baby duck care: food and water

[muddipuppy]

I'm getting a pair of baby runners tomorrow and was wondering what kind of containers would be best to serve their food and water. any tips?

 

[Amiga]

I used chick waterers and chick feeders when mine were very small. The challenge for many of us is to find a way to keep the food/water splash away from the rest of the bedding. There are many ways to do this. Ducks cannot help but splash and dribble. It's cute in a way, but if you don't set up the brooder to catch the splash, you'll likely feel, well, unhappy about the result.

You can make a little platform for the waterer, you can have a separate section of the brooder for food and water, you can have a hardware cloth floor covered with towels, you can set the water in a larger bucket, lots of options.

Also, remember they need to be able to wash their little heads, all the way up past their ears, to prevent serious infections of the eyes, ears and sinuses. Some of us cut two or three inch holes in the tops of empty margarine (in my case, ricotta) tubs. They can stick their heads in but it's hard to splash or climb in

Enjoy those babies!

What will you be feeding them?

Oh, yeah, I sprinkled a teaspoon or so of chick grit on their food so they could digest treats like peas and lettuce.

 

[GuineaLady93]

Let me to you one thing. They will be messy! My baby runners would drink a little water and shake their head and this slime stuff would come out of their nose and make a big mess. Make sure you have them in a nice container.
Good Luck and Congratulations,
Ashley
Post a picture when you get them!

 

[dianaross77]

Here is the idea I copied. It worked great. When they got bigger I upgraded to a gallon size milk jug.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=15836-duck-raisinghousing

 

[muddipuppy]

thank you! thank you! what would i do without byc???

 

[dianaross77]

Just so you know, we expect pics of the babies as payment for the advice!

 

[muddipuppy]

i'm well aware.

pics will be posted! promise!

 

[RunnerWhisperer]

I raised two runner ducks without a clue. The local Co-op was somewhat helpful but it was a learning process for both of us!

I also used chicken feeders and water's while they were little babies. I also fed them something the Co-op sent home with us, a bag of crumble feed for little guy's like them. Changed thier water everyday. Yes they were messy babies and even messier as they got bigger!

When they were big enough that they couldn't really get their beaks in the chick waterer, I then used a small flat bottom bowl full of water. At first they were reluctant to go near it because it was shiny and silver. But eventually they figured out what it was. Jade was the first one to try and sit in the bowl of water. He couldn't resist it! lol He was too big though to get in all the way. At that point it was nesessary to change thier bedding every night. The smell was so nasty that it had to be done. I started lining the floor with butcher paper, two layers, and then the straw. In the morning I would put them out in thier pen for the day, roll up the paper with the bedding and dipose of it. Clean the sunroom floor put down fresh paper and bedding for that evening. As they got older I stopped putting water and food in with them at bed time in the sunroom. They were just too messy and smelly. I would feed and water them just before we ate dinner and let them graze for a bit. They were still too young to be out all day to graze. I made sure they ate and had lot's of water before I put them in. I would get thim in around 9pm and let them out with food and water at 6am. It sure made it easier to clean up thier bedding in the am without all the food and water mess!

Now they are in thier pen all night and graze all day between 6am to dusk.

 

[muddipuppy]

Here they are! Polly and Puddles...heartbreakers!
http://www.homeschooledchickens.com/2011/08/polly-and-puddles-day-old-ducklings.html

 

[dianaross77]

Those are the ugliest ducklings I have ever seen. You'd better send them to me. You wouldn't want to have to keep looking at those tiny fluffy faces,would you?