From Duckling to Adult in 52 DAYS! (Rare Cayuga Ducks!)

So today I want to show you my Cayuga ducks from hatchling all the way to an adult. I took a short little video clip every day and I actually did a video like this before but I only brought it out to three weeks and this time I'm going to bring it out all the way to where they're ready to almost I thought they're going to take off and fly so I actually had to clip their wings which is pretty crazy and I actually have some romaine lettuce today that I'm going to feed all my ducks and birds so I want to show you kind of the final product before we jump over to where they were just hatching out as a matter of fact if you actually watch that first video it was the first three weeks of growth and I'll put a little time stamp in the comments underneath to where if you actually saw the first video you can kind of skip ahead and pick up to towards the kind of the last half when they kind of age and mature all the way up to where they're kind of getting ready to fly you can actually hear them down the background they're here they know I have the lettuce it's kind of crazy so let's go over and feed some of these crazy birds. All right so I actually keep them in here in the barnyard and I keep them as a matter of fact I was going to run them with my cows in here and I decided to completely keep them away from my cows and put up this this little like a snow fencing in here and it's been raining and raining all right we got so much rain I couldn't believe it everything it's like so muddy and look at all these chickies oh my goodness oh my goodness oh let me close this fence here look at these guys yeah look at oh my goodness so these are these are the coyotes here and then I have some chickens over here and some muskies over here and then some black osprey larks and some of the some of the chickens are kind of hanging out in the back and I'm gonna feed them some of this let's take a look at this this is crazy absolutely love their lettuce look at all those birds wow that is an incredible amount of birds they can sure make a lot of noise too when they're hungry okay here is my Cayuga duck day zero hatching out of the eggs in the incubator one is out looks like I have a few more that are actually gonna hatch out all right so take a look at this this is a brand new baby black Cayuga brand new out of the eggshell just hatched just now and I have six in the incubator I'm gonna grow them up a little bit and then put them with my ducks so cute so here are my ducks uh one of them is one day old the other one is just hatched out and so so far I have three looks like I have one more in the incubator I think let's see I think this one is the oldest just one day old 24 hours and I've been really trying to tame them down a very super cute look at these guys just one day old one day old and then some of them just hatched out and dried out out of the incubator three good looking ducks this one's still a little wet from the incubator check that out all right so here's my ducks two days old and look at how many I have so I feel like I have three more in the incubator they're all slightly different ages you can definitely tell this one is the probably the first one that hatched out is a little bit bigger you definitely tell on some of these maybe it's this one a little bit bigger and they are they are really super cute look at these guys these are Cayuga ducks pretty awesome and it looks like right now we have one two three four five six three more that have come out they're still in the incubator just popped out of the egg so it looks like we may end up with nine of them look at how cute they are super cute look at that oh my goodness all right so these are the ducks of three days old I ended up with nine ducks that is quite a few ducks and it's so funny how they all stayed together in one big clump here all these ducks they're really super it's funny they're I'd say ducks on average are kind of skittish but you get them in a group and they all kind of stay in the group I'm trying to tame them down a little bit so they're not so crazy skittish I just changed their water just changed their food three days old some of them just hatched out yesterday so some of them are three days old some of them are just one day old but these are the oldest ones are three days all right four days old check out these guys how cute they are I just changed up their water they are super messy I can't believe I'm messy there I have to change the water twice a day because they drink it and splash it all pretty amazing how dirty they are they really love that water seems like it works pretty good on this the lid of a container and then I just put a couple layers of paper towel on top of it and that seems to help really quite a bit and these guys are pretty friendly I've been actually taking them out all at once and kind of holding them a little bit so they're a little bit more friendlier they are so cute they're so cute so here are the ducks day five these things are growing like a rocket and I can't even believe it they go through an incredible amount of water too I can't believe how much water they go through and today I got a little treat for them some greens let's see how they like these greens these are just kind of shredded dandelions and grass from the backyard that I kind of mixed up see if I can move some over to the greens here see how they like these the first time they're actually eating anything besides that pelleted food they are really cute at this stage all right so these ducks are six days old and let me tell you they are really messy go through that water three times a day I have to change that water because they they most times they empty it out and sometimes they just get it really messy and here is a little treat that I got them let's see how they like this a little greens from the back oh my goodness they're getting used to those greens those are dandelions and grass mostly dandelions mixed in with a little bit of water they're getting really cute and they're pretty friendly too these guys are semi-friendly a lot seems like a lot friendlier than the chickens not bad at all all right so for day number seven I upgraded these ducks to a stock tank this is a big six foot round stock tank and the funny thing is when I put them in here at first they were afraid of the light they were all huddled over on the corner over here and I had to put a piece of cardboard in here to kind of herd them under the heat lamp so they wouldn't get cold at night because they're out here in my garage and I just gave them a little bit of romaine lettuce I've been feeding them kind of a pelleted food like a it's like an all-flat grower pellet and then I feed them a little bit of like a romaine lettuce or some chopped up dandelions or grass or whatever I can find and I put it in a little bit of water and they absolutely love their greens they go crazy over it all right so this is day number eight these guys are getting pretty big and it got a little cold last night as a matter of fact we got a little bit of snow which is kind of crazy and look they're all really friendly they all come running to me which is kind of cute I think they're thinking hey where's my lettuce that's what they're looking for they go crazy over that lettuce I just gave them some fresh water still have nine all right so day number nine these chicks are getting pretty big these little ducks they go crazy over that lettuce they're starting to really plow through some lettuce kind of crazy all right so day number 10 on these ducks and look at how friendly they are I've been really taming them down super friendly ducks they'll jump right in my hand I've been putting them in a little box and just kind of holding them in the other room and I have a little treat for these ducks on their 10th day take a look at that all right all right so day number 11 I opened up this enclosure so they can actually get around and run around the kind of where it's starting to get cramped in that little spot and they definitely know where the heat lamp is this time so I'm going to give them a little snack crazy ducks going crazy over that lettuce all right so here's the ducks 12 days old they're getting pretty big for just 12 days not too bad at all and I'm going to feed them some fresh grown lettuce take a look at that all right 13 days old on these ducks and it seems like just overnight they've really gotten a lot bigger look at how big these guys are it is pretty amazing and they're getting really super friendly there's still a lot friendlier than chickens I think and I brought them a little treat take a look at this here got one stuck in the back come on buddy come on buddy there you go jump right in oh crazy ducks all right 14 days two weeks old these guys are getting really big I can't believe how big they are after two weeks take a look at this yeah really super big super friendly too take a look at that oh my goodness oh my goodness all right I have some a little treat for them again take a look at this oh my goodness they're just diving right there's so many of them they're so big too that is crazy all right 15 days on the ducks getting pretty big these ducks I think I'm going to put them outside by the end of the week I bought some fencing and I'm going to put them out there look at these guys how friendly they are oh my goodness oh my goodness they know I have some some chopped up lettuce for them that's what they really want this chopped up lettuce they go crazy look at this look at that oh my goodness they're like going nuts over that chopped up so big I can't believe how big they are they're still looking cute though all right day 16 look at these guys these guys are crazy they're getting so big look at how big they're getting they're really super big I can't believe it they're growing like a rocket and I do have some greens for them take a look at this these guys go crazy over those greens wow all right day 17 I actually cleaned out their whole cage here removed all the bedding changed it out it's getting a little bit stinky but not too bad I kept adding the pine on top of kind of the old stuff but the stuff underneath is getting a little bit moldy so I completely changed it out these guys are getting really big and I have some greens take a look at these crazy guys wow all right day number 18 look at how big these ducks are getting this is crazy I can't believe 18 days ago they were so small these guys are so crazy look at how friendly they are too really super friendly they're like we'll eat right out of your look at that all right I got some more greens for them take a look at this oh my goodness they are crazy for that lettuce all right day number 19 look at these guys crazy ducks look at how big they get they're getting really big really big ducks 19 days old crazy crazy ducks all right here's some greens here's some greens oh my goodness oh there's one that's flipped over crazy ducks oh my goodness all right 20 days old look at these guys they are so crazy oh my goodness oh my goodness oh my gosh here we go here we go oh my goodness oh my word crazy ducks all right 21 days old three weeks it's kind of crazy look at how big they get these guys are really getting super big they're starting to lose that really soft fur starting to get little pin feathers and they're getting to the point where they're almost jumping out of this little it's like a round stock tank that I use for water for my cows and look at this here we go all right these guys are really getting huge I can't believe it I think I'm supposed to actually get some netting today I was thinking about putting some netting outside maybe moving them out here pretty soon outside but kind of makes me nervous with all the predators we have up here in the rocky mountains all right day 22 on these ducks and I actually started setting up my my fencing outside and got it almost all set up and I decided to order some staples some landscaping staples for the bottom of the fence so they wouldn't go underneath the fence because I definitely don't want these guys near the cows I think the cows would probably try to eat one so I got some lettuce for them again today oh my goodness oh my goodness all right all right day 23 and I don't know if you noticed on some of these ducks I have a couple that are kind of whacked let's see I have this one right here take a look at this one this one kind of has a weird beak he's born kind of with a weird kind of a defect right in the beak I thought that was kind of interesting it was really severe when I kind of grew out of it and then I have another one over here this one right here that is uh more white than I think he should be usually they shouldn't be this white it should be pretty black and I do have some lettuce for him take a look at this oh my goodness all right so let me tell you these ducks I cannot keep up with them in this little round enclosure here I've been changing out the water over here like every couple hours when they go through I just cannot keep up in the food I've been changing multiple times a day so today I'm gonna definitely move them outside and get them out to where they have a little more room a lot more room and some bigger waters and you know a lot more room so they can actually uh won't be so hard to kind of maintain them in here it's been really difficult trying to handle them in here so I've been sitting out here with these ducks just kind of hanging out sitting on a bale of straw keeping an eye on them and I've only been putting them out here outside of this big chicken coop when I'm out here working with the cows or doing stuff out here if I actually leave this area I put them back up in this little bear proof chicken coop because I don't think they're big enough to really even defend themselves against a hawk or something they're still kind of clueless just kind of getting used to everything and they're looking pretty good I can't wait till they get completely feathered out they are really beautiful ducks when they get fully feathered out pretty awesome so this is pretty hilarious this is day 25 and I finally finished my little plastic fence and opened up a bigger area and I just cannot get them to go out of this little chicken coop it's like this is their home and they don't want to go outside it's almost like they're too scared to go outside and they're getting so friendly now they're almost too friendly to actually hurt them like you usually heard like a bunch of ducks crazy ducks I can't even believe they're kind of acting really weird like this all right day 26 these guys are getting pretty big starting to grow on few of their permanent feathers all right so day 27 I think I have some fans because everywhere I go in this barnyard these ducks follow me around it's like they don't want to do anything else except follow me around the barnyard take a look at this it's like they're it's gotten into them everywhere I go they don't even want to go to their water they don't want to do anything else they just want to come and see papa come on crazy crazy ducks I've never seen anything quite like this I guess that's what happens when you befriend a bunch of ducks they follow you around everywhere you go all right so this is day 28 and they're starting to get some of their blackish green coloration that they get as an adult look at all the little water containers it seems like it's a lot easier with the smaller water containers because I can dump them and then refill them a lot easier than something a lot bigger all right day 29 these ducks are still really super scared look at that crazy duck it's funny they almost like swim in that deeper water and then they scare themselves it's pretty all right day number 30 check out the high security on these ducks I keep them in here pretty much all the time unless I'm actually out here working with them take a look at these duckies come on boys day number 30 and I have a treat I have a treat for you guys and the treat I have is right in this box look what's in here oh my goodness what could be in here what's in this box look I have more ducks look at that actually hatched out some more eggs and these are about a week and a half behind all the other ducks and we'll see how they get along let's see see if they'll all merge into one big flock here oh look oh boy look at that they are kind of lost look at that oh my goodness let's see how they'll actually merge and interact the two flocks together this should be really interesting hopefully hopefully they won't get picked on too much and the new babies don't know where to go and everyone else is following them oh that is pretty funny that is pretty funny they look like they look like they're getting along and look like they're merging into one big flock not too bad but we still have some some that are stuck come on oh my goodness these crazy ducks I can't even call them over some of them are really scared I think they're really scared of this box I'm gonna move this box all right so day 31 I actually had to put those other smaller ducks back in the garage they started really getting beat up I think they they started getting beat up when I put them all together in this bear proof chicken coop and put them all together for about I think it was about eight hours and then I came back and let me tell you these big ducks were really beating up the small ones pretty bad so I had to separate them so I'm hoping that I can actually I see I got a couple fighting over there in the water but hopefully I can grow up those smaller ones and get them back out here at some point all right day 32 they're definitely getting some of that black green feather in and the funny thing is is they love to sit up on my lap like they're all competing to sit on my lap crazy crazy ducks these guys are just like little babies look at this they're so I can't believe how friendly a duck can be look at that that is pretty crazy this one just wants to climb all up that was crazy look at how big the beak is I think this is a male with a big beak and then the females have a slightly smaller beak a little bit thinner and this one I think this one might be a female you can definitely tell by the tails the tails curl up on the males I can't believe how friendly these ducks are getting that is crazy all right it's time for some chopped up greens these are chopped up dandelions and some hibiscus flowers they go crazy over those so I brought these little ducks outside with the bigger ducks and they were getting beat up really bad they were like stuck in a corner poor little babies so I actually set them up in half of this little bear proof chicken coop with their own food and water and I kind of have the heat lamp on this side and then the mean ducks they're all over there look at those mean ducks those are the ducks that do not get along with these ducks it's kind of hard because I only have one spot I can lock them up at night so for now I'm gonna separate them all right so 35 days old on these ducks and I've been keeping them out during the day and locking them up and I think I'm gonna start keeping them out all the time and I brought these other four little ducks out and the big ones are kind of picking on them but there's a lot of spots in here they can hide and kind of run away it is so funny I'm trying to mix the flocks again all right 36 days look they're starting to get their feathers in their final feathers pretty awesome and they usually have an iridescent green sheen when they get older you can kind of see it right now it's kind of interesting I mix these older ducks with the young ducks and there's definitely a pecking order they're kind of pushing the young ducks over here in the corner the young ducks are definitely keeping their distance it's amazing these guys are like a week and a half behind the other ones there's quite a big difference between the growth rate between these and the other ones pretty amazing all right so for day 37 these guys are doing pretty good I've been running the big ones with the little ones all day and they seem to be getting along and at night they're all tucked right now and I keep that lamp on the side with the smaller four little ducks and put water and food on each side so far it's working pretty good all right 38 days on these ducks these ducks are looking great all right 39 days they're starting to look more and more green a little bit of iridescent green in their feathers all right 40 days I have all these little water containers and for some reason these ducks would rather play in a big mud puddle than jump in some clean water crazy ducks all right 41 days and here is my famous duck call let's say that they all come running and look these guys still remember me hey I haven't touched these guys for a while look at they remember how friendly they used to be when they were a little tiny ducks look at how big their bill is it's kind of crazy how big they've gotten that is kind of crazy it's amazing that you kind of bond with them as a small duck and they remember that their whole life it's kind of really crazy look at these guys so excited oh my goodness oh my goodness all right 42 days looking pretty good I actually came out this morning and they were all in the duck coop over there I was kind of freaking out I was like where's all my ducks they're all hiding in the little duck coop I thought something actually got in here and attacked them it was a good thing I did a head count and it looks like I still have all the ducks thank goodness all right 43 days looking really good they're starting to get a lot more green especially some of them really green on the head kind of an interesting iridescent color all right 44 days it seems like at this point the big ones are getting along with the little ones we have some little ones over here that seem to be is as part of the flock now the ones that are about a week and a half behind it's amazing how fast they grow and just a little bit of time can have a really big difference although they get a little they get I don't know if they get too much anymore and then they all scare each other it's funny one kind of jumps around and I don't know what they're doing now I don't know if they're happy or if they're scaring each other or kind of a combination of both crazy ducks all right 45 days these guys are getting pretty big I can't believe it the bigger they get the smaller this area gets pretty amazing I was actually going to put some of my chickens and some of my other ducks out here but I don't know if I can actually fit them in this little area pretty amazing and look at how pretty they're getting with that really bright greenish blue pretty amazing oh my goodness oh my goodness oh my goodness all right day 46 I actually added some of my muscovy ducks and they're kind of they're not sure what to think about them they're kind of getting freaked out by these new little ducks four new little ducks kind of stirring up the whole flock and so far there's no real aggression they're just kind of freaked out by them I think it's pretty funny all right we're in day 47 pretty incredible and these guys are turning this place into one big mud puddle it's kind of crazy I've actually seen some people put down sand and it kind of keeps it from turning into a big mud puddle they seem to like the mud and the water all together these guys are great I don't know what they're afraid of that's funny all right day 48 and these guys look like they're almost full grown I don't know how much bigger they'll get than this looks like they have their full adult feathers it's interesting some of them have almost like a bluish purple sheen to them kind of crazy in addition to a lot of that green like a green purple and blue pretty amazing all right day 49 they're all lined up it's pretty funny actually they were all sleeping and I woke them up just a little bit later in the day and I guess it's about noon it's funny they all sleep about noon but they're all looking really super green and I actually brought in some kind of a gravelly dirt because it was getting super muddy up here and I needed some some gravel up here because everything was just so muddy they were like knee deep in mud it was kind of crazy all right day 50 look at these guys crazy crazy ducks these guys are crazy look at these guys so friendly look at how friendly they are oh my friendly friendly ducks crazy ducks I could just watch them all day that's so funny all right day 51 on these ducks these bigger ducks and look at how green they're getting super green in the head kind of crazy I'm getting quite a few birds I can't believe how many birds I have I have the big ducks and then I have some of the small ducks the small ducks like this one they're like a week and a half behind the bigger ducks you can definitely tell they're getting pretty big getting pretty close and then I have a whole bunch of others I can put a couple chickens out here look at these tiny little chickens and I have some of the muscovies out here they're all kind of getting along a little bit of picking on every now and then they're trying to figure out their pecking order but it's working pretty good for the most part all right so this is day 52 on my big ducks and this is kind of how I've had them set up in here with uh I kind of have a few little chickens over here I've been cooping up at night and then I have some other ones over here I've been kind of separating them all so they don't fight at night so it gives them a little bit of protection gives them some food and water and uh it's kind of temporary until I make sure everybody gets along but the problem with these ducks is they're getting to the point where they almost can fly I can see them kind of flapping their wings and I need to clip their wings so I think this is pretty much the last day as a juvenile at this point I'm just going to clip their wings and they are I'm considering them adults at this point look at that they kind of stand up and flap their wings and they kind of lift off just a little bit I'm like oh it's time to clip their wings for the very first time all right so this should be interesting I'm going to actually try to catch some ducks and clip some wings we'll see how this goes these guys I don't know we'll see oh these ducks are pretty big let's see all right I caught one duck all right there we go now to clip a wing let's see if we can actually it actually helps to have two people clipping wings and usually what I do is I cut uh I cut the first five usually in this line right here oh my gosh oh my oh my goodness oh my goodness you're okay you're okay poor little scared duck yeah I gotta do this to all my ducks clip all these wings this should be really interesting and it definitely helps if you have two people so you're not fighting a duck all right buddy all right buddy oh my goodness oh my goodness all right here we go oh they got some sharp claws all right so I'm gonna do I'm gonna cut some feathers just like that and then I'll cut these other feathers I actually had ducks once before I didn't cut the feathers and all my ducks flew away so this is like the very first wing cutting of my ducks all right and usually you'd only have to do like the first like five feathers one thing you have to be careful is you don't cut too far into the second feathers but there we go one duck down