Baby Ducklings=Cute Mess

[Huny]

Can anyone help me out? These ducks make such a MESS! Their brooder is always a muddy swimhole (and I only put a regular waterer, not a dish), I had a couple of ducklings this year die either from drowning, or getting stuck in the mud they make so quickly. I tried pine shavings, but the waterers fill up with them and then they can't get a drink. I tried newspaper, paper towels but it gets too wet too fast (minutes). I have taken them outside into an enclosed pen, but then they were getting their feet stuck or their heads stuck in the wire.

Out of 40 ducklings, I haven't had a batch that hasn't had these problems, so I need some expert advice.

 

[Cetawin]

My ducklings have only been here a few hours but so far so good. I put the waterer in a plate bigger than it...so far hardly any water anywhere else...maybe put the waterer on a pan or something.

 

[toletiquesbysam]

Where are they getting mud? Is your brooder outside on dirt?
We've got ours in the garage and I've got pine shavings down. I put the waterers up on wood blocks to keep it higher so I don't have a real issue with shavings being in their water. I've had ours 3weeks now and this weekend I removed all the shavings and put in new and used stall dry under the shavings to help with flies. Otherwise I've not had any issues with them being terrible!! I

them!!!

 

[fowlmood]

I would suggest strongly that you put a pan/tray of some sort under the waterer. This will catch a LOT of the mess. Yes they will still get it dirty and wet, they are ducklings, there's not really any way around that. But with an extra layer between the water and the bedding, it will certainly help. You can also try the pelleted bedding. It absorbs quite a bit. Good luck!

 

[headred]

I put my waterer up on a brick, worked great, saw them do that at the farm store! They had to stretch to get a drink but it sure kept everything dry.

 

[keldadog]

Keep in mind this has only been in place for about 5 hours, but so far so good. I have a 3 inch high big roasting pan and put an old window screen on top. The screen is about 1 inch bigger than the pan all the way around. I then gem clipped the screen frame to the top of the pan and set the gallon sized waterer on top of that. 24 ducklings and 5 hours later, the shavings around the pan are a teeny bit damp....not soaking...yeah! Fingers crossed it keeps working. I have turkeys and chickens in there with them and I'd like to keep them all relatively dry. The turkeys and chickens are SO civilized! But the ducks are really entertaining.

 

[jbowen9]

I hate to tell you but ducks is ducks they are the only animal i know that can take a teaspoon of water and a teaspoon of dirt and make a 5 gallon mudhole on concrete

 

[Huny]

Yes, Ducks is Ducks! I have quite a few in each brooder, that is part of it too. I have 10-15 and they get so messy. When I have 2-4 it's not as bad. With the pine bedding I just keep going in and cleaning out of the waterer, but it is working so much better than paper I'll put up with it.

And hey only another 3 weeks right? LOL

 

[noriko]

I'm a newbie for the ducks. I got my 6 mallard ducklings last Fri. So, they've been here almost a week! And I love them

They are soooo messy but so cute and they are soooo playful! They love my hair. They really jump to reach my hair & play with it(or try to eat??) everytime I look down & talk to them. I don't know why but they just love my hair. Maybe, my hair look yummy for them......I'm using the pelleted bedding for them and I think it works much better than the other bedding. Noriko.

 

[Calebs Acre]

I start mine out on Wee Wee pads which absorb the water pretty well for the first few days. Once they really learn how to throw crumbles and combine them with the water to make the mud, the waterer is elevated, which seems to help. I bought the wrong kind of pelleted bedding the first time, but now have the right stuff and it's so much better than newspaper or shavings!

BUT....that said, ducks is ducks!