-like body. It is easily distinguishable from other breeds because of its wide, curved head, small, broad bill and stunted legs. It has a loud quack, and the females are more high-pitched than males. This breed comes in various colors such as blue, pale, gray, white, khaki, brown, caramel, and spotted. Thus, you should not lean on feather colors when you want to spot a call duck. A call duck can lay at least 30-80 eggs every year’

The call duck originated from Europe as a domestic breed related to the Mallard. It was first recognized as a duck breed in the 17th century. Although this breed is used for ornamental and domestic purposes, some raisers keep call ducks because they have large eggs.

To keep call ducks, you should first set-up a duck pen. This pen should have at least four square feet of space for each duck placed in the pen to ensure comfort and safety. If you live in a warm region, an open pen with a sturdy fence is enough. Duck raisers keeping call ducks in arctic regions should build or purchase a duck coop, which is enclosed and properly insulated to give a comfortable shade to the ducks during the cold season.

If you need to purchase Call ducks, you may buy ducklings or adult ducks that can produce eggs. Both of these can be acquired from any farm supply store. If you know someone who raises Call ducks, it is better to buy from them, since you can get them cheaper and they are properly raised in farms than in cages in a supply store. Also, Call ducks can be purchased from any hatchery. You can check any hatchery near your area. Normally, the price for Call ducks range from $3 to $4, depending on size and number.

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If you have decided to raise Call ducklings, you can first start to brood them. If you started with mature Call ducks, there’s no need to brood them anymore. Ducklings need warmth to keep them healthy and to imitate the heat from the mother duck. You can hang a 250-watt light bulb and adjust its height until the coop is 95 degrees Fahrenheit in temperature. Lower the temperature weekly by at least five degrees until the ducks have grown and the bulb is not needed anymore.

Make sure to provide your flock with enough water supply. A duck water dish or a low sink is enoughyou’re your ducklings. You should place pebbles or marbles at the bottom of the sink to draw the ducklings and motivate them to drink. Juvenile or mature Call ducks should be a basin with a medium-level of water, enough for their heads to be submerged.

And for some additional nutritional feeding reminders; Call ducks should be given duck feeds free from medications intended for chicken. The duck feed should have at least 25% protein ingredient. Give the starter feeds to your ducklings in the first month before replacing with a duck grower feed with at least 15% protein mixture.

Once they grow into mature ducks, they will also hunt for small bugs and tiny grass and weeds in the pen or yard. You can also give them fresh vegetable chops composed of vegetable stalks and fruits.

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By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

Ducks are not very picky when it comes to their food; they just usually exploit the different food sources they can find around them, such as weeds, small aquatic plants, fishes, insects, slugs, and even snails.

Some breeds of ducks such as the smew, goosander and the ganders, are well-adapted to hunt and eat large fish.

Most ducks have the feature of a wide, flat bill that helps them in scouring for food, pulling plants, catching worms and small snails from the ground, hunting for small insects and other jobs such as grooming and defending themselves from predators.

Diving ducks and sea ducks hunt deep underwater. To submerge easily, the diving ducks are built heavier than the dabbling ducks, and they also have more difficulty in flying.

Dabbling ducks on the other hand feed on the surface of the water or on the shore, or as deep as they can submerge their bodies. On the side of the bill, there is a specialized structure, resembling a comb with fine bristles, used to strain the water spurting from the side of the bill and traps the food. This is called the pectin, which is also used to clean the feathers.

I trust that what you’ve read so far has been informative. The following section should go a long way toward clearing up any uncertainty that may remain.

Ducks are basically monogamous, even though these bonds generally last for a specific period only such as a year or a season. Larger breeds and the more docile breeds are inclined to have a single partner for a longer time. Most breeds copulate at least once a year, during a certain favorable situations depending on the region they live.

Despite the popular notion, only the female ducks of most dabbling varieties ?quack?. For instance, the scaup, a diving duck, makes a noise that makes a sound like ?scaup? (thus the origin of the name), and even among the dabblers, the males do not quack. Generally, ducks make a wide range of sounds or calls varying from whistles, and grunts. These sounds, also known as calls, may be loud displaying calls or subtle communication during the mating season.

Ducks have a broad-based distribution, occurring across most of the regions of the world, except in arid regions like Antarctica, and in most deserts. Most species can thrive in sub-Antarctic areas such as South Georgia and the Aucklands. Most ducks have also thrived to inhabit on oceanic islands such as New Zealand and the Hawaiian Islands, even though most of these species are endangered or have been declared as extinct.

A few duck species, primarily those breeding in the moderate climate regions are very migratory; those in the tropics are not. Some ducks, especially in Australia and New Zealand are nomadic because of the rainy season.

Ducks have different predators to look out for. Ducklings are very vulnerable since they cannot fly or run fast and they are basically food for large birds and large fishes such as pikes, and other aquatic predators such as crocodiles. The coop can be raided by land predators, and brooding ducks may be trapped on the nest by foxes, or predatory birds such as eagles and hawks.

Mature ducks can fly, but can be trapped on the water by large predators such as large fishes. In flight, ducks are safe from a few predators except from humans and hawks.

Now you can be a confident expert on Keeping Ducks. OK, maybe not an expert. But you should have something to bring to the table next time you join a discussion on Keeping Ducks.

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By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

Whether you have freshly hatched ducks just out from their egg shells, or you have day-old ducks from a farm or a shop, raising and keeping them can be quite a very challenging task, and that’s because they always need special attention and care. Nonetheless, with persistence, it should be fairly easy for you to keep and raise your baby ducklings until they are mature ducks.

The first thing you need to do is to find a warm and comfortable resting place for your baby ducks. When they are newly hatched, ducks are totally wet. Typically, it takes at least 3 hours for them to naturally dry, and before you can take them to a farm incubator, they need to be completely dry. Also, you should take note that a sudden removal of the baby ducks from the incubator can shock their young system.

A surrounding with room temperature is a significant change as compared to the comfort of the incubator that is around 85 ? 90 degrees. Thus, if your baby ducks were hatched during spring, it is wise to have an incubator or a warm place where you can keep them temporarily. A small room, small enough to keep the needed temperature would be great.

A small box would be a safe place to keep your baby ducks. At first, you should keep them in a small place. To do this, you can use a sturdy cardboard box, with thick paper or cloths in the bottom. I would suggest putting a plastic sheet on the bottom too if you use a cardboard box to avoid the box from getting wet, when the baby ducks begin playing with water. You can use a small lamp, and place it near the box so that it can provide the needed warmth. Avoid using lamps that are brighter than 40 watts to avoid extra temperature.

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At first, the baby ducks will huddle together because it is their natural instinct. They have the tendency to do this behavior during their early days in the incubator. Also, they will spend most of their days sleeping. If the baby ducks are hatched during summer, when the weather is hot, they tend to be more active.

In feeding baby ducks, you should give them starter pellets since they are well formulated to have all the needed nutrients that their young body requires. You can place their food in a small container such as a bowl. You should expect them to be unruly when eating; they commonly play with their food and splash water around.

Baby ducks need to have enough source of water. Like any pet, they need water to survive. However, they are not yet ready for swimming. Primarily, you should place a small container of water in their box. Avoid using large water containers since they can get drowned while playing.

After a few weeks, the baby ducks are ready to move out from the box. If the weather is fine, that means it’s warm; they can play outside, and start enjoying your yard. However, you should keep them initially in a small area of your yard because they are too young, and they are a potential meal for predators such as cats.

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By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

The following article includes pertinent information that may cause you to reconsider what you thought you understood. The most important thing is to study with an open mind and be willing to revise your understanding if necessary.

When a duckling is at the stage where they would now be living under a brooder or a hen, you should ensure that they have quick access to food and clean drinking water, to do this, you will need special feeders and a water basin. Keep the containers clean, also make it a daily habit to clean and replenish their food and water dishes. You should find these items with a special design to avoid the ducklings from toppling over. If this happens, your ducklings can drown inside the basin as they are not yet accustomed to swimming.

Adult ducks use special oils when they swim in water. However, they can only do this skill when they are already about six months old. This special oil can be transmitted to the duckling from their mother, thus, if they are being brooded, they don’t have the means of getting this oil. Their feathers can easily get wet, and they can die because of pneumonia. Water containers with wire guards are also a great choice. Place the water containers over low, wire-guarded frames to keep them from getting inside. Also, this can decrease the mess they would make. Make sure to change the water containers with the suitable size as the ducklings grow.

In some farms, commercial producers have food pellets especially formulated for baby ducks. You should check with a supplier in your area for this. If the duck pellets are not available, serve your baby ducks with some chick starter first for at least 2 ? 3 weeks. Place the food on egg container flats or any other dish with coarse materials: smooth surfaced materials can cause leg injury, as baby ducks are very active and they can always slip on the material when the surface is wet. After the starting period, you can give them duck pellets or chicken grower. You can also mix cracked corn and chopped vegetables. Always have food available to your ducks and give them grits as they grow.

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Basically, ducks are easy to grow because they are durable and are not vulnerable to most typical bird diseases. The use of drug-enervated duck pellets is not necessary to boost their immune system. Very rare are additives that have been permitted for nutritional or medical purposes in duck pellets. Waterfowls such as ducks can be more sensitive to medications than other poultry. Improper use of specific medicated pellets designed for chickens can cause harm to ducks.

Most breed of ducks that are raised in the late spring and have access to green weeds in your yard basically are healthier. Although ducks are not as good foragers as geese are, they can eat some vegetables you may give and also, farm ducks are commonly permitted to roam the yard where they can find food. You can chop green feeds and give them to your ducks when they should be inside when there is a bad weather. Contrary to common beliefs, a water pond is not very important to raise ducks successfully.

Under marketing factors, Peking ducklings can be sold in the market when they reach 7 weeks. They can weigh 6-8 pound and have eaten 25-30 pounds of feeds. Rouen ducks kept under farm conditions can take at least 5 months to keep up with Peking duck weight. Muscovy ducks take rather longer.

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By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

Like most animals, ducks when pairing bonds with members of the opposite sex for survival of their species, this is an innate instinct in all animals, including the human beings. The kind of pairing formed, however, are not what one would think. Duck mating systems vary. Some breeds pair for life, while others pair with a single duck, every year or a season, a behavior that at first thought would seem too tiring and time consuming. Only around 44 percent of duck breeds- form long-term, monogamous bonds. That is, the drakes of the remaining breeds must form new bonds every year by courting a new female.

Monogamy, or partnering for life, is very common for some ducks, but this kind of monogamy only happens during every year or a single season. They are monogamous in that particular mating season, and in the next, the drakes will try to find other ducks to mate. This mating behavior is also called seasonal bonds, or seasonal monogamy wherein new bonds are formed each season. This kind of monogamy happens in about 55 per cent of all duck breeds. In this mating system, partnerships basically form on the wintering areas in their first year, and those bonds are maintained only through egg laying and duck rearing.

Each winter, the drake must find a new duck and maintain a new bond for that particular mating season. Drakes that form seasonal bonds will not participate in rearing the ducklings, but will safeguard the territory around the females during spring, females will instantly find a new drake for that season, and nesting will not be blocked in that year. Seasonal monogamy is very typical for dabbling ducks, diving ducks and sea ducks.

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A remarkable twist on seasonal monogamy happens in some tunnel nesters and farm ducks that do not form bonds until their second year. Some researches have proven that some duck couples reunite every year on winter and return to their previous breeding territory. This mating system happened only in breeds that shows strong fascination to both wintering and breeding grounds. Philopatry refers to the behavior which animals return to the exact location, either on the breeding or wintering ground, from the past year, enabling couples to find one another. Re-coupling is also thought to occur in Harlequin and Eider ducks.

The other mating system observed in ducks is polygamy, wherein multiple mating partners can happen. Polygamy is rare among ducks and observed only in 8 percent of breeds, including the Muscovy, Comb, and Maccoa, all of these are stiff-tailed ducks. In this mating system, mating bonds are weak or not formed at all, but instead drakes defend the mating grounds along the shores and engage in complicated courtship to attract the females in the mating grounds. Ducks visit these territories, and the drakes will mate with different ducks.

In North America, the Peking is the only duck to exhibit polygamy, and they are widely used in meat production, and for their eggs.

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By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

You should be able to find several indispensable facts about Keeping Ducks in the following paragraphs. If there’s at least one fact you didn’t know before, imagine the difference it might make.

The Mallard breed, probably the most-popular and most familiar of all duck breeds, is an ornamental duck that breeds all over the sub-tropics and temperate regions of North America, Asia, Europe, New Zealand and Africa. It is also presently the most common duck breed in New Zealand. It is scattered in these areas because they are migratory birds. They usually go north during the breeding season and farther south during winter. For instance, in North America, it migrates to Mexico during the winter season, but regularly drifts into the Central region and the Caribbean Islands during spring.

The Mallard is known to be related to other duck breeds, except to the Muscovy which is not related to any kind of ducks.

This breed has a wingspan of 80-100 cm, and can weigh almost 1.5 kg during its growth peak. The breeding male is distinctive, with a green tinge on the head, black side ends and the bill is yellow or orange with black tips, as compared to the dark brown bill of Mallard females. The female is light brown, like most female ornamental ducks. However, both sexes has vivid violet speculum, tipped with white, which is distinctive during flight. During the non-breading season, the drake (male duck) changes into a dull color, looking more like the female duck, but still recognizable by its yellow bill and scarlet chest. Male ducks have a nasal quack, while the sound from the female is more vivid and louder.

In confinement, domestic Mallards appear in a wild kind looking feathers, in white, and other shades. Many of these color varieties are also commonly known in farm-raised mallards not raised as poultry, but kept as household pets, or aviary purposes, where they are deemed unusual but is gaining in popularity.

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The Mallard likes to stray in wetlands such as parks, ponds and streams, and typically feeds by picking plant foods or grazing the ground. They commonly brood on river banks, but not very close to the rim. It is a very sociable animal when they are not breeding and will form in large a flock that is called a sord.

Mallard breeds seek a partner until the female lays eggs at the time when she is left alone by the drake. The usual egg clutch is 9-12 eggs that are incubated by the female for almost a month with 1 ½ month of fledgling. The baby ducks can swim and feed by themselves as soon as they hatch, although they still need their mother for safety.

When they find a mating partner, often some drakes will end up alone. This flock will somehow target a single female duck ? courting her until she gives up, at the point each drake will take his turn in copulating with her.

Keeping Mallard ducks is recommended for ornamental purposes, since they can provide a relaxing experience for people who own a small pond. They are not so popular for meat and egg production, since there are other breeds such as the Peking and the Black East Indie that are more productive than this breed.

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By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

If you’re seriously interested in knowing about Keeping Ducks, you need to think beyond the basics. This informative article takes a closer look at things you need to know about Keeping Ducks.

A number of the many duck raisers in the US are making profit from duck raising ever since the increasing price of duck feeds and in general, production materials.

Until the 1970s, duck production for eggs was a very lucrative industry in the USA since most breeders have chosen duck eggs over chicken eggs because of its size. Duck eggs as we commonly know are larger than chicken eggs.

However, the rapid industrial growth which began in the 1980s gradually displaced the lucrative industry since most duck farms were sold to commercial and real-estate developers. Presently, only a handful of the country’s original egg farms and hatcheries still engage in the poultry business, many of whom had owed mortgages and loans from banks and financial firms. Also, pollution displaces the once natural and healthy environment for ducks. Some industrial factories near poultry farms eject chemical and toxic wastes, causing serious threat to the local duck poultry.

Presently, while the country still produces duck eggs, the center of duck rising has moved in some agricultural states such as Texas and California.

In the recent duck farming systems, where a farm may confine at least hundreds or thousands of ducks, the drakes (male) and the ducks are maintained at a ratio of about one drake with six to seven ducks. Light rhythms in mating sheds during spring and summer, with artificial lighting for 18 hours out of 24, blocking the duck’s natural copulating patterns. This is performed to stimulate and keep the egg production and fertility in breeder ducks. Therefore, mating is possible throughout the year. This artificial reproduction can lead to diseases of the reproductive organs

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Some duck breeds, especially the Mallard (also known as the Campbell), is the best breed for egg production. A mallard duck can lay at least 230-240 eggs during their first 52 weeks.

Some duck farms in California producing eggs have developed a Hybrid called the Golden 300, by crossing and using the characteristics of various different duck breeds. These breeds can produce 290-300 eggs in their first 52 weeks.

The granting of motherly instinct is denied to today’s marketed breeding ducks. Experts suggest that those ducks which were reared by their own mothers have fostered a stronger bond. In the wild, the female mallard normally takes care for her ducklings for about 60 days. In commercial-meat oriented farms, the ducklings are slaughtered before this period ends.

Duck producers collect eggs every day, placing them in egg incubators for hatching. The breeding female meanwhile continues to lay eggs, which are then removed immediately. Through this genetic selection, a modern, breeding female is enervated to lay at least 290 eggs. It will never hatch or tend to take care of a single duckling. In the wild, a female Mallard lays eggs at least twice, or sometimes three times every year.

The total egg production is a maximum of a 30 a year, all of which she will take care of. This significant increase in egg production from 30 to 290 has caused serious animal rights problems, because it carries complications in the female reproductive organ of duck hens.

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By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

Have you ever wondered if what you know about Keeping Ducks is accurate? Consider the following paragraphs and compare what you know to the latest info on Keeping Ducks.

Hatching ducklings from fertilized eggs, is a rewarding way to begin your own duck-keeping experience. When growing baby ducks, you can pick different ways of beginning your own flock, but, you also have the option to start a flock with mature ones. Suburban duck hobbyists can purchase mature ducks, adolescent ducks, ducklings or fertile duck eggs to begin keeping ducks. But to some, the experience is more fulfilling if they start with the brood from eggs first.

Hatching Duck Eggs and Brooding Hatched Ducks

To hatch your own fertile eggs, you will need an incubator. An egg incubator is essential for hatching duck eggs. But, you should remember that you cannot provide enough space for duck eggs in the egg incubator as you would with chicken eggs, because most of the duck eggs are larger than chicken eggs.

Most duck eggs take at least 28 days to hatch. This is about seven days longer than hatching chicken eggs. But, some eggs of various breeds can take longer. For instance, Muscovy ducks can take almost 1 month and 5 days to hatch.

Heat the egg incubator to 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit. You should check the level of moisture in the incubator first before placing the eggs. At the least, it should have 55 per cent moisture or humidity for the ducks to properly develop and hatch.

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How you decide to brood your newly-hatched ducklings is up to you, but you should be cautious as it is the most essential step in keeping ducklings. Most people would brood ducklings using a chicken hen. A few backyard duck hobbyists choose a chick brooder to raise their ducklings. These two brooding options have their distinct advantages and disadvantages.

If you will use a chick brooder to provide warmth to your ducklings, ducklings need a shorter period of time than chicks. Also, you don’t need a specialized set-up to brood your ducklings. You can use a cardboard box or a wood box. It is essential to have at least three to four inches of fillers that are dry and comfortable for the ducklings. You can use wood shavings or paper scraps as litter.

To provide sufficient supply of warmth and heat in the duck brooder, you can use a heater or a 250-watt light bulb. This set-up must be enough to brood up to 2 dozens of ducklings. You can also use a hover brooder, normally used for raising chickens. You should remember this, because ducklings are larger in size than chicks, a brooder set-up can only give space enough for around half of the space capacity for chicks.

Your newly-hatched ducklings require at least 6 sq. inches of brooder space and it should be raised to 10 to 12 sq. inc. of space as they grow bigger. You should adjust this setup depending to the growth rate of the ducks.

Baby ducks should be brood for about six to seven weeks after they are hatched. The period of time required in a brooder is shorter during summer.

There’s a lot to understand about Keeping Ducks. We were able to provide you with some of the facts above, but there is still plenty more to write about in subsequent articles.

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By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

There are different common diseases that affect the respiratory system of ducks. However, with modern systems of management, and the proper observation of the signs and symptoms, one can easily avoid the spread of these diseases.

FOWL POX

Ducks of all ages and breed are susceptible to duck pox. There are two forms of duck pox. The dry form is distinguished by raised, wart-like bruises on the skin devoid of feathers. The bruises commonly heal in about two weeks. If the bruises are removed before total rejuvenation, the surface beneath would be rare and bleeding. Retarded growth is the usual symptoms of duck pox. In duck hens, infection results in a temporary waning of egg production.

The other form is the wet form. In this type, blight-like lesions near the bill can be observed. This can cause a respiratory distress by blocking the upper air pathways. A duck may be affected with either form at the same time.

Fowl pox can be transmitted through direct contact between infected and vulnerable birds or by carriers such as mosquitoes. Virus-carrying lesions also can be transmitted from infected birds and serve as a source of contamination. The virus can invade the bloodstream through the body openings such as eyes, ears and skin wounds, or respiratory passages.

There are some evidences that the mosquito remains infective over time. These insects are the primary carriers of the fowl pox on the ducks. Several species of mosquitoes can transmit fowl pox. Often mosquitoes winter-over in duck pens, and widespread contamination can happen during the cold season and early spring.

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There is no known treatment for fowl pox. However, it is quite slow-infecting. Hence, it is possible to administer vaccination to stop a wide contamination. The wing-web vaccination treatment is normally administered and the thigh-stick technique is used for ducks older than 2 months.

Fowl pox in ducks confined in pens can be prevented by using a mosquito repellant spray. However, if the disease is endemic, that is common, in the area, a vaccination is suggested. Never vaccinate unless the disease is a wide problem in a large farm or in the area.

NEWCASTLE DISEASE

The Newcastle disease is also known as pneumoencephalitis. The viscerotropic type is a highly contagious and fatal form of this disease. This disease can affect all ages of ducks. Humans and other mammals are also vulnerable to this disease, but in form of mild conjunctivitis.

Basically, there are three forms of this disease: lentogenic, mesogenic, and velogenic. This disease is distinguished by an immediate onset of symptoms that includes hoarse quaking, mucus discharge from the nose, difficulty in breathing, inflammation if the face, immobility, trembling and involuntary twisting of the neck (as a sign of invasion in the central nervous system, where motion impulses are sent from the brain and vice versa). Fatal incidences vary from 10 to 80 percent based on the severity of infection.

In mature duck layers, signs and symptoms can include lower food and water consumption and a significant reduction of egg laying. This disease can be transmitted by direct contact or by airborne ways.

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About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his new GVO affiliate site: GVO

You should be able to find several indispensable facts about Keeping Ducks in the following paragraphs. If there’s at least one fact you didn’t know before, imagine the difference it might make.

Early planning is important in keeping happy and healthy ducks as pets. If you want to handle your ducks well, you need to purchase them as hatchlings so that you can have more time in getting a good grasp on how to raise ducks as pets, plus, they will grow a special bond with you.

Before you acquire the ducklings, make sure that you are well-equipped to do the task of raising and keeping the ducks by considering the following factors:

Adequate Space ? Ducks are sociable animals, it is advisable to keep at least three ducks to foster physical and mental growth. You will need at least a minimum space of 10 ft. per mature duck. You should also consider your yard space, since they need to roam around in the open, to play, scavenge for grass and weeds and to breathe fresh air. If you have a small pond, it will be an added fun since they are well-equipped to swim through it.

Safety ? you should make sure that your pet ducks will be free from physical dangers and predators. The shelter should be away from intense heat, rainfall, snow, and predators such as foxes, stray dogs, cats, owls, eagles, hawks and other wild animals. Confining them in a safe place at night is necessary

Now that we’ve covered those aspects of Keeping Ducks, let’s turn to some of the other factors that need to be considered.

Resources ? When you want to raise ducks as a pet, you need to devote money and time, especially if they are still ducklings and still needs some nurturing. You should provide them with food, adequate space for feeding and drinking, medicines when they are sick, and vaccines.

In housing your pet ducks, you should keep them inside for the first three to four weeks. If the weather is warm, they can then move in the open when they are two to three weeks old.

Providing your ducks with an adequate source of water can help them in their proper well-being.

Ducklings can be brooded without a mother hen as long as you provide proper incubation. A light bulb placed in a corner of the pen works best. Place the lamp in a certain area of the pen so the ducklings can escape the heat if the pen gets too warm. If you find the ducklings huddled under the lamp, it means that they feel cold. If they are crowded away from the lamp, the pen is too warm.

A used play pen is enough for housing the ducks. You might need to place the sides with screenings and wires to keep them from escaping. You can also use a plastic kiddie pool. Line it with absorbent litter such as wood shavings or saw dust and suspend a heat lamp over a corner. You can also use a dog or cat litter scoop to pick up their wastes every day.

Make sure that the floor is not wet to avoid any slipping. They should always have some kind of shelter that will keep them safe from the sun, rainfall, snow or hale if kept outside the home. A cheap lean-to can be built by placing a piece of plywood up on two wood blocks or logs.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his new GVO affiliate site: GVO