Raising Welsh Harlequin Ducklings- Week 10 The Duck Run - Free Ranging Ducks

DOUG'S DUCKS

Raising Welsh Harlequin Ducklings- Week 10 The Duck Run- Free Ranging Ducks

Raising Welsh Harlequin Ducklings

On March 3, 2014 my Welsh Harlequin Ducklings hatched at Metzer Farms and arrived at my house on March 5, 2014. To view the Raising Welsh Harlequin Ducklings from the start- Arrival Day Click Here

Over the last threw weeks a few things have taken place.  First I was given some Easter Egg Chicken Hens from my friend and colleague Professor Magnus Thorson. They are about 6 weeks older than my ducks so they are just a few weeks away from laying their first blueish greenish eggs.

Second I have built a duck run so that the ducks and chickens have an enclosed space that I can let them enjoy the outdoors when I am not letting them free range.  I am still deciding if I am going to cover the run to protect from overhead predators such as hawks and eagles as I do see several of them flying around my homestead.

The run is approximately 65 feet in length, as you will see it is odd shaped to accommodate the space and terrain.  I used welded wire fencing and fence posts in the construction.  

Finally and most exciting of all, here is a video of the ducks leaving the house and heading to the water,  Watch as they stretch their wings and fly in excitement to go swimming.  Ducks may be messy but they are definitely fun to watch, 

Raising Welsh Harlequin Ducks- Week 7- Moving Day

DOUG'S DUCKS 

Raising Welsh Harlequin Ducks- Week 7- Moving Day

Raising Welsh Harlequin Ducklings

On March 3, 2014 my Welsh Harlequin Ducklings hatched at Metzer Farms and arrived at my house on March 5, 2014. To view the Raising Welsh Harlequin Ducklings from the start- Arrival Day Click Here

Today is April 21, 2014 and the ducks are now seven weeks old.

For the past six weeks the ducks have lived in my garage, and I must admit that I am happy to see them go into the duck house.  The ducks seem happy about the move as well.

Approximate dimensions of the duck house:

10' high in the front

6' high in the back.  

The rest of the structure is 8' x8'

Approximate cost to build the duck house $1100.00:

Almost all building supplies were purchased at Lowes

The following are some pictures of the finished duck house.

THE FRONT- FACING WEST

THE BACK- FACING EAST

ON THE RIGHT IS THE WATER PORCH

THE WATER PORCH -INSIDE VIEW

THE WATER PORCH HELPS KEEP THE INSIDE DRY. AS THE WATER SITS ON HARDWARE CLOTH

SOUTH FACING SIDE

NORTH FACING SIDE

PEEKING INSIDE FROM THE OUTSIDE

Phase two- the duck run-  Stay Tuned

Raising Welsh Harlequin Ducklings - Week Four

DOUG'S DUCKS 

Raising Welsh Harlequin Ducklings

On March 3, 2014 my Welsh Harlequin Ducklings hatched at Metzer Farms and arrived at my house on March 5, 2014. To view the Raising Welsh Harlequin Ducklings- Arrival Day Click Here

Today is Monday April 7th and the ducks are now 5 weeks old.

Here are some pictures of the ducks in weeks 3 and 4.

The weather has finally warming up,  the snow is finally gone , and I have finally started to  build the 8' X 8' duck house (duck coop).  

I couldn't decide on one building design so I combined the following two plans.

First was a plan I bought for $5.00 http://www.buildeazy.com/chicken_coop_8.html

The second was a plan found in  Storey's Guide to Raising Poultry, 4th Edition 

Because the ducks are almost fully feathered, and because the night time temperature is finally staying in the 40's (much warmer in the garage) I have shut of the warming lamp.

Stay tuned for further duck and building updates....

Raising Welsh Harlequin Ducklings - Week Two

DOUG'S DUCKS 

Raising Welsh Harlequin Ducklings

On March 3, 2014 my Welsh Harlequin Ducklings hatched at Metzer Farms and arrived at my house on March 5, 2014. To view the Raising Welsh Harlequin Ducklings- Arrival Day Click Here

Today is March 17, 2014 and my ducklings are now two weeks old.

Being two weeks old means they have double in size and since and are much bigger now from when they hatched.   I have had to move them from their brooder located inside the house to a temporary pen / brooder out in the garage.   Over the past two weeks they have eaten almost 20# of starter /grower and drink about 1 1/2 gallons of water a day.  They also enjoy making a mess and playing in the water, ducklings just want to have fun.

Additionally being two weeks of age means that (according to  Storey's Guide to Raising Poultry, 4th Edition: Chickens, Turkeys, Ducks, Geese, Guineas, Gamebirds) you change the duckling diet from one that contains 20+% protein to one around 16-17% protein.  Unfortunately Rhode Island feed stores don't carry any waterfowl feed so I will have to augment the current starter/grower feed with 25% old fashion oats.  I have also started giving them some brewers yeast to supplement their Vitamin B (niacin) intake to ensure they have strong legs to waddle with.

THE NEW BROODER AREA

DOUBLE THE SIZE IN TWO WEEKS

WEEK TWO VIDEO- DUCKS ON THE MOVE

They should start growing in their feathers soon and as soon as I can build the duck barn they will be moving to their permanent home.

Stay tuned for further updates....

Raising Welsh Harlequin Ducklings - Arrival Day

DOUG'S DUCKS 

Raising Welsh Harlequin Ducklings 

On March 5th, 2014 I received my Welsh Harlequin Ducklings from Metzer Farms.

I ordered 10 females and 2 males from Metzer Farms and was shipped 10 females, 2 males and one straight run duckling.  Two females died in transport.  

The Cost for the Ducklings:

• 12 @ $6.65 (Plus) $22.20 for sexing charge (Plus) $16.45 for shipping = $118.45

Metzer Farm was very accommodating and refunded me the cost of the two lost females.

The ducks arrived in the following box

 at the Post Office in Coventry, RI.

Here is the brooder that I have set up for them along with

 the supplies needed for their first few weeks:

Here the ducklings day one exploring and making themselves at home:

The approximate cost for the duckling and supplies needed for this project:

Ducks- $118.00

Brooder- $60.00

Food- $8.00

Feeders (both duckling and future duck size)- $25.00

Total Cost To Date: $211.00

Check back soon as I will be posting additional post on their progress and building the duck coop.

NOMADIC CHEF: The Ducklings Are Coming, Raising Welsh Harlequin ...

NOMADIC CHEF: The Ducklings Are Coming, Raising Welsh Harlequin ...: The Ducklings are coming, The Ducklings are coming After two years of anticipation and trying to decide whether  I wanted to raise chi...

The Ducklings Are Coming, Raising Welsh Harlequin Ducks

The Ducklings are coming, The Ducklings are coming

After two years of anticipation and trying to decide whether  I wanted to raise chickens or ducks I have decided to raise ducks.

I have decided to raise ducks, but just not any ducks, I have decided that the Welsh Harlequin duck from Metz Farms.  are the ducks for me.

According to Metz Farms the Welsh Harlequin is a fairly new breed, developed by Leslie Bonnett in Wales from two off-colored Khaki Campbell ducklings in 1949. They came to the United States in 1968 and were accepted into the American Poultry Association in 2001 in the Light Duck class. They are becoming a very popular breed due to their multipurpose characteristics.

They have excellent egg production abilities due to their Khaki Campbell background yet retain the instinct to sit and hatch a nest full of ducklings. They are calm, inquisitive and excellent foragers. 

They can also make an outstanding dressed bird as their under-feathers are almost exclusively white making their carcass as pretty as a pure white bird. Interestingly, they can be sexed after hatching with 90% accuracy by their bill color. Darker bills mean a male and lighter bills ending in a dark spot are normally females. Within several days this distinction disappears. They are also a beautiful bird, especially the feather patterns and colors on the adult females.

The ducklings are scheduled to arrive on March 5th 2014. I will have to pick them up at the Coventry, RI post office.

Here are some stock photos from Metz Farm

 Here is the future first home for the ducklings: My Home-Made Brooder