Like the title said, this is for fun. I've been musing over this all evening as I clean up after my babies. And I love to type and do so quite quickly, so, here's what happens when those three things combine.
So you have some baby ducklings. Cute little buggers, aren't they? You are already in love and though you may already have had a brooder ready for them you now realize you want something better. Something worthy of housing such adorable cuteness. I'm only on my second hatch of ducklings but here are a few tips I've picked up along the way.
First, you need to find the perfect container. The options are many but I and many others choose to use a nice big, deep "rubbermaid"-type container. The material is thick and holds temperature well and the depth helps to block draft as well as keep your active little darlings safely contained.
Next you will choose your footing. For the first few days I like to start out with something soft, a towel or blanket. Whatever you choose, wash and dry it so that it's soft and warm and smells of a fragrant spring meadow. Fold it lovingly so that it fist perfectly into one half of your brooder floor, being sure to fluff it up one last time so that the babies will feel at home. This is the end where your heat source will go. Adjust height according to duckling behavior- if they pile up underneath it, they may be chilled and you can lower the height. If they stay away from it, raise it as they are likely too hot.
For the other end of the brooder I like to place an appropriately-sized casserole lid or other impermeable item for placing the feeder and waterer into. Ducklings can be a bit messy and this will help to contain some of that mess. Just be sure whatever you use is short enough for the ducklings to get over and access their food and water.
Speaking of food, you will need to research all the many options out there and choose what works best for you and your ducklings. When you first open it up, be sure to take a moment to smell it- such a sweet, nutritious smell it has! Your ducklings will certainly appreciate the time you spent researching their needs and picking it out. When you fill up your feeder, be sure and have the food at the same level for each access hole so that every duckling gets a fair chance at his or her share. Careful you don't dump any out as you place it in the brooder!
Water. Ducklings love water!! What kind will you use? Plain tap water? Will you add vitamins? Niacin? Again, you will need to do your own research here and choose what is best for your situation. Once you decide, fill that waterer up! Again, careful not to spill any as you lower it into that brooder!
Now! Step back and take a moment to reflect on the beauty that is your Perfect Brooder. Pat yourself on the back, you've done quite a great thing here! Be sure and take a couple of photos to share on here so that we can all ooh and aah over how fantastic it looks and how happy your little angels will be when they behold this, the Taj Mahal of all brooders. How impressed they will surely be!!
You are now ready to place your ducklings into their new home. But wait! Just a couple of final touches.. something's missing.
First, take the full waterer and pour one-third of it into the bottom of your food/water mess container, and one-third of it into your fragrant and nutritious duckling crumbles. Set remaining one-third aside. Next, use your fingers to mash the water/food mixture and mix it into a thick paste that filsls each access hole in your feeder. Take this new concoction and pour it back into your remaining one-third of clean water. Just place it into the base of the waterer and smush it around. Whatever won't fit into the waterer, just pour it out into the food/water mess container. Stir it around with your fingertips and be sure to splash some of it onto the walls of the brooder for good measure. The heat lamp will dry it on there, so don't worry about the walls staying damp.
Finally, take whatever is left in the waterer and pour it onto your warm, fluffy, fragrant blanket. With your hands, gently press down on the blanket so that all the water/food mixture is absorbed, leaving not one dry thread in the blanket. You will know you're doing it right when the blanket is warm and flat/hard, with a semi-sweet smelling humidity rising from it when you lean over the brooder.
Optional: If your ducklings have been watching all of your hard work, chances are they have been pooping while doing so. You can take these droppings and scatter them evenly about the brooder if you want, but you may be quite tired by this time so if you would like you can just let the ducklings do this for you. It will only take them about ten minutes.
Great job, you are now finished. And hey- don't forget to post those pictures!!
So you have some baby ducklings. Cute little buggers, aren't they? You are already in love and though you may already have had a brooder ready for them you now realize you want something better. Something worthy of housing such adorable cuteness. I'm only on my second hatch of ducklings but here are a few tips I've picked up along the way.
First, you need to find the perfect container. The options are many but I and many others choose to use a nice big, deep "rubbermaid"-type container. The material is thick and holds temperature well and the depth helps to block draft as well as keep your active little darlings safely contained.
Next you will choose your footing. For the first few days I like to start out with something soft, a towel or blanket. Whatever you choose, wash and dry it so that it's soft and warm and smells of a fragrant spring meadow. Fold it lovingly so that it fist perfectly into one half of your brooder floor, being sure to fluff it up one last time so that the babies will feel at home. This is the end where your heat source will go. Adjust height according to duckling behavior- if they pile up underneath it, they may be chilled and you can lower the height. If they stay away from it, raise it as they are likely too hot.
For the other end of the brooder I like to place an appropriately-sized casserole lid or other impermeable item for placing the feeder and waterer into. Ducklings can be a bit messy and this will help to contain some of that mess. Just be sure whatever you use is short enough for the ducklings to get over and access their food and water.
Speaking of food, you will need to research all the many options out there and choose what works best for you and your ducklings. When you first open it up, be sure to take a moment to smell it- such a sweet, nutritious smell it has! Your ducklings will certainly appreciate the time you spent researching their needs and picking it out. When you fill up your feeder, be sure and have the food at the same level for each access hole so that every duckling gets a fair chance at his or her share. Careful you don't dump any out as you place it in the brooder!
Water. Ducklings love water!! What kind will you use? Plain tap water? Will you add vitamins? Niacin? Again, you will need to do your own research here and choose what is best for your situation. Once you decide, fill that waterer up! Again, careful not to spill any as you lower it into that brooder!
Now! Step back and take a moment to reflect on the beauty that is your Perfect Brooder. Pat yourself on the back, you've done quite a great thing here! Be sure and take a couple of photos to share on here so that we can all ooh and aah over how fantastic it looks and how happy your little angels will be when they behold this, the Taj Mahal of all brooders. How impressed they will surely be!!
You are now ready to place your ducklings into their new home. But wait! Just a couple of final touches.. something's missing.
First, take the full waterer and pour one-third of it into the bottom of your food/water mess container, and one-third of it into your fragrant and nutritious duckling crumbles. Set remaining one-third aside. Next, use your fingers to mash the water/food mixture and mix it into a thick paste that filsls each access hole in your feeder. Take this new concoction and pour it back into your remaining one-third of clean water. Just place it into the base of the waterer and smush it around. Whatever won't fit into the waterer, just pour it out into the food/water mess container. Stir it around with your fingertips and be sure to splash some of it onto the walls of the brooder for good measure. The heat lamp will dry it on there, so don't worry about the walls staying damp.
Finally, take whatever is left in the waterer and pour it onto your warm, fluffy, fragrant blanket. With your hands, gently press down on the blanket so that all the water/food mixture is absorbed, leaving not one dry thread in the blanket. You will know you're doing it right when the blanket is warm and flat/hard, with a semi-sweet smelling humidity rising from it when you lean over the brooder.
Optional: If your ducklings have been watching all of your hard work, chances are they have been pooping while doing so. You can take these droppings and scatter them evenly about the brooder if you want, but you may be quite tired by this time so if you would like you can just let the ducklings do this for you. It will only take them about ten minutes.
Great job, you are now finished. And hey- don't forget to post those pictures!!
