3rd Annual New Year's Day Hatch!!

[BHep]

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I gave up on the brooders for my ducklings.... WOW they are messy and stinky

I ended up putting them in my bathtub. Easier to clean out. I used old towels instead of shaving. Took the towel outside and rinsed them with the hose, hung them to dry a bit then into the washer.
Raised my geese the same way.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Only if this counts:

We got an ice storm yesterday, which I had totally forgotten about by this morning. So I leave the garage door with a large black rubber bowl filled with about 3 lbs of chicken food softened with hot water in my left hand, a large plastic cup of black oil sunflower seeds in my left arm crook, and a 3 gallon metal waterer in my right hand. Light on my head.

I'll let you imagine the rest. I got about 5 feet out the door before I slipped.

 

[RareBreedFancier]

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I'm so sorry to hear you broke something. Thank goodness DH will look after the chickens. I sure hope you heal fast and as good as new.

 

[BHep]

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Sorry you fell, hope you are ok.....but the mental picture.

Of course I know that I have been there and done that . I am sure many have. *sigh*

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Quote:
I gave up on the brooders for my ducklings.... WOW they are messy and stinky

I ended up putting them in my bathtub. Easier to clean out. I used old towels instead of shaving. Took the towel outside and rinsed them with the hose, hung them to dry a bit then into the washer.
Raised my geese the same way.

I'd consider a bathtub, but I use one of them frequently (nothing better than thawing your body out in a tub after being outside in Maine winter) and the doors to both bathrooms need to remain open to prevent the pipes from freezing in the winter, thus the cats can also come and go. The brooder is much safer. Last time I had ducks I had them in the chicken brooder, and the bottom got pretty gross. Luckily it was warm then so I put them outside in a cage for a few hours and let the brooder dry out. Can't do that now. They are right now in the very nice brooder my boyfriend just built but he's worried about it getting soaked in water. Hopefully the girl will come today and pick up her ducks - I'll only be keeping 2 (or 3, LOL) so the mess will go down a bit, and hopefully not soak through.

 

[dsqard]

SCG that could easily have been me. Hope you didn't get hurt but I agree with BHep, I can totally see this in my head. Winter time with animals is definitely a challenge. Hot water, warm mash and everything else that has to be brought out of the house. Icy walkways, snow and cold. I could use some spring weather now.

 

[Melissa Rose]

Quote:
I gave up on the brooders for my ducklings.... WOW they are messy and stinky

I ended up putting them in my bathtub. Easier to clean out. I used old towels instead of shaving. Took the towel outside and rinsed them with the hose, hung them to dry a bit then into the washer.
Raised my geese the same way.

I'd consider a bathtub, but I use one of them frequently (nothing better than thawing your body out in a tub after being outside in Maine winter) and the doors to both bathrooms need to remain open to prevent the pipes from freezing in the winter, thus the cats can also come and go. The brooder is much safer. Last time I had ducks I had them in the chicken brooder, and the bottom got pretty gross. Luckily it was warm then so I put them outside in a cage for a few hours and let the brooder dry out. Can't do that now. They are right now in the very nice brooder my boyfriend just built but he's worried about it getting soaked in water. Hopefully the girl will come today and pick up her ducks - I'll only be keeping 2 (or 3, LOL) so the mess will go down a bit, and hopefully not soak through.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/46869_imag3945.jpg

Buy a bag of the lumping cat litter. Then make a sandwich of sorts. Put a garbage bag down then the lumping cat litter then a piece of cardboard then your brooder fill. That way any water filters down to the lumping cat litter and is contained but the duckies can't get into the cat litter

 

[Melissa Rose]

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In my garden I would have then stood out by my bird feeders in that state and been picked clean in very little time

I hope you didn't get hurt

 

[dsqard]

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Another good way to warm up is to put your pajamas in the dryer before going out (or have your BF do this while you are working outside) and when you come in, change into the fresh out of the dryer pajamas. It is wonderful!

 

[superchemicalgirl]

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Another good way to warm up is to put your pajamas in the dryer before going out (or have your BF do this while you are working outside) and when you come in, change into the fresh out of the dryer pajamas. It is wonderful!

Right before I climb into my bed with the heated mattress pad and heated blanket!