I think I'm in over my head. :( :(

[Hennyhandler]

HeatherLynn, that was a great way of putting it. I also have to admit the rubber ducky song is sung at my house too.

 

[savingdogs]

I'm just a few weeks ahead of you.....hang in there! It is so much better when they move outside.

I also used the bathtub. I put them all in there with my son watching over while we changed the brooder.

We were having trouble with how wet and mucky they made everything and made the decision to move them outside. We are using a recycled dog house and a kiddie pool, and a recycled cat feeder for a feeder, wood pallets lined with landscape wire as fencing. Now I just hose off the area and dump out the pool every day. I wear my rubber boots but they are much more enjoyable. They seem to be handling our rainy weather well. I devised a little shelter for them but usually they seem to be enjoying the rain. I used a dog igloo which is plastic, which works great because I can hose that off too. Just plan your duck area where the wate run off goes to the right place!

 

[ChickenToes]

Oooh, keeping them in the house would be awful...with chicks it works just fine, but holy moly ducklings can be gross! I brood my ducklings outside in a small coop, there's a picture of it on my BYC page. If your coop is finished, put them in there with a lamp for heat.

 

[yomama]

I know how you feel. I have 2 young kids and many animals, some special needs, and with the new chicks and duck on top of that, it is hard to not feel overwhelmed. I love ducks, but know too that they are so messy. I only have one Pekin duckling,(now 7 weeks old) raising her(

) with 8 chicks. Once they QUICKLY outgrew the Rubbermaid brooder I had for them, I moved them into the laundry room, where I made a makeshift 4'x6' brooder with plywood. I couldn't wait for them to go outside! The smell, even though I cleaned everything daily, sometimes twice daily, the space, just everything. Well, I put them out last week in their run with a temporary house(I have a 10'x40' run that I split in half, to separate them from the other chickens for a while. As for a house, I took some old plywood and made a "temporary" house for them. Not pretty, but works for now. I hung a tarp over the house, just because it isn't exactly the best weather proof house.My plans are a large chicken coop/duck house for all, this summer.) The funny thing is, I kind of miss having them in the house. It was so much easier to interact, and cuddle(those that would let me) with them. And don't worry, out of all my chicks, my duckling is the most scared of me! I was very worried about them having to be outside, like they were 2 week old puppies or something! Still, they were my babies. I ended up putting a 125 watt heat lamp out there, just in case. Mostly because I had one chick that was slow to develop all her back feathers. Pickles, my duck, hardly even sleeps in the house. She loves the weather, and it has been raining alot here. They are only little fuzzy babies for a little while, they develop sooo fast, try to enjoy some of it. Sometimes when I get a chance, not often, I put a chair out by my chickens and goats and just watch them. They always end up making me laugh, and I am so glad that I ended up getting them. Hang in there. Once you get them outside and can work them into a regular routine, things get much easier.

ETA: Just thought about this. Years ago I had two Cayaga ducks. I used a large dog crate for their house as well, (blocked out the side vents to keep rain from coming in ) and used a 4'x6' dog chain link dog pen that I covered with chicken wire, top and bottom. When they got older, I allowed them to free range during the day, but locking them in the pen worked great while they were younger. Check Craigslist, people are always selling crates and kennels. Just an idea. good luck!

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

Those duck pics are great.