Hand rearing ducks as 'pets'

[ahs]

My husband recently came home with 2 incubated ducklings (don't know the breed, they are brownish/black with white around the head and neck and blue flashes on the lower edge of their wing feathers. Their legs, feet & beaks are black - quite beautiful!).  They are now about 8 weeks old and almost have all their feathers.  We have been keeping them in the stable in a pen, with hay as a bed and feeding them (now) on grower's pellets, lettuce and bread.  They have a large tray of water and we first of all let them learn to swim in the bath.  Now we have a paddling pool for them.  They seem to like this - but we don't know what we should do next!  I think they need a larger pen and we can't just let them in the garden (fear of foxes & badgers!).  We have a waterfall by the house and the stream leads to the river (all on our land).  We want them to be free as they grow older but we also would like them to be tame enough to come to us for feeding, etc.  We are not going to clip their wings, so if they fly, they fly - but we hope they will stay around.  How can we aid this process?  What should we do now?  Can anyone help - please? 

[dmsjps]

I'd go to an expert for advice ahs. You're doing all you can but it sounds like you've never had them before, so I can understand your worries. Maybe the RSPB or your local vet will have contacts to guide you. I don't think the ducks will leave you because you're doing everything you can to give them a comfortable place to stay. They may come and go, but they'll probably always see your pad as 'home'. I'm glad you're not going to clip their wings just so they won't leave you; that's the equivalent of cutting off a human's legs.

[Artful]

Here's a site which could give you some help http://www.gamebird.com/ducksgeeseswans.html

Best of luck.

[spudqueen]

Could you not let them have the run of the garden during the day and put them in a hen house at night? This is what my neighbour does with her hens. Her garden backs onto a field in which foxes have been seen, but as long as her hens are locked up at night they seem safe enough. Having said that I have heard that ducks will destroy a lawn!

[ahs]

Thanks for the help so far!

I've tried the web site, but apart from a few Q & A's ( not relevant to my problem), there's nothing but an advert for a magazine.

We already take their pen outside during the day and let them have a swim in the pool, but only when we are around to keep an eye on them.  I don't think I could go out and leave them - just in case!

As soon as my husband gets some time, we will build them something more appropriate outside, but in the meantime I will call the RSPB for advice.  I would still appreciate any tips from anyone with any knowledge or experience raising ducks!

Thanks again

[Nett]

We reared 4 mallard ducklings to adulthood. They did fly away and never came back but that was ok, they were wild ducks after all.
The ducks would follow us around the garden so we started by running along and they would flap and stretch their wings. Eventually they learnt they could get off the ground and one day they just took off by themselves. I hope they made it out there in the big wide world.
Apart from clipping there wings or keeping them penned I can't think of a way to make them stay.