How often do I let my babies swim? New bath pics! pg 2

[shelleyd2008]

I have 2 3-week-old pekins. I just saw them trying to wash their bellies with their drinking water? Poor things! I just gave them a 'bath' last night, but they seem to want more. How often can I let them swim?

 

[ChickenToes]

You can let them swim for a while every day as long as you can dry them off quickly when they come out of the water.

 

[nettie]

baby duckies will want to swim as much as they possibly can, they will always want to swim, lol... they love water! I used to give mine a small bath everyday before bed

 

[shelleyd2008]

These guys did get another bath today. I think they would be happy to just live in the bathtub! They stayed in there forever too, and were not too happy that I took them out! I have been told they shouldn't be allowed to at all till they have their feathers, but the poor things! They are getting feathers, and they act almost like the feathers coming in are itchy, they are constantly trying to wash their bellies!! I just don't want to lose them, they freak out when I take one out of their box or tub, and not the other! If something happened to one, the other would probably die of a broken heart!

 

[mbrown]

I usually fill a little tupperware container with water and put it in the brooder with them under the heat lamp. Just don't leave it in there all the time, only for an hour or two, then make sure the duckling dries off completely.

 

[Wifezilla]

We demand pictures of these adorable little goobers in the tub

 

[shelleyd2008]

Bath time has become such a common thing that they think anytime they get out of their 'brooder' is bath time! They will go waddling out of the room they are in, heading for the bathroom! I don't have any new pics of them in the tub, but I'll get some later when it is bath time!

Here's one of them at their first bath, they were about 2 weeks old then. They are now about 4 weeks old, and I'll get more pics later!

Oops! Forgot the pic

 

[raindrop]

Here are mine at 2 weeks in a large plastic storage bin. They used to bathe once a day while I cleaned the brooder. Clean ducklings went into a clean brooder!

At four weeks, they were out during the day and in at night.
I had a kiddie pool out with them (it was spring and so warmer) with brick steps in and out. I would leave the pool filled with about 4 inches of water for an hour on warm (50-60 degree) days, they were fine. I made sure they all knew how to get in and out before I left them with the water.

 

[shelleyd2008]

I have some that are older now, and they were outside all day and night. It was June when I got them though, and it was pretty warm. Those probably should have had some kind of heat at night, but I was dumb then, and they survived

I am hoping to put these guys out in a few weeks, at least into the barn with a light. They won't go to the pond with the other ducks until this spring, once I know it will be warm and stay that way.

I wish it were spring now, these guys are stinkers!! Thank goodness there are only 2 of them!

 

[Wifezilla]