Duckling housing

[duckboatprincess]

I'm getting my ducks this weekend! YAY... I'm excited.

Anyways, last night I got into a discussion with my fiance about housing them as babies. I planned on using an old dog cage and I was going to put plexiglass on the inside of the sides to keep them from squeezing through the gaps. I guess that plexiglass is insanely priced so then I thought that we could use some thin plywood and glue those linoleum tiles on it. I thought either option would work for easier clean-up.

Kevin wants to build them a house though. So... okay. But we all know how messy babies are with their water. I told him it has to be able to be cleaned out and not absorb the water. We were thinking of making the front hinged so that you could just wipe it out onto plastic or into a garbage can. It's just going to take him forever to build it.

So, question #1: Which plan do you think will work better and do you think Linoleum will hurt them?

Here is the other dilemma. I planned on using straw on the floor for absorbancy, bedding, etc. Kevin is allergic to straw so we were going to use wood shavings.

Question #2: Are wood shavings bad to use for ducklings and what bedding would you recommend?

Thanks guys!

 

[melodylee]

I think Linoleum would be to slick I know newspaper is it can cause splayleg..and they tend to get wood shavings confused with food when young.
puppy trainig pads work pretty well everyone has a preference though.
this might help:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=154853&p=1

 

[duckboatprincess]

I was going to put shavings or straw or something over the linoleum. I was just going to use it to make cleaning easier and to keep the wood from rotting or warping.

 

[BeccaOH]

Mine are currently in a swimming pool that I divided down smaller and can enlarge later. I have wood pellets (made for horse stalls) on the flooring that is currently covered with puppy pads until they learn where the food comes from.

If you are building a box brooder, I think I'd go with a hardware cloth bottom to let the water and poo drip down to a collection pan that you can dump a couple times a day.

Enjoy!

 

[duckboatprincess]

That's a good idea. I liked the idea of that indoor outdoor carpet stuff too. That seems like it would be really easy to clean up.

 

[Brickman House]

Seems to me that, rather than going to the time and expense of modifying the old dog crate, for the same amount of money you could buy a large Rubbermaid tote and a package of puppy pee pads. VOILA! Instant brooder.

The Rubbermaid tote cleans out easily with soap and water, and can be used for something else once you're done brooding the ducklings.

 

[headred]

New ducks don't need a lot of space. Rubbermaid or tubs are good because they can be cleaned out easily. Newspaper, paper towels, easy and disposable. Make it as easy as possible. Water--put up on a brick or something to keep them from trying to get IN the water. Yes, they are messy, but oh so cute and entertaining. See the first posts on my website to see how I did the ducklings and eventually put them outside. Enjoy your ducks and good luck!

 

[nettie]

I would not allow young ducklings to walk on wired bottoms (even the kind made from 1/2 or 1/4 metal mesh). It's not very good for their feet. You'd have to put something soft over it so they don't slip, like fleece or puppy pads, thus taking the time to build a brooder with a mesh bottom pointless.

plus, they don't need a brooder for that long, I'd only build a nice one if you plan on raising lots of ducklings over the future.

I used rubbermaid totes with pellets and shavings on the bottom... I put them on the shavings since day one and never have a foot problem or problems with them eating it (they pick at it, but it doesn't hurt them). I add shavings each night to give them a new clean layer, and we clean out the totes completely once a week.

Now my bigger ducks are in a pen that has a section that has a mesh floor, where their food and water sit... So it falls to a pan below. This is their permanent home, and it makes cleaning sooo much easier.

If you are going to build a nice brooder, take the time to line it with vinyl tiles, and make a mesh section for their food/water... But if you don't plan on raising a bunch of ducks, just have a couple rubber maid totes ready.

 

[EngieKisses]

We used pine shavings. However, they were housed indoors in a big rubbermaid tub until they were old enough for the outdoors. We did not have any problems with them eating shavings.

 

[duckboatprincess]

Do you guys have a picture of your brooders?