Do 1 week old ducks still need food and water at night?

[rainplace]

oh they still make a mess, but the op mentioned they were knocking the water over.

 

[Smartie_Pants]

In my opinion, you should never take the water away from them. They DO get up and drink during the night, they don't sleep the whole time. As for the mess, that's a duck's nature. You can't punish them for it, because they are just doing what ducks do. The mess comes with the ducks, and even though its a hassle, that's just how it is. The easiest thing I've found to do, is put an old sheet in the bottom of the brooder. Then when it gets wet and messy, you can throw it in the washer with a little bleach to disinfect it.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Well thank you for all the help. I like the old sheet idea.
I will wait until they are a little older and then take the water and food away at night. At least while they are still inside. I don't want them to be soggy overnight while they are still so young.
They knock over their water by trying to climb in and over it. Between the four of them they occasionally make a big mess.
I took the geeses water away last night (and food) they are 3 and 1/2 weeks old and they did great.
As soon as I woke up I gave them water and they really weren't all that excited about it. They wanted their Romaine lettuce!

 

[Hunter0704]

Chicks and ducklings need food and water 24/7 when they are babies. My previous chicks I kept for six weeks on the enclosed porch and whenever I got up at night, 1:00 a.m., 3:00 a.m. & 6:00 a.m. to check on them and they were always eating and drinking!!! Sometimes I wondered if they ever slept. Babies need their nourishment to grow healthy, and plenty of water to keep them hydrated. I plan on keeping my now 6 weeks old chicks and ducklings fed and watered 24/7 until they are 12 weeks old. Then, food and water outside in the run.

Get a large waterer that holds 3 gallons...they won't knock that over. Rural King has a 3 gallon red/white plastic waterer that has a large enough drink bowl for the ducklings to get their bills and eyes in for cleansing, which they need. After graduating the babies from the feeders with holes in them for access, I changed to a 12 inch round plastic plant drain dish for their food. They don't knock it over and if any chicks poop in it, there is usually only one poop so I clean that out. For feeders, check out "feeders" on BYC to get lots of neat ideas you can make yourself.

As for the mess from the duck waterer...I put a black plastic bottom tray from a medium sized dog kennel, which has maybe 1 1/2 inch high sides, on the floor in the coop and set the waterer on it which keeps the splattering down immensely. I also use Equine Pellets in my coop which absorbs water, absorbs moisture in the poop, and breaks down to something that makes me think of damp looking wood shavings. It's easy to remove with a scoop, plus there is no smell at all in the coop. It's also a lot cleaner than using straw or hay which easily gets wet and can turn moldy. If you have chicks, they don't like wet feet.