Any crazies out there like me with a diapered duck in the house?

[LTygress]

Ducks, no. But geese... maybe soon

 

[mynameisjustjen]

LTgress: Lets see your goose.

Duckabird: Cool. Thanks for the advice. We feed her Layena premium chicken feed currently. She also loves bell pepper and romaine lettuce. Sometimes devours banana, but she is picky about how ripe it is. Silly girl! I am going to try duck feed when out and see what they result is. Your awesome!



She is stunning isn't she!! Missy had her first snow yesterday. She laid on her belly so long the snow piled up on her beak and back!

 

[LTygress]

I don't have it yet. That's why I don't have a diapered goose inside yet. But I'm getting sebastopol geese eggs to hatch very soon, and I'm seriously thinking about raising one as a house goose!

 

[Indyrun]

I have 2 happy house duckies! Runners... a male and female. Banshee is the fawn and white girl and Lilly is my lavender drake... I had no idea when they came to live with us about ducks and I thought that because Lilly was so quiet and sweet that he MUSTVE been a she!!! Boy was I wrong. They turned 2 in October and they are my kids!

They are beautiful!!!

 

[Indyrun]

Ok I'm desperate to get hold of some diapers!
Questions:
How do you size them?
Is the harness adjustable?
Do the ducks mind wearing them?
How often do you change them?
Do they have a disposable lining or do you have to wash them?
Where do I get them?
I live in Brisbane Queensland Australia.

 

[LTygress]

I get mine here from the states from people that make them.
Louise's Country Closet
They say "chicken" but I've already emailed her and asked directly, to make sure she has them large enough for geese, and she does. She said that the chicken diapers can also be used for ducks, as long as you order the correct size.

There is also Avian Fashions and Fashion my Feathers that are more appropriate for ducks and geese, since their "shoulders" aren't as pronounced as a chicken's. As for any of them shipping to Australia, I'm not sure. They would essentially just go to the post office and mail it, attaching a customs form, and paying the higher postage fees. I work for the post office, and clothing is EASY to ship overseas because it's no where near the classification of a "potentially hazardous" parcel! So there is no special box markings, aside from the customs form. The only real trouble for them may be the conversion rate for postage fees. It's just a complicated math problem, that's all.

As for your other questions:

How do you size them? Most of the websites will help you with the sizing. But if you're ordering from one of the sites above, you'll need to use inches. So be ready to convert that from the metric system which you use in Australia.

Is the harness adjustable? Many of them are, but you have to check. The ones I get from Louise's Country Closet are highly adjustable. The ones from Fashion My Feathers are not, because they are meant to be "cute" more than functional.

Do the ducks mind wearing them? At first, many of them do. I've never actually started one off with it when it hatched, but I probably will with the geese. My chickens only wear the diaper if they come inside for illness or injury, so they aren't used to wearing it, and it drives them crazy. But just like teaching a dog to wear a collar for the first time, they eventually get used to it. After that, it's easy!

How often do you change them? This one actually depends on the diaper. Some of the ones I have used for chickens have "cups" at the rear end, which collects quite a bit of poop before they need changing. So you're only looking at once every several hours. Others are just more loose in that area, and can only catch one good-size excretion at a time, and need to be changed after that. I have SEVERAL in each size, so I can change them as needed and then wash them all at once. I would imagine with the smaller poop-holders, you just need to treat it like a newborn baby - check it regularly and/or when you smell it, change it!

Do they have a disposable lining or do you have to wash them? This again, depends on the diaper. Louise's Country Closet sells liners, so you only have to change the liner. But I read the reviews and the liners only really fit the small ones. The larger ones don't really work with the liner. But I read someone else's review on it here on BYC and the diapers themselves have a plastic inner lining so you could technically just take it off and wipe it out if you wanted. But others just recommend using adult male diapers for aging men, or cut-up baby diapers as a liner. And almost every diaper I have purchased (at least so far) is machine-washable.

 

[dukabird]

Oh my goodness! That's a beautiful picture of Missy! So cute! Where do you guys live? Duka is from Florida - second year in MA. He has refused to go outside all winter! Spoiled house duck likes the heat and his warm comfy bed

 

[mynameisjustjen]

indyrun- Check out http://www.flightquarters.com/bird-diapers/category/duck-goose-diapers.html

There is good info on the site and hopefully they ship internationally.

Other duck diaper info-Missy was raised with a flock and we brought her into the house after her pack migrated and left her behind. So she was approachable but not cuddly. Even so, the diaper came will little fuss.... once on. Putting it on can be a challenge at first. You must be firm and I recommend on your knees with the duck facing you. Coral them with your elbows to prevent squirmy ducks. Now that we have been diapering her for about a month or two she lays completely submissive by laying on her belly. She is adorable. You have to change it fairly often, I would say every 2 hours. It is a labor of love and takes a true animal lover. I have to wash it multiple times a day. Some times I do not get to the poop in time and you get overflow. It happens. The fabric dries fairly quickly, but I suggest at least to buy 2.

duckabird-We are in Georgia. Rarely get snow here and this was her first! When Missy first landed on the snow she immediately retracted one foot into her body. I love it when she stands on one leg. After a while she would just lay on her belly to keep both feet warm. She laid in the snow so long the snow started to build up on her back an beak even more so than in the picture I shot. If you like the images, I am releasing 2 duck calendars soon to raise money for a duck farm. Stay posted.

 

[Diamond88]

dukabird. What a handsome boy Duka is! And did you say 10y/o, you typed that right, 10 year old Mallard!? Everything I have read about Mallards is incorrect. I thought we only had 2-5 years with Missy. I am STOKED!

So..... you are a veteran of duck diaper changes! I hope you can share some tips. Lets talk about the dreaded dark poop. There seems to be quite a fluctuation in colors, smell, and dare I say....texture to her poopies throughout the day?? I thought it might be only happening when we would let her free graze in the yard, but that is not the cause of the infrequent dark goo in her diaper. Its seems to just be a vicious cycle you have to just tolerate. Please say it isn't so and can be regulated with a miracle diet of some kind.

Missy is worth every diaper change, don't get me wrong, but I hope you, OR ANYONE could share some of your knowledge. And more pics of that handsome boy duka. Are his feathers turning a little grey in his old age?



Spoiled rotten in her playpen outside.



Her nest in the house. She loves her canvas crate! She works hard and tugs on the seams all morning making her "nest".

Aww Missy looks so happy! I do know exactly what kind of poop you're referring to, unfortunately, and I don't know of anything that can prevent it. But I'd definitely be interested in hearing any possible solutions someone has. It's pretty gross.

Awwww it made me so happy to see some snuggled up with their indoor ducks! Diamond - what type of duck is Bunny? She's gorgeous!

More of Duka. I'm obsessed

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Thank you! She's a call duck. Your duck is adorable too! Does he sleep with you all night? Bunny doesn't like to stay in bed with me very long.

 

[AmandaVirus]

I have some questions hopefully some of you can answer.

I'm hoping to get a house duck soon, but I'm not sure what breed would be best. I was thinking something small like a call duck for their light weight and ease of handling, but I don't know any breeders locally. Also, is there a big difference between drakes and ducks (behavior wise), I've heard drakes can get mean when they hit "puberty", but it can be trained out and they then become calm and sweet? Is that true? I would almost rather have a drake.

My family is also worried about smell, they remember it from when I brooded my three outdoor ducks for their first 5 weeks in my bedroom last spring. it was quite rank, even with daily cleaning; how do you manage the smell? The duck would only be in its cage at night to sleep and maybe eat and drink, and then in a diaper when indoors or without one when outdoors. I'm personally not worried about it, but the rest of the family is.

I'm also wondering if keeping the ducks cage in my bedroom would be a good idea. I have a house rabbit and two pet rats there that don't keep me up at night, I assume the duck would sleep through the night peacefully?

I'm really looking forward to having a ducky I can take to creeks, rivers, lakes, and on camping trips! I can't remember the last time I was so excited for something!