gross poop question and what I am going to try instead of puppy pads

[Happyflower]

Okay for the gross question... when my duckling poops, is it normal for his behind to have poop on it? I know they can't wipe, but is it sign of diarrhea?

Also I love the convenience of puppy pads but they are so expensive and they really don't seem all that absorbent. So today I picked up a package of bed pads for humans near the Depends isle. They are HUGE (30" x36") for about 8 bucks on sale and can be cut up into a bunch of smaller pads, so overall they are so much cheaper. I am not sure how absorbent they are yet. Has anyone else tried this for their young ducklings?

 

[Amiga]

With critters, at some point we must talk about output!

My ducklings (runners) never seemed to have anything stuck to their vents after defecating. I have read that a warm wet washcloth helps clean it off and that if the diet is healthy (including fresh water all the time for ducklings), it should not be a long term problem.

You could try a bath, too. They need to be able to wash their heads, anyway, to avoid eye and sinus infections.

I used old towels for a number of reasons. Yes, it is physical labor to clean them. But they don't make dust, don't stink like pine, don't cause allergies, don't have to be thrown out and replaced, and the rinse water is the best plant fertilizer I have tried in a long time.

I have used puppy pads some. If there were spots that tended to get splashed or areas I really wanted extra protection from moisture, I would put a puppy pad down. But the ducklings liked to open them and eat the insides. So I could not use them in the brooder itself.

 

[toadbriar]

I have the same incontinence pads, they work great for us. Mine pick at the surface but haven't broken into the fluffy insides (yet!) Mine will be 4 weeks old on the 22nd.

oops, edited to add. I did cut mine in half and they fit the first brooder (rubbermaid bin) perfectly. But I did fold over the cut end and put their food and water on top to hold it down. Now when mine are inside overnight, they're in a larger cardboard corral so I have 2 pads overlapped.

 

[nettie]

I've used both kinds of pads, and I've had ducks pick it open and eat it... It doesn't seem to do much if anything if they do eat it, just change the pad right away when you notice they've gotten it open. Have you thought about trying bedding pellets for horses? They work amazing well, and for ducklings you can wet them a little and expand them to saw dust.

 

[chickboss]

Quote:
Yes, and then you can pick through it like kitty litter. Not so bad really.

 

[Duck_feeder]

with pellets/sawdust, if you make it about 2", you can just quickly scrape off the poopy top layer and lay down a bit more fresh pellets/saw dust. I only had to change out the entire bedding once a week when I raised my ducklings. I also had to scoop out the wet area by their water daily but it never got too bad. As long as I cleaned daily, the smell was never that bad (they lived in my bedroom).