Bath time!!

[Jellybean05]

So it's the first day my duckling are going swimming and i have never owned a duck before but I have two. ones a kakhi Campbell and the other is a magpie. Is there anything I need to know about these breeds when in the water or what temperature or how much water to fill up in a tub ( just a regular bathtub inside the house, it was cold out today and it's their first day I wanted to be good experience for them) and how long to be in the water? I will put pics up here too. Thanks!

 

[MagpieDucks]

Use about 90-95° F water. Don't leave them unattended, and make sure they get dry once they're done. Sometimes a blow dryer is necessary.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

95 in water feels like it would burn.Ducklings don’t get cold that easily.I would say 75 degrees at the most just my opinion though.

 

[MagpieDucks]

How old are they? That will help decide water depth.

 

[atomic]

My bath tub has a deeper and shallower end, when my two ducklings were small I'd fill it up to where they could swim if they wanted but also have an area where they could stand and rest. I'm not sure what the temp of the water is but I'd stop adjusting once it felt warm to the touch but not hot, they seem pretty happy every day when I turn them loose for splash time.

 

[cheezenkwackers]

I agree with atomic for water temperature and depth. I would not recommend the blow dryer. There was a lady on here last year who accidentally burned several of her babies feet blow drying them.
The duckling's oil glands are stimulated by getting wet. The first time in the water they will get soaked pretty quickly. If you let them swim every day, they will become waterproof soon and able to stay in the water longer.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

I just put enough in a small tub for about an inch or two of water. Luke warm, like maybe cooler than you would give a baby a bath in. I only let them stay in for a few minutes - maybe 5. I actually didn't dry mine off, they went back under their heat lamp and preened.
Mine are muscovy and just about two weeks old.

 

[cheezenkwackers]

My babies are only four days old (3/4 Khaki Campbell, 1/4 Appleyard). When they were a day old they walked in the water. On day two, they had a shallow pie pan full of water and played for about ten minutes, a couple of times. This was yesterday, the third day and they had already had swim time in this tub earlier in the day. Notice that they can easily get out but I still stay with them just in case. If you watch to the end, it gets funny.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

My babies are only four days old (3/4 Khaki Campbell, 1/4 Appleyard). When they were a day old they walked in the water. On day two, they had a shallow pie pan full of water and played for about ten minutes, a couple of times. This was yesterday, the third day and they had already had swim time in this tub earlier in the day. Notice that they can easily get out but I still stay with them just in case. If you watch to the end, it gets funny.

I love this! I guess I should give mine more water to play in!

 

[atomic]

I let mine swim in the tub every day since I got them at a week old, I also finely chop fresh greens for them daily to "forage" for in the water. My older pekins were given to me and never introduced to good foods other than their pellets and likewise snub any offerings I give them, so I wanted my babies to learn early to enjoy the finer foods! I believe giving them routine swimming time has most definitely helped with strengthening their developing bodies, and their mental well being... a duck is meant to be in the water! You can tell as time goes on their confidence building, they started off sticking mostly to the shallow end and now they happily splash under the running faucet and do some crazy diving underwater lol. They let you know when they are tired, the peeping dies down and they patiently wait on the shallow end for me to come dry them off and take them back to their house where a fresh heaping of pellets and oatmeal is waiting. I wanted to add I don't completely dry them, they seem happy enough preening under the heat lamp.