Ducklings will be here tomorrow! 1st time owner, very excited!

[Firegal1056]

So the post office should call in the morning to tell me my babies are here. I have been preparing for - at least a year! No joke. Had to build their house and then their run and then the brooder and prepare the small tub brooder for them when they arrive. it is set up and the lamp is on. I have been monitoring the temp. So many articles stated 18" off the bedding. It went above 120F at that distance. So I have been adjusting accordingly. I moved the thermometer to the other end of the brooder to get an idea of overall heat. That way they can get away if need be. Advice? Should the whole brooder be 95F or maybe 90F at the other end by the food?

I have actually taken the week off from work to be home and monitor them. Im lucky because I am a firefighter and work 24 hr shifts. 1 or 2 shifts and I have 5 days off.

Question about bedding. I have chopped straw for when they get a bit bigger and go in the bigger brooder, for now I have piddle pads, and I was also thinking of shredded paper or newspaper. I know they slip on news print but was thinking if I put it through my shredder it would work? I plan on 3 inches of sand in the run- any suggestions? Their pond is outside the run- help with cleanliness and will get to swim 5-6 days a week as well as free range the back yard.

I have their feed- Purina flock- has the appropriate protein and read about reducing the % as they get older and the feed type as they start to lay!!!

So please feel free to send advice on the above. We all make mistakes and I would lie to avoid those that others have made. Not purposely but because we were learning!!! Thank you all in advance.
Bridge

 

[Pyxis]

Sounds like you've got your ducks in a row! Lol, pardon the pun. Everything looks good, but you will want to raise the lamp a bit. You want it to be 90 to 95 degrees right under the lamp. The rest of the brooder should be cooler so they can get away from that temp when they need to.

Feed sounds good, flock raiser has the appropriate protein and niacin content for them. You can feed it to them for their whole lives, no need to switch feed when they're older

As far as bedding, puppy pads are good to start with, paper towels work too. Pinebedding is great for when they get older.

I notice you don't have a 'duckling' waterer - you may want to whip one up. They're easy to make and keep the splashing down, plus allow the ducklings to dunk their heads up to their eyes as they require. There's two types, one made from a gallon jug of milk and the other out of containers such as cottage cheese containers, here are pictures of each type:

 

[rjohns39]

Hi Bridge and welcome to BYC You've done a tremendous amount of prep and good prep at that. That said, you probably want a much deeper brooder with pine shavings in the bottom, at least a foot. A couple things to know... Ducks preen A LOT and they use water to do it. They also have to clear their nostrils after eating. All that water goes into your bedding. Second and probably more important, when they drink (that is actually consume the water) they poop. So now you know where your manure concentration will be. My hospital brooder is very much like yours... when I have ducks in it, I give them time every day to swim in a baby kiddie pool, dry them and put them back in the brooder. Must ensure they don't get a chill. In terms of your pool, be sure you have a way to get the poop out. I am still experimenting with this and all previous designs have failed. Other than that, welcome to the world of web footed friends. They are the friendliest, most personable critters you can own.

 

[Firegal1056]

Sounds like you've got your ducks in a row! Lol, pardon the pun. Everything looks good, but you will want to raise the lamp a bit. You want it to be 90 to 95 degrees right under the lamp. The rest of the brooder should be cooler so they can get away from that temp when they need to.

Feed sounds good, flock raiser has the appropriate protein and niacin content for them. You can feed it to them for their whole lives, no need to switch feed when they're older

As far as bedding, puppy pads are good to start with, paper towels work too. Pinebedding is great for when they get older.

I notice you don't have a 'duckling' waterer - you may want to whip one up. They're easy to make and keep the splashing down, plus allow the ducklings to dunk their heads up to their eyes as they require. There's two types, one made from a gallon jug of milk and the other out of containers such as cottage cheese containers, here are pictures of each type:

Perfect- yes I have the gallon jugs and have saved the cottage cheese and ricotta containers for the past month or so. I will make sure they have plenty of water. Thank you for your advice, keep it coming!! I will raise the lamp and monitor the heat of the entire tub. I am hoping after a week they can graduate to the 3X5 plywood box that is in the garage- the tub is sitting on it!