Duck Care

[Spearmint]

Hi all,
I've been rather concerned about a persons duck care. He's got 2 ducks, in a rather small enclosure made from chicken wire. Theres a kiddy pool in there but the waters quite dirty. Their only shade is a dog kennel.
I don't know too much about ducks, but this seems very small for them. I'd say it's about 120xm in length and 60cm wide give or take.
If anyone has links I can provide them with i'd love them. Aside from that they've also got a German Shepard who's prey drive is super high and is always staring at the ducks. I just know he could jump the short fence.

 

[Zara]

@fashionfobie has ducks, @Nikomania s son does too.... Others too but I can´t think of their usernames off the top of my head

 

[fashionfobie]

If you are looking for a link to share with your neighbours this is a good Basic care guide.

Beginners Guide to Keeping Ducks

This beginners guide to keeping ducks has everything you need to know to get started with ducks. Water and ponds, feeding, housing, predators and breeds.

poultrykeeper.com

The water tub your mention is probably ok, but it should be washed daily if it isn't filtered. The enclosure size 120m is fine, but 60cm I would consider too small. Another point is that your neighbour probably should adopt another duck. They can't be alone and two ducks means if one gets elderly or ill the other is all alone. I would keep a min of 3. Diet is another consideration, lots of fresh veggies are important but No Citrus.

Idk how to help with your dog. Training won't work for all dogs with prey drive, but some may respond to it. My dogs gets along well with ducks, but he was as a puppy and has known his duck brothers since they were young.

 

[Spearmint]

If you are looking for a link to share with your neighbours this is a good Basic care guide.

Beginners Guide to Keeping Ducks

This beginners guide to keeping ducks has everything you need to know to get started with ducks. Water and ponds, feeding, housing, predators and breeds.

poultrykeeper.com

The water tub your mention is probably ok, but it should be washed daily if it isn't filtered. The enclosure size 120m is fine, but 60cm I would consider too small. Another point is that your neighbour probably should adopt another duck. They can't be alone and two ducks means if one gets elderly or ill the other is all alone. I would keep a min of 3. Diet is another consideration, lots of fresh veggies are important but No Citrus.

Idk how to help with your dog. Training won't work for all dogs with prey drive, but some may respond to it. My dogs gets along well with ducks, but he was as a puppy and has known his duck brothers since they were young.

That was a typo on my part. its 120cm not m.
Pool isn't filtered either.
The ducks get sprinkled seed on the ground daily I think. Apparently they plan on getting a cockatoo soon too, and they all smoke and drink and there's not near enough space. Plus the 2 turtles being neglected.
Its happened before with these people, buy pets, neglect and repeat, snakes, bunnies, mice etc etc.
Said person is actually in a relationship with my cousin, and neither of them seem to see anything wrong with their care. I'll be talking to her about it soon but she's pretty sensitive.

 

[fashionfobie]

That was a typo on my part. its 120cm not m.
Pool isn't filtered either.
The ducks get sprinkled seed on the ground daily I think. Apparently they plan on getting a cockatoo soon too, and they all smoke and drink and there's not near enough space. Plus the 2 turtles being neglected.
Its happened before with these people, buy pets, neglect and repeat, snakes, bunnies, mice etc etc.
Said person is actually in a relationship with my cousin, and neither of them seem to see anything wrong with their care. I'll be talking to her about it soon but she's pretty sensitive.

That is a tough situation. I know you will do your best to direct them toward better resources. Hopefully they will see the faults of their behaviour. The ducks meantime do need much more space. Fresh veggies are honestly probably more important than water as a first step. They love bathing, but a good diet is important and a new water tub is easy to add on later. If you want, try bulk buying frozen peas, or a frozen pea/corn mix. And show your cousin how easy it is to thaw some peas overnight and to feed them in the morning. It is as simple as placing the frozen peas in a bowl and carrying them out the next morning when they are thawed. Ducks LOVE peas, and maybe it will encourage our cousin to start doing more fresh veggies etc. Ducks will get unhealthy eating only grains, ducks require a lot of roughage. Grass clippings are also a suitable enrichment that they can dig in and eat some of. For the pool I suggest a soft edge child's pool because it is easier to drain, inexpensive ($10 AUD in my area) and the ducks can easily climb in and out. I provided an image for your reference. The easier you make it to drain the pool the better. Your cousin should also provide a poultry waterer so in the event the pool is empty the ducks always have access to drinking water. I hope some of these ideas help.