I have two cayuga ducklings coming with my Ideal chick order at the end of the month. I know that ducklings are messy and want to hear from you all about which type of bedding works the best for your ducklings while they are in ther brooder. If there is something I should use until they recognize that the bedding isn't edible, let me know what you use initially and then transition to. What do you recommend to use for a brooder? I was thinking about making a large crate with some pallet material. I know not to have them on wire because of their feet. Thanks- Lydia
I use straw. Normally their so distracted by the water bowl they don't eat it. I use a shallow plastic container for the water. Don't use wood chips because their poo can make it as slick as if it was newspaper. That leads to leg problems. A create sounds fine, we just use an old plastic tub for easy clean up. Good luck
When my broody runner hatched 6 ducklings they were all on straw and didn't seem to have any problems with it. My new one week old muscovies are on straw and seem not to have any problems with it.
There is a guy locally that will order a bunch of ducklings each year and sell them. I like the way he had his brooder set up at the store. It was a hardwire(the hardwire cloth with small holes) floor with several inches(2-5) of wood shavings. Everytime I saw the cages they seemed clean every time so it will be a set up I try if I get ducklings. -Kim
We used old bath towels. We brooded the ducks in our spare bathroom tub, and each day would pull up the soiled towel, hose out the tub, dry it, and put a clean towel in. Every few days, we'd do a wash of duck towels, and start all over again.
I used pine shavings (4-5 inches deep) and covered the shaving with old kitchen towels for the first couple days until they were happily eating food/water. I started with a chick waterer. Once they were about a week old, I used a gallon milk jug with a hole just big enough for their heads as a waterer, this really cut down on the mess. They went outside at 4 weeks, and have been on grass/straw since then.
I have a shredder and shredded old newspapers and bills (The newspapers tend to make the birds black though from the ink.)
We're keeping our ducklings in a 50 gallon tank with pine shavings for bedding. I do have to go in there every few days to change it out but it's a necessary evil I am willing to live with for their happiness. Once they reach 3-4 weeks though they''l be outside in the barn with the rest of the ducks.
Quote:I like this very much. I will try it thank you! PS I will remember to put the water container right over the drain because of the slope of the tub, everywhere else should stay dryer that way.