Countdown almost over....ducks!

[Birdydeb]

Well my ducks hatch Monday and I guess will be here by Wednesday. If not Tuesday, the Post Office told me not to assume it would take until Wednesday. I have plastic tubs to use as brooders and intend to use unmedicated chick starter and Brewer's Yeast. I have read and read and it is all running together right now. 1 tablespoon Brewer's Yeast per cup of food is that right? I haven't totally nailed down what I will use for waterers ....I was thinking half gallon milk jugs with cutouts for the start. I'm going to use puppy pads and shelf liner. I have double the tubs so I can swap a clean one for the dirty one. I have heat lamps (75 watt) but am seriously debating using 2 heating pads I have. I know how to set the brooders up with one side warm and the other cooler. Have I forgot anything? Anyone want to share their duck brooder pics? I can't believe how nervous I am....excited but nervous.

 

[Amiga]

Great strategy - - - good start!

I used ceramic heat lamps above - suspended on a very firm panel of half inch metal hardware cloth.

The Runners outgrew the first brooder - a large plastic bin - in two weeks. You can just about see their little legs grow half an inch the first 24 hours after they arrive!

I kept a safe thermometer (not mercury) in the brooder under the lamps. I ran it before ducklings, got 90F. Once they were in the brooder, they made it wet enough that I could only get it to 80F with the one lamp so I added a lamp - the moisture pulls down the temperature.

Have you seen the Raising Ducklings sticky?

I remember thinking how I was going to insure good ventilation without drafts. And how nervous I was removing their leg bands. And how my heart melted like wax the moment I heard the box cheeping. And how I struggled to manage the water. A splash catcher makes a big difference. And a watering station makes all the difference. The former is something that sits under the waterer and collects spills. The latter is a walk-in with absorbent material in the bottom that is changed daily.

One rule I followed during brooding was that when I introduced any changes (including putting ducklings into the brooder the first time), I would watch for 15 to 20 minutes to see if they got themselves into trouble. Because ducklings can get themselves into unimaginable trouble.

I don't want you to panic. But I don't want you to be surprised.

So, watch how they do with whatever you use for water. I will always remember the photo of the duckling inside the DIY waterer that used a one-liter water bottle.

Please keep us posted with your countdown questions, and as you enjoy their ducklinghood.