How much do ducklings smell? Brooder location tips

[DuckDuckSook]

Hello there duck squad!

We will be getting ducklings the end of March and I was wondering about where to put the brooder. I have a finished basement with a lot of space and also a large garage. I was thinking about the basement since my kiddos spend a great deal of time down there, there's lots of room, and it's a bit warmer. However, I was worried about smells. Will it travel upstairs into the main floor? My husband is sensitive to smells. Our garage is also roomy since we don't put our cars in there. However, our master bedroom is over the garage. Let me know your thoughts or what's worked best for you. TIA!

 

[CoriM]

I brooded my ducklings in a plastic swimming pool in my kitchen. We put about 18 inches of hardware cloth around the edge to keep them from jumping out and a carpet underneath the pool so the floor didn't scratch. It was so fun to have them where we could see them and talk to them all the time! I had them on towels and it did get a little laborious towards the end as we were waiting on my husband to finish their coop - they were inside 2 months. I was changing towels a few times a day and wiping down the pool. But, the smell wasn't bad, except for maybe morning, and we really bonded with them. Some might call me crazy, but it worked for us and was so much fun - I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

It all depends on how many ducklings you are raising on how much space and how you set up your waterer. Ducklings are little eating and pooping machines and they love to make a huge mess with their water.
Last year i had my Spring Ducklings in a kiddy-pool in my home-office for the first two weeks, then the smell became unbearable and they moved down into a make-shift cardboard and tarp brooder in our garage, after another 2 weeks they were outside in a little chicken cube and after another two weeks i let them loose with the rest of the flock.
There is a thread about the Spring Ducklings and an article about the 2019 Spring Ducklings. I was not using a heat-lamp for them, because i wanted them to get used to a day and night cycle and i hated the idea of having a heat-lamp in my office, so the had a Momma Heat Cave to stay warm.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I brooded my ducklings in a plastic swimming pool in my kitchen. We put about 18 inches of hardware cloth around the edge to keep them from jumping out and a carpet underneath the pool so the floor didn't scratch. It was so fun to have them where we could see them and talk to them all the time! I had them on towels and it did get a little laborious towards the end as we were waiting on my husband to finish their coop - they were inside 2 months. I was changing towels a few times a day and wiping down the pool. But, the smell wasn't bad, except for maybe morning, and we really bonded with them. Some might call me crazy, but it worked for us and was so much fun - I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

How many ducklings did you had in that kiddy pool?

 

[CoriM]

I had 6 - and got the larger size plastic pool. By the end I was keeping them in a little makeshift area in my backyard for several hours a day, and they had a wading pool filled with water out there, so they weren't 24/7 in my kitchen the last few weeks.

 

[cottontail farm]

Omg. We did it the house and never again. Ducklings are great but they looove water and love to poop. We"ve also done it the garage. Yep a kiddie pool is a must. They will soak through cardboard in like an hour. Asked me how I km now.

 

[Mtnboomer]

A LOT! They are messy and spill their water constantly which wets the bedding and stinks. Then they rinse their beaks adter eating and food bits dirty the drinking water and rots quickly and you guessed it...stinks!
They are fun and a great addition to a flock but a lot of maintenance depending upon how you set up their enclosure.

 

[chickens really]

Ducklings stink to high heaven and the quicker they are outside the better!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Omg. We did it the house and never again. Ducklings are great but they looove water and love to poop. We"ve also done it the garage. Yep a kiddie pool is a must. They will soak through cardboard in like an hour. Asked me how I km now.

[QUOTE="cottontail farm, post: 22173375, member: 320570"
As said, my rascals spent two weeks in a cardboard brooder covered with a large tarp. One evening they dragged the tarp down and chewed through the cardboard... We came back hom from shopping, opened the garage door and saw ducklings running around.
Two days later the were outside...

 

[Jpat]

I keep my brooder in my dining room, it doesnt smell when you clean it everyday