Hate to say it......but ducklings are soo messy!!

[sandcat]

I love the little peep I really do but sometimes it is soo stinky, i cant believe how much it poops, i change its cage about 3 or 4 times a day, ahh its all for love

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Now you know why Donald Duck doesn't wear pants!!!

I don't know what the weather is like where you are, but I try to get my ducklings out into the grass as soon & as long as possible. After 2 weeks they spend most of their days outdoors. I've also found it helps to put their waterer in a tray and tilt their brooder box a little so the water stays on one side. I use old towels for flooring & hose them off and hang them up to dry. And of course a plastic bin for a brooder box, not cardboard.

Babies as messy as these have to be extra cute to survive!

 

[WestKnollAmy]

If they weren't so darned cute I would never raise another one!

Yeah, messy and I would not raise one in the winter. Bless your heart!

It has to be for love when they stink so much as babies. But as with all kids, once they have a bath they are so snugly and sweet!
You will miss the days of babyhood all too soon.

 

[dreamcatcherarabians]

Quote:
When I had ducks and geese and raised them up from babies, I changed their brooder litter every other day or it got .....nasty! You're right, they are the messiest little birdlings ever but once they are old enough to start giving 'swimming lessons' to, in your bath tub, you'll forgive every messy stinky thing they ever do. Their joy in the water just makes you forget all about how messy they are. I can't wait for spring so I can get another gosling and some ducklings. I really miss them.

 

[Suzie]

Yes! Duckings and Goslings are soooo messy - wait until they grow up......! I have 11 Geese and 25 Ducks and they do leave a mess overnight in their accommodation - luckily I have a Power washer but alas it is not working at the moment as the hose is frozen - so.... I have to use buckets of water and an efficient broom to clean out their houses - but at the end of the day they are worth it to me as no doubt they are to you!

I have 83 animals at the moment, horses, donkeys, geese, goats ( ugh if you think duckings are messy - try goats ), two GSD's, chickens and the ducks - I love them all despite the poop!

Enjoy!

 

[Suzie]

Oops! I meant ducklings - not duckings (it must be the wine.........)

 

[Denninmi]

Yes, they are awfully messy, and can get stinky.

The right litter helps a LOT. With my ducks, I found that an acidic bedding makes a big difference. When they were very small, I used pine shavings with good results, changing them at first every other day, topping off in between, and then daily. After they got bigger, I put them in the garage in a bigger brooder, and switched to dry oak leaves, which I gather along the roadside ahead of the municipal yard waste truck.

I have found that oak leaves make great duck bedding. The tannins in the oak leaves seem to really keep the smell down. The leaves are pretty durable, and don't compact and rot quickly like straw or other bedding.

When I ran out of stored bags of oak leaves last summer, I had to switch to straw from the feed store. Not only was it NOT free, I suddenly had odor from the duck pen. I was glad when I was able to gather leaves again in October.

As a side bonus, the ducks love rooting through the leaves for acorns.

 

[sandcat]

thanks everyone i will try some new bedding

 

[SilverPhoenix]

I raised my ducks in my room (to clarify, in a storage tub in my room, not just free-roaming or anything). Yep, I know about the mess and smell! Welcome to the world of waterfowl, where the shavings are always wet and the water is always filled with shavings.

 

[Miss Lydia]

My ducks even bring rocks and stones to their water bucket. I have also found sticks and wood shaving in the bottom. They are so funny, thank goodness they live outside.