How do you keep the ducks feed from getting wet?

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HennyPenny2

HennyPenny2

Songster
9 Years
Apr 19, 2010
176
113
171
Summerville South Carolina
I was wondering how people keep their food from getting all wet and mushy by them getting water from their bills into the feed? I like keeping feed out 24\7 for my hens (I use a container with the plumbing where they have to stick their heads in to get it) and would like to do the same for the ducks. Right now they are still on crumbles and gets nasty quick from the water getting in it everything they get water with their food. I plan to use pellets eventually as well. So what do you do and how do you keep their food from getting nasty?
 
I don't have a problem with the food getting wet unless the birds are able to stand in the food. I have a feeder similar to what you've described, and don't have an issue with feed getting wet.
 
I think its harder to keep feed dry with younger ducklings. I'm not an expert keeper. Both batches of babies I raised really kept their food wet. They can't resist playing in the water and they're adorably clumsy while they're growing in to their big feet and rapidly growing bodies.

I monitored their daily intake and checked their starter feed daily for grossness/ wetness/spoilage.

My adults eat out of flexible rubber pan. They don't make a wet or poopy mess in the food bowl.
 
dotknott said:
I don't have a problem with the food getting wet unless the birds are able to stand in the food. I have a feeder similar to what you've described, and don't have an issue with feed getting wet.
Click to expand...

That's good to hear. Right now I just put there feed in a small tray type thing and every time they go from food to water it gets all wet which is why I was concerned. I hope it works, I will try putting their water no so close to the feed container too. I am glad to hear yours eat out of that type of feeder, I didn't want to have an open thing of food again and love these type of feeders.
 
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Yeah, ducklings are messy though. My ducks have a cement trough for water and a pvc feeder. not really that messy.

Ducklings have a flower pot tray for food, and a gallon just with holes for head dunking. The food doesn't seem to get wet I guess because they ducklings can't get inside the waterer.
 
dotknott said:
Yeah, ducklings are messy though. My ducks have a cement trough for water and a pvc feeder. not really that messy.

Ducklings have a flower pot tray for food, and a gallon just with holes for head dunking. The food doesn't seem to get wet I guess because they ducklings can't get inside the waterer.
Click to expand...

Yes they are very messy, mine are about 5 weeks or maybe it's 6, I lose track. I was using pretty much the same set up but the food still got wet as the water would be dripping from their mouth after dunking their heads and bills in the water after every bite and back I the food tray. It does seem to be a little better now actually but the tray still gets wet with mushy food by the time the are done. So you are saying they will actually get less messy as they get older? There's still hope? lol
 
I always kept food and water on different sides of the brooder when they were in it and far apart in the pen when they were in the yard. By the time their drippy selves got to the food, most of the water had dripped off.
 
I haven't experienced that problem with my ducklings. Their food and water are on separate sides of the coop, not together. The water gets dirty, but the duck food stays dry.
 
If you wet the food for them they will not need to do it themselves. Their food needs to be wet so they can swallow it without choking to death. As they get older they can eat dry food but as babies it needs to be a mash so they are doing their best to make the dry food edible.
 
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