I really want to hatch my Pekin pair's eggs this spring, but my DH has forbid me to brood them in the house or the garage. I'm brainstorming to think of any other possible options!
I have two 4x4 coops but they can't safely have a heat lamp in them.
Has anyone had success setting up a secure outdoor brooding area for ducklings? I have a narrow 8 foot run that's not attached to anything but would be predator proof if we put doors on the ends of it. I'm not sure how I could attach the heat lamp to it, especially considering it rains a lot in the spring. And the ducklings would be directly on the ground. Not ideal.
They are so messy, but so adorable! My last batch of 6 Pekins made a terrible mess in our garage even though I tried to keep them confined, which is why DH has forbid me from brooding them inside again. (I'm also having a baby in April and planning a homebirth--giving birth in a house full of baby ducks doesn't seem very appealing, lol.)
What do you think my pair of adult Pekins will do? Will they be interested in the babies and want to keep them warm? That would be the best option, and extremely cute to see baby ducks with a mama. I keep hoping that the female duck will go broody--they've been looking around the yard in strange places like maybe she's trying to find a nesting spot. I'm not sure how it works for ducks, this is the first pair I've owned. She laid her first egg of the season yesterday and I brought it in and put it on counter to save it. She didn't seem to miss it, she just laid it in with the chicken eggs.
Anyway, I obviously won't hatch them if I can't brood them properly, don't worry.
Any one have any good ideas? How/where do you brood your ducklings?
I have two 4x4 coops but they can't safely have a heat lamp in them.
Has anyone had success setting up a secure outdoor brooding area for ducklings? I have a narrow 8 foot run that's not attached to anything but would be predator proof if we put doors on the ends of it. I'm not sure how I could attach the heat lamp to it, especially considering it rains a lot in the spring. And the ducklings would be directly on the ground. Not ideal.
They are so messy, but so adorable! My last batch of 6 Pekins made a terrible mess in our garage even though I tried to keep them confined, which is why DH has forbid me from brooding them inside again. (I'm also having a baby in April and planning a homebirth--giving birth in a house full of baby ducks doesn't seem very appealing, lol.)
What do you think my pair of adult Pekins will do? Will they be interested in the babies and want to keep them warm? That would be the best option, and extremely cute to see baby ducks with a mama. I keep hoping that the female duck will go broody--they've been looking around the yard in strange places like maybe she's trying to find a nesting spot. I'm not sure how it works for ducks, this is the first pair I've owned. She laid her first egg of the season yesterday and I brought it in and put it on counter to save it. She didn't seem to miss it, she just laid it in with the chicken eggs.
Anyway, I obviously won't hatch them if I can't brood them properly, don't worry.
Any one have any good ideas? How/where do you brood your ducklings?
