need help for ducks

[TaterTots]

hello, i am new to this forum and i just have a little question... me and my dad are planning to hatch some ducklings and when they are all grown, we'll give them all but one to old micdonalds farm(they go around for kids birthday parties with a bunch of animals for the kiddies to play with) and we're going to keep only one of the ducks. But since i live in florida and in the summer, im afraid that it might get too humid for this duck and so im going to build a huge cage outside/ shelter... can you guys give me any advice how i can somehow make the shelter cooler? like put a battery operated fan in there or something? thank you for all of your replies!!:cool:

[jodi]

welcome tater tots,

I would suggest incase you and your dad hadn't already thought of this but along with the shelter make sure there is shade as well. Also ducks love water so why not buy a kiddie pool for it or at least something big enough for it to swim in.
Good luck,
jodi

[Fox-Gal]

Hi, I also live in Florida and have several ducks. The summers here are not as hard on them as you might think, as long as they have water, all the time. The kiddy pool is a perfect idea, but be prepared to change the water daily. When a duck starts swimming, they will poop. :eek:

Now in our case the ducks run free, more or less, in a big fenced in field, with a water hole just for them. But we have one duck that was born with a leg problem, so she is fenced in a smaller area, but even at that it's still a large area. She has her drinking waterer and a small barrel cut in half to fully get wet and do the duck thing. Half of it is shape, the rest full sunshine. The need both and they also need room to feel free. No small cage, in less you are planing on taking her/him out daily and letting her/him have plenty of play time.

As for the fan, is you build the shelter right, you should not need it. This is what we did. She has a roof for protection from weather but then the rest of the shade is plants and this dark screen like stuff, that keeps the sun off her but still lets air get in. I was really surprised at how cool it really was under there, the first time we put it up. She seem happy with it and we have had her for years with no problems durning any summer heat.

Hope some of this helps you.

[ashleycat]

what do you do about winter?

[Fox-Gal]

Originally posted by ashleycat
what do you do about winter?

Winters is Florida are not a problem, that's why ducks fly south for the winter, the weather here is what they need. :)

[TaterTots]

yea thanks you guys, the only reason why i was going to build that shelter thing was to let the duck go under whenever he/she needed to for shade from the hot weather in the summer or to be warm in the winter. Also, i was going to build it to put the duck in at night so racoons wont eat it (like my last one 5 years ago =*( ... if i do build one, dont worry itll be BIG... maybe over 5 feet wide and long. Thanks for your replies again! i am planning on getting a white pekin or some mallards.

[TaterTots]

Also, can you eat White Pekin duck eggs just like chicken eggs? or no?