How to keep your brooder clean?

[Duck Drover]

It could be Internet speeds..mine sometimes won't let me when my Internet speeds get lowered (I live in the country and have satellite internet)

We were having internet problems last night when I tried but I don't think that is the issue today. I will try again later. I have uploaded pictures in other threads so I know how to do it, they just were not showing up here after numerous attempts.

 

[neetabeamie]

I appreciate you trying

Could you text me the pictures?
If not that's ok.
If you can my # is 208-716-8254
Thank you!

 

[Amiga]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/641902/created-a-water-saver-for-my-duck-brooder

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/679433/water-water-everywhere/10

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/858161/feed-water-solution-for-brooder#post_12901321

http://frankiemakes.blogspot.ca/2012/06/watering-solution-for-ducks.html

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/259876/do-your-ducks-have-water-at-night/10#post_13568197

post number 8 from this
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/959603/ducklings-getting-stuck-on-their-backs#post_14939819

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/969751/help-baby-ducklings#post_15125952

 

[Duck Drover]

I found a thread I posted when I first purchased the tubs. I hope this helps since I still can't get pictures to post to this thread.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/904224/duckling-brooders/0_100#post_13757476

 

[neetabeamie]

It helps to add water to their feed so they don't have to mix it themselves. A mash is easier to scoop and swallow, plus they can choke to death on dry crumble (ducks swallow differently than chicks that need dry food). Then they drink more water and clean their bills in the water so I use their rinse water to make the next batch of food. They will still spatter on each other and on the walls of the plastic tub when they eat due to their swallowing motion but what they don't clean off each other and the walls rinses off easily enough. I take the tubs outside to clean them and water the trees with the fertilizer so it does not go to waste.

I also use shelf liners that clean up nice so they can be reused for awhile and they give the ducklings good traction to avoid spraddle leg. My tubs have channels in the bottom to collect spilled water so the ducklings can stay high and dry. A dog heating mat under the first stage tub adds heat and evaporates the baby duckling splashes to keep them from getting wet. When they are bigger they go into tubs with plastic mats that have holes in them so the mess goes through while they stay clean and dry on top.

I don't use anything that absorbs water because wet bedding makes a worse stink than the wet mess it absorbs and it is much harder to clean dirty bedding than to rinse out the tubs and shelf liner (with a quick scrub using antibacterial dish soap). There is also the risk of them eating the bedding when trying to clean up spilled food and that can be fatal. The bedding can also be kicked into the water and make a stink that way. I even use shelf liner for chicks because it is less mess and less waste but I know alot of people use shavings because they have not thought of using shelf liners.

When you raise ducks you have to embrace the fact that they love water and they bathe themselves frequently, unlike chickens that bathe in dirt. They are very clean birds if you give them bath time. I start with the cheap plastic paint trays with a ramp for tiny ducklings without any oil and then they get buckets and tubs of water before swimming in the bathtub. Their bills have combs that take the water right off as they fluff up their down. Trying to keep them dry is not healthy for them so they need water to drink at all times and to bathe in as often as you will allow them to get wet.

Avoid absorbant materials in the brooder and you avoid the mess and stink. It is actually that simple, although you do need to clean out the brooder tubs and not let the poop build up for too many days. I give the ducklings a bath, move them to a clean dry tub, and then clean out the messy tub. I raise hundreds of ducklings this way from April to October (I try not to hatch too late in the year so the ducklings will be laying when the flock starts laying again in February).

How big are your tubs? I have a 3og for 4 ducklings . how long will that last?
Should i get a 50? do you put anything soft in the brooder for them to sleep on? kind of like a nest?
and at what age do you move them out to the duck coop/run?

 

[Duck Drover]

How big are your tubs? I have a 3og for 4 ducklings . how long will that last?
Should i get a 50? do you put anything soft in the brooder for them to sleep on? kind of like a nest?
and at what age do you move them out to the duck coop/run?

The tubs are 32"x18" and 14" tall but I am not sure on the volume. I will have 8 smaller ducklings or 4 bigger ducklings per tub, maybe 6 if I don't have groups of at least 4 to keep together. I sell ducklings in groups of 4 or more but most are sold from the stage 1 brooder before they move to the stage 2 brooders (I have 6 of these tubs) at about 2 weeks old. We often have ducklings bathing in shallow tubs in our bathtub while I am cleaning the brooder tubs at the same time.

I don't give the ducklings any nesting materials but the heaters I use (Victor Ultimate Flea Traps) work like a nest. The ducklings cuddle up together under the heat as if they are under a mother hen. They can snuggle up around it as they get bigger and they will even sit on top of it when they are big enough.

The ducklings go outdoors when they have their angel feathers in, around 4 weeks old, as their flight feathers are getting ready to grow in. That gives them a good insulation and ducklings like to pile up together so they stay warm outside at night that way.

I keep them in a confined area with more shelter until the flight feathers grow in completely (blood recedes prior to clipping flight feathers). Once their wings are clipped they join the flock, although they hang out with their hatch group in the yard with all the small groups coming together at night for safety.

Australian Spotted ducks are reproductive by the time they are 4 months old and they start to show courtship behavior before they are a month old so they grow up fast. We set hatches every 2 to 4 days apart to keep our hatch groups small but close in age to combine hatches depending on color.

We sold all of our greenheads last year and kept all our silverheads plus we sold most of our bluehead drakes and kept most of our bluehead hens. Once they were all grown out we selected our breeding flock and we are continuing to sell breeding pairs in order to downsize. We sold far more ducklings than we kept but we still ended up keeping too many so we could select our favorite ducks to breed.

There is no way I could hatch and raise so many ducklings without a practical nursery set up. I know most people only raise a few ducklings for a short time so they just deal with the mess and odor of bedding material (not to mention the cost). We have to have a practical way of taking care of far more ducklings in a matter of months than most people will encounter in a lifetime.

We also hatch chicks and use a similar set-up for them but to me chick mess is harder to clean because it is not as water soluble. It requires far more soaking and scrubbing to clean the brooders after chicks have used them and the dust from their dander goes everywhere so I am trying to use our Silkies to brood chicks outside instead of keeping them inside until they are feathered enough to be coop ready. We hatch chicks year round so it depends on the weather as to how soon they can go out.

The ducks are our primary concern so we focus on hatching the duck eggs while we eat chicken eggs in addition to hatching them. I do not brood chicks with ducklings and I do not recommend people do it but with a small number of birds people can get anything to work well enough once or twice.

 

[neetabeamie]

Thank you so much! That is allot of fantastic ideas and information.
It sounds like you have a great job

I appreciate you taking the time to wright all that.

 

[tjrod2013]

Sorry, but I don't think there is a way to keep a brooder clean and good smelling when it comes to ducklings. I know that some chicken owners brood their chicks outside using the mama heating pad method. I don't see why it wouldn't work for ducklings.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/yes-you-certainly-can-brood-chicks-outdoors

Where I live, it will be close to 90 outside next week. Think it will be ok to put my brooder outside? Want to expose my ducklings to outside life as early as possible.

 

[lomine]

Where I live, it will be close to 90 outside next week. Think it will be ok to put my brooder outside? Want to expose my ducklings to outside life as early as possible.

Just make sure you either supervise them or make sure they are well protected. Even if you don't have the usual predators, little ducklings could easily be hurt or killed by most anything. Like a cat.

 

[neetabeamie]

The ducklings go outdoors when they have their angel feathers in, around 4 weeks old, as their flight feathers are getting ready to grow in. That gives them a good insulation and ducklings like to pile up together so they stay warm outside at night that way.

I keep them in a confined area with more shelter until the flight feathers grow in completely (blood recedes prior to clipping flight feathers). Once their wings are clipped they join the flock, although they hang out with their hatch group in the yard with all the small groups coming together at night for safety.

DO you think I need to clip my ducks flight feathers? or is it just for the breed of duck you spechalise in?
I am getting a Welsh Harlequin, White Layer, Cayuga and a Buff.
your confined area with more shelter...What is that like? I have a chicken/duck yard that is fenced in by a wooden fence with a coop that is two feet up. would this be ok? or should I only give them supervised time out side and bring them in to the brooder for the night?