I am getting mostly bantams and a pair of grey mallards and a pair of runners any day now. is it possible to keep them in the same brooder for the first few weeks? I've heard the duckies are very messy. this is my first duckling experience and I really dont want to have the 4 of them by themselves. they will be inside for the first week or so, I should be able to keep a close watch. any advice.
If you only have 4 I can't see that being a problem. Best not to feed medicated food to them too, the ducklings can be little piggies and gorge on it and it can be harmful. Also make sure the waterer is deep enough so they can get their whole beak in the water, they need to be able to flush their nostrils out. They will make the pen messy with the water, I tend to keep the food near the water that way they are not running back and forth too much and spreading the water all over. They like to eat then drink right after between beak fulls.
It is not so bad when they are small for a couple weeks. When the ducks get a little bigger they will need a place with water to at least dunk their head and clear their sinus. They are messy! Super messy. The little pair I had I let them swim in my kitchen sink for about an hour every day and kept them in a dry tote with shavings. They still made a huge mess with their waterer. You have to clean it every day. Even with little ducks all of the water and the poop is just a stinky mess.