As of yesterday we've had our ducklings a month. They seem to be enjoying their life with us and I'm enjoying them. It's been interesting having three different breeds of duck to see how each grows and develops differently. After a month of growing, they each are different in their own ways.

Sammy Has The Most Feathers

By now the ducklings are partially feathered. Sammy the Pekin Duck has the most feathers. Her cute yellow body has slowly turned white as her baby fuzz is replaced by white feathers. Her wings still have a ways to go before they are fully covered. She still has yellow around her head but it is quickly disappearing.

Smokey and Bandit

Our Black Swedish Ducks, Smokey and Bandit look a little rough around the edges. They too are losing their baby fuzz and getting feathers. They have completely lost their yellow on their necks which has been replaced with white. Bandit has actually grown a lot more black on her neck. When we first got them both had white necks and I had a hard time telling them apart. These days Bandit has a ton of black on her neck while Smokey is mainly white with a few black dots.

Reese the Khaki Campbell Duck

Reese is the easiest to see feathers on because of it's design. She was a completely brown fuzzy duckling. Now, she has feathers with light brown designs mixed with her dark brown. As she gets more feathers, she will be covered in lovely light brown and dark brown feathers. She is still very skittish. I'm afraid that is normal for her breed though and no matter how much work I do with her, she is still a nervous little bird.

Still Peeping With Changing Voices

Bandit is the only duckling to stop making peep sounds. She now has an adult quack. The other ducklings still sound like babies though. I can tell this won't last. Sammy is showing signs her voice is ready to change. It's hard to describe the sound she makes. Dhe still peeps but she sounds a bit horse. It's kind of like when a teenage boy hits puberty and randomly gives a high pitched sound when talking. Sammy will be peeping but will randomly change pitches. It won't be long until she starts quacking like Bandit.

A Huge Appetite But Watch The Protein.

At a month old, the ducklings are eating like crazy. It's best to leave growing ducklings food and water at all times. It's amazing how much they eat. The local farm supply store only carries small bags of chick starter food and we keep running through the small bags. We have slowly been lowering the amount of protein they consume. They started with chick starter feed with 24% protein. As they've grown we've lowered it down to 20% protein. Next time we buy food they will have an even lower level of protein.

Giving growing ducks too much protein can lead to health problems. As babies they need more protein because they grow so fast and they need higher levels of protein to develop properly. As they get older, too much protein can is correlated to health problems like wing deformities (called angel wing), problems in leg development, and other issues in how they grow. Ducklings need a well balanced diet and too much protein is something to keep an eye out for.

Allowing The Ducklings To Forage

The great thing about ducks is that they are great foragers so you can allow them to eat your yard which cuts down on food costs. I've been letting the ducklings roam around in a pen in the backyard lately. They are too big to keep in the house but we've had some setbacks keeping us from building them a duck house and pen. Outside they are eating grass, weeds, and bugs. It's amazing how quick they are at catching flies out of the air. Those little eyes focus on a bug and in a flash they have it in their mouth.

Snowman the Cat Enjoys Watching The Ducklings In Their Pen

The Face That Says "Why Did You Bring Home These Noisy Things?"

I keep some kind of fencing on top of their pen to protect them from above. We have lots of birds of prey that fly around out here and I worry about hawks and other birds trying to eat them. Until we can build them a predator proof pen I have to bring the ducks in the house every night. Raccoons and possums are my biggest fear out here. They come out at night and would make an easy meal out of my little ones. At a month old, the ducklings are still small enough they can be inside but they are growing fast. Let's hope we can build their pen this week and they can move outside permanently.

Month Old Ducklings In Conclusion

Month old ducklings are still very much babies. They don't have all their feathers so they can't fully maintain body temperature if the weather is chilly out. They still peep like baby ducks but are quickly becoming ready to quack. They have a huge appetite and go through a ton of chick starter feed each day. I check their wings and feet daily to make sure they are developing right and so far they look healthy and properly thriving. They are old enough to forage outside during the day for grass, weeds, and bugs which provides them with good nutrients and helps fill them up so they aren't tearing through chick feed as quick. It'll be fun to see what this next month of growth brings and how the ducklings will enjoy living outdoors full time.