Gluttunous 3 Day Old Ducklings?

[Broodica]

Me again......just got my 2 new mallards. 2-3 days old. Came in box with gro-gel. Got them into the brooder. They didn't seem that thirsty, but they both drank. Did the take water out for 15 mins, put it back in for 15 mins.....4 times. Put in food, and they are going nuts! They haven't stopped eating and drinking, haven't even slept. I am concerned that they will be taking too much water in, So I removed food and water to give them a rest. My other ducklings never went on an eating/drinking splurge like these two. They drank some, ate some and passed out for awhile. I have had them home for about 3 hours and they haven't stopped. Heat lamp is at 87F.

Should I be worried about them drowning themselves with too much water...or is that just if they are not eating? Is this normal, just little piggies or am I just being a worrier and should let them have it?

OMG. I feel like I did when I had my first kid.

 

[Wifezilla]

I never regulate food or water intake. Sometimes when they are in a growth spurt they will eat like pigs. Other times they barely touch food.

 

[Broodica]

OK.....just nervous about the drinking thing. I'll let 'em have at it. Certainly don't want to regulate either food or water.

 

[duck walk]

I have 46 ducks at the moment...raised them all from ducklings, new hatches...I have never tried to regulate their feed or water...they will self regulate...they are growing so fast from hatching 'til five to six weeks...they have to eat...I supplement them after a couple of weeks with clover clippings, chopped greens of almost any kind...I even buy crickets for them on occasion...they will slow down on the food snarking as they mature...

 

[Broodica]

LOL...I hope so. My 10 day old ducklings are getting so big and they never mowwed down like these 2. Well...if they did, they did it discretely

 

[NYREDS]

They need to have water available to help them swallow their food. Yes, young ducks EAT. They're like fuzzy vacum cleaners. That's no doubt related to their growth rate. They grow much faster than chickens.

 

[Broodica]

They didn't have food or water for as long as it took me to type my original post. I had just been reading about ducklings drowning themselves by drinking too much water. Anyway....I swear they ate and drank for 3 hours straight....and they are just fine. They are also much tinier than my first 2 ducklings when they came. No way they are going in with my two 10 day old galoots...They'd crush them! Teeny weenys vs. Duckzillas!