Best water fount/amount for new ducklings?

[Sunny Side Up]

Hooray hooray, my new Khaki Campbell ducklings arrived at our post office this morning! Ten healthy fuzzy brown babies from McMurray Hatchery.

This is my first time keeping ducks, so I'm sure I'll be returning frequently with additional questions.

Right now they're in a Rubbermaid bin on straw over newspaper. Having Purina Flock Raiser to eat. My question is about their water requirements.

I first gave them sugar water in a little bowl and they took to it like...well, like ducks to water! I dipped their bills in it to get them started and they soon had themselves a little party stepping in & out of the bowl, dabbling & drinking.

Next I found the quart water fount and replaced the bowl with that. They're still drinking & dabbling out of that, and making a wet mess on the straw around it. Some are even trying to get their feet in it.

Should I use the more narrow-rimmed dish on this fount, the type called a "quail" waterer? Or do they need the extra room to immerse their bills?

Is there a good tip to keep the area around the waterer cleaner & drier?

Must they have access to water 24/7? I've noticed at our local feed store that they don't always keep their ducks' fount filled, no doubt to keep their cages cleaner. If I limit their water, what is the minimum required?

Thank you for your advice! We are so happy with our new birdy babies.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Be careful because baby ducklings can drown themselves.

When you get them you are supposed to let them have water for 15 min, and then take the water away for an hour. And do that the first day, so they dont drown themselves by drinking too much water.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Should I use the more narrow-rimmed dish on this fount, the type called a "quail" waterer? Or do they need the extra room to immerse their bills?

Dont use a quail waterer, I just had a call duckling get his beak stuck in the waterer and he drowned. Use a regular waterer, the water needs to be deep enough so that they can clean out their sinuses. It needs to be deep enough to submerge their nostrils.​

 

[brewmiss96]

We had better luck with keeping things clean by placing the quart waterer in another dish, like a pie plate or a shallow bowl. They splash all that water out the back of their bill and if there is a wider area to catch it, less gets on the bedding. If you don't want them climbing in it, elevate the waterer so they can just get into it, but not too tipsy so that they knock it over.

They do need a wider waterer for flushing their nares too.

Still after all this we changed their bedding every 3-4 days and we put fresh dry bedding over the wet almost every day. They get messier, just a warning, though the Rouens were much more messy than the Khaki or Cayuga.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Quote:
Well, they had access to their drinking water all day today, and made their bin all nice & swampy on the bottom. I switched them to a dry bin for the night.

Are you saying that tomorrow I should put their fount in the bin for only 15 minutes, then take it out for an hour, all through the day? But what about when I have to leave the house? What about overnight? Or is this only for their 1st day?

I had their waterer up on a brick, and was thinking about putting it in a frisbee or plastic plant saucer to contain their drippings.

Next week I plan to start keeping them in a bottomless pen out in the grass, it's certainly warm enough in the daytime here in South Florida. And bring them into a bin on the patio at sundown.

Even before I got them, I knew ducks would be messy. I guess this is why Donald Duck doesn't wear pants...

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Are you saying that tomorrow I should put their fount in the bin for only 15 minutes, then take it out for an hour, all through the day? But what about when I have to leave the house? What about overnight? Or is this only for their 1st day?

That is only for the first day after you pick them up from the post office.​

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Quote:
Whoops! Too late for that advice, yesterday was their first day home and they had water all day long. Today they're still healthy & happy in their sloppy bin. I'm going to fix them a playground outside for daytimes, it's already so hot here. I'll put their heat lamp on one end in case they still feel chilly, and just monitor them to see if they seem uncomfortable outside. I do this with baby chicks and we all benefit.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

im looking foward to see some pics