Ducklings - Water Station Tips?

[HomesteaderWife]

Hey all, I have been doing some digging already through the forums but wanted to reach out here also for some tips/photo examples. It's been quite a few years since we have had ducklings, and I remembered the messy water drinking, but these little guys seem much messier than out other babies! I've been changing daily bedding and hoping to try and get a big lot of towels from the thrift store tomorrow when open, but I could really use some ideas on how to better station their water to help them not get the rest of their bedding so wet. I tried putting the waterer on a little plate, but it is so shallow that it puddles up quickly and they lay in it and scoot the water out of the sides very quickly. I would love some ideas/photo examples of ways to help this particular issue as they grow to keep them cleaner/drier when they're not at the water station since they are only a week old. Thank you!

 

[Papaye]

Hi.

Have you looked at videos on Youtube...?
You could find some ideas...

Here is one :

 

[HomesteaderWife]

Thanks for the video @Papaye I will watch that in a bit

@ruthhope any suggestions? I know I know they’re messy it is to be expected we have had them before just wanting to try and find better/new ways to set them up

 

[ruthhope]

Hey all, I have been doing some digging already through the forums but wanted to reach out here also for some tips/photo examples. It's been quite a few years since we have had ducklings, and I remembered the messy water drinking, but these little guys seem much messier than out other babies! I've been changing daily bedding and hoping to try and get a big lot of towels from the thrift store tomorrow when open, but I could really use some ideas on how to better station their water to help them not get the rest of their bedding so wet. I tried putting the waterer on a little plate, but it is so shallow that it puddles up quickly and they lay in it and scoot the water out of the sides very quickly. I would love some ideas/photo examples of ways to help this particular issue as they grow to keep them cleaner/drier when they're not at the water station since they are only a week old. Thank you!

How many ducklings do you have? One has to remember that ducklings go from babies to messy toddlers in days, stick at the messy development stage for weeks then all too soon they are well behaved juveniles. In the messay stage, like children, they just love water play and mud!!

I raised 2 jumbo pekin ducklings this year, not so different from the muscovy ducklings last year, and in years prior. I use a shallow Tupperware container with rounded square cutouts that take duckling heads but not bodies in the lid. I stand the Taupperware inside a heavier earthen water bowl (mine is a dog feeding bowl that is just slightly larger. That seems to contain the mess as the excess water that they shake from their bills runs down into the bowl. When they are bigger, 4 or 5 weeks, I give them a water tub made by repurposing 2lb mixed nut containers from Costco. My current two jumbos are on medication that I find most convenient to put in their water. First thing after I let them out of the duck house they go in a pen with their original baby Tupperware stood in the earthenware bowl. It holds 2 cups of medicated water and they drink it within an hour. Then they throw out the Tupperware and drink the overflow in the bowl. Late afternoon, they are back in the pen for their second dose of meds. It works a treat!

My brooder is a long plastic tub that fits neatly inside my bath. From 4 weeks old, at least twice a day, I pull the brooder out of the bath and give them swim time in my bath. That is, until my husband complains that he wants the bathroom back. I am actually deaf to his complaints until it's warm enough weather for the ducklings to move into the duck house.

Yes, ducklings are messy with water but they are cute and it's so much fun to watch them enjoying themselves

 

[MS_pond]

I'm partial to the cut milk jug, just need to make sure they can't squeeze inside.

When they're itty bitty I use a tupperware with holes cut out of the lid, up till a few days old