bedding for ducklings

[deeganjd]

We received our 10 ,mixed group, ducklings today. Per our email said to use pine shavings for bedding. We were unable to find these shavings. We found feline pine clumping litter. This is what was put in the area the ducklings are located. They seem to be doing fine, but the question I have is the clumping substance in the litter going to hurt the ducklings ? Any help with this issue will help so we don't harm the ducklings, thanks Jim

 

[Bobberduck]

I would be cautious and watch to see if they are eating a bunch of it... they are little taste testers (or at least ours are) and they eat everything. That could plug them up a touch. If you can't find pine shavings you might look for Hamster Bedding or the like at your local pet store... or even better, and often a whole lot cheaper... Go on Craigs List and see if anyone is selling bales of straw. (the straw for bedding is usually no more than a few dollars a bale, feed hay will be more expensive)

 

[lilchicklets2]

Plus the ducks can peck all the seeds out of the straw.

 

[Bobberduck]

Oh that they doo... and the cotton from the cotton woods, and the greener bits of died grass, and the twigs, and the straw itself. LOL...

Like I said, mine eat literally everything. If a piece of straw is too chewy they trot it over and deposit it in their water dish for later. By far and away, straw has been our friend. We use it in our brooder and also in the coop outside. keeps the shat off the floor for the most part, and keeps the water that spills around their inside dish fairly well soaked up. Another thing, as we are in Alaska here and the only grain we can grow with any great success here is Barley, we have taken to feeding it to them. We sprout it for 4 to 7 days, feeding it to them in that period of its growth and they go absolutely ape for it. As do our chickens. You should be able to find a grain of some kind in your local area that you can buy direct from the farmer for a fairly low cost. Ours, shipped something like 500 miles or so, came to just about $6.50 per 50 pound sack. The hay bales were $1.50. Needless to say, once your ducklings get to about 3 to 4 weeks, it is one heck of a lot cheaper than buying all your feed at the pet store. Also, if you have to get any antibiotics and such, go online and buy them from a farming site as they sell it in bulk and cheap for lots.

 

[deeganjd]

Quote:
This is our first try at raising ducklings. I think I will switch to straw tommorrow, from a local feed store. Do you think I can wait that long or should I take the litter out of the area now and just use newspaper until tommorrow?

 

[Bnemeth]

I'm not sure what the litter would do to the ducks if they ate it but it might be worth taking it out tonight to be safe. I bed my ducklings on old towels for the first few days then switch them to pine shavings. Good luck!

 

[Smitty's Farm]

I used paper towels the first few days, but I only have 3 to brood. I usually like to use shelf liner in my chicken brooders, but I was out of it. You can get it by the roll at the dollar store. I couldn't wait to switch them to pine shavings, b/c they are messy buggers.

 

[Oregon Blues]

You have a feed store and they don't sell bales of shavings for stall bedding?

I would not use clumping anything anywhere near ducks. You don't want them to eat anything that will form clumps in their crops.

Wood stove pellets can be used as long as you read the label to make sure they are simply pressed sawdust without chemical additives.

The small size of alfalfa pellets can also be used. The rabbit pellet size ones that are 100% alfalfa. You should be able to buy those in 50 pound bags for not too expensive.

 

[deeganjd]

Quote:
I just made a phone call and asked for pine shavings which they did not have. I am now learning other things can be used, we were trying to do what our email said from the company we ordered the ducklings. I am going to clean out the area now and get some straw tommorrow. Thanks for all the info.

 

[Bobberduck]

The wife concurred, yes, it would be best to clean out the clumping stuff as they eat everything they can get their bills around. Definitely check www.craigslist.org tonight though. You should be able to find something in the Farm and Garden section in your area that will blow your mind for cheap. We get most of our stuff there, and that is actually where we found out barley and hay supplier. Feed stores are definitely cheaper than pet stores by a long run, but the farmer them self is usually glad to get the business direct, as they can charge a little more than the feed stores ay them and you are still getting the stuff at half to 1/3 the cost.