➡I accidentally bought Balut eggs: 2 live ducks! Now a Chat Thread!

[ShrekDawg]

Where did the cool front go?
I'm hot.

Same lol yesterday and today have been 80s and this week is gonna be soooo hot.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Go ahead, laugh again. but this is hot to me

 

[CrazyCrttr75]

Where did the cool front go?
I'm hot.

I don't know. It disappeared from TN as well. We are back to hot and humid.

 

[CrazyCrttr75]

Actually, I’ll just quote it here and make it easier for everyone haha but it came from Metzer’s website. You already seem to have come up with a great solution but this still might help or maybe for the future.

“Waterfowl can also be very messy with their water. For them it is best to make a wire platform on which the waterer sits. For babies it can be 1/2" hardware cloth and for adults it can be 1" welded wire nailed on to wood cross pieces. This can be placed over a pan for the babies or over a pit in the ground for the adults. The platform should be large enough to extend at least 6" out from the edge of the waterer for the babies and 30" for the adults. With this platform, any spilled water goes through the wire and out of reach. They cannot track it back to the bedding or make a mud puddle with it. Their drinking water stays cleaner, too. All of our birds (from babies to adults) have some sort of wire or plastic platform under their waters to keep their pen or pasture drier.”​

That is basically what happens with the waterer in the bowl. I don't have a "pan" or any other kind of container big enough to go around the waterer. Last time when I brooded ducks, I used a gallon water jug that I had cut out a couple holes for their heads to be able to poke in and I set it on a wire baking rack over a glass dish. Since I let momma brood the ducklings this time around, I ended up doing things a little different is all. Is always a learning process.

 

[ShrekDawg]

That is basically what happens with the waterer in the bowl. I don't have a "pan" or any other kind of container big enough to go around the waterer. Last time when I brooded ducks, I used a gallon water jug that I had cut out a couple holes for their heads to be able to poke in and I set it on a wire baking rack over a glass dish. Since I let momma brood the ducklings this time around, I ended up doing things a little different is all. Is always a learning process.

That makes sense! Seems your method is working fine! It’s all the same idea. Just something to catch the spilled water. Doesn’t really matter much what I imagine.

 

[BantyChooks]

Actually, I’ll just quote it here and make it easier for everyone haha but it came from Metzer’s website. You already seem to have come up with a great solution but this still might help or maybe for the future.

“Waterfowl can also be very messy with their water. For them it is best to make a wire platform on which the waterer sits. For babies it can be 1/2" hardware cloth and for adults it can be 1" welded wire nailed on to wood cross pieces. This can be placed over a pan for the babies or over a pit in the ground for the adults. The platform should be large enough to extend at least 6" out from the edge of the waterer for the babies and 30" for the adults. With this platform, any spilled water goes through the wire and out of reach. They cannot track it back to the bedding or make a mud puddle with it. Their drinking water stays cleaner, too. All of our birds (from babies to adults) have some sort of wire or plastic platform under their waters to keep their pen or pasture drier.”​

I'll pay 20 bucks to the first person that figures out a way to provide water to ducks in winter that isn't messier than a toddler with a chocolate bar. I've tried all that, but it ices over! Maybe I need to use super large grid welded wire and give up on moving it for half the year. It gets so cold here that the water droplets freeze pretty much instantly when they hit water or wire or the ducks' chest feathers.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I'll pay 20 bucks to the first person that figures out a way to provide water to ducks in winter that isn't messier than a toddler with a chocolate bar. I've tried all that, but it ices over! Maybe I need to use super large grid welded wire and give up on moving it for half the year. It gets so cold here that the water droplets freeze pretty much instantly when they hit water or wire or the ducks' chest feathers.

Oh wow that is cold!!

Maybe you need a heated water bowl? Haha

I got this one for my chickens for winter and it works great! I got the 1.5 gallon one I think. The white one. Don’t think Chewy ships to Canada but maybe you could find a similar one. Then still use the wire to catch the drips.

https://www.chewy.com/kh-pet-products-thermal-bowl-pet-bowl/dp/54452

 

[dpenning]

Poor Street.

Are any of the babies boys?

What about those wild ones..the baby goose?

No, I have six girls left and i'm good with no boys. They are a PITA.

The geese migrate before the 4th every year so right now all I have left are the ducks and they are very happy.

 

[dpenning]

I'll pay 20 bucks to the first person that figures out a way to provide water to ducks in winter that isn't messier than a toddler with a chocolate bar. I've tried all that, but it ices over! Maybe I need to use super large grid welded wire and give up on moving it for half the year. It gets so cold here that the water droplets freeze pretty much instantly when they hit water or wire or the ducks' chest feathers.

Bring the ducks inside.

 

[BantyChooks]

Oh wow that is cold!!

Maybe you need a heated water bowl? Haha

I got this one for my chickens for winter and it works great! I got the 1.5 gallon one I think. The white one. Don’t think Chewy ships to Canada but maybe you could find a similar one. Then still use the wire to catch the drips.

https://www.chewy.com/kh-pet-products-thermal-bowl-pet-bowl/dp/54452

I have thought about it, but the air temperature is still so cold that it would continue to freeze over everything once outside of the bowl. I'm not even sure the bowl would work for more than an hour. All the heated waterers I can find locally are only good down to 15* or 20*F. WOW, thanks, manufacturing people. That's about 0% useful. If it were that warm during winter, I wouldn't be griping about their water, eh. I don't even mind changing it 2x daily; I just get sick of the framing I put around it to cut down on the splashing getting 1" of ice and poop built up on it. Then it builds up from the bottom until the bowl gets frozen to the framing or the pine shavings it was recessed in. One year 3 of my waterers were so frozen into the bedding that I couldn't get them out until spring.

For now, I've rather given up on experimenting and simply put the bowls outside. They don't seem to mind walking over snow to get their water.