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- #11
Lesson learned never again!
- Thread starter r4eboxer
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- Thread starter
- #12
yes...trying to brood them like chicks is going to give a wake-up call on what we've been saying messy is. LOL... really... you don't even think of it until you experience it.
I use old bath towels over wire for the first week, with a tub placed below the water. Rinse the towels out, throw in the washer, reuse after they dry. I was throwing out a bag of pine shavings a day! I cringe when ever I see a baby ducks on bedding in photos... people all excited about the babies... then I sit back and wait till week 2 and the inevitable "They're SO MESSY" post that follows the initial cute baby photo post.
I still brood in the basement, have a concrete floor down there. I sold both my brooder boxes, even the wire bottomed one. For $35 I bought a galvanized dog whelping box on CL, it's a 3x3 metal box, about 6 inches tall, with wire dog crate pieces that set up around it. I need to line that with hardware cloth, then I need to make a wood frame covered in hardware cloth to sit on the edge of the bin. There is a lip around the top to keep the puppies in, that will also support the wood frame.
Was thinking on drilling a drain hole in one corner, placing the whole thing on the sloped part of the floor, and affixing a hose that goes to the drain in the floor, so that it continually drains itself. It's the wet that causes the bulk of the odor. For cleaning, remove the ducks and wire floor, pour a bucket of water in, scrub as needed, drain it through hose. If I don't drill the drain hole, I will need to carry it around and pour it out like I had to with the totes that went below the old brooder.
I use old bath towels over wire for the first week, with a tub placed below the water. Rinse the towels out, throw in the washer, reuse after they dry. I was throwing out a bag of pine shavings a day! I cringe when ever I see a baby ducks on bedding in photos... people all excited about the babies... then I sit back and wait till week 2 and the inevitable "They're SO MESSY" post that follows the initial cute baby photo post.
I still brood in the basement, have a concrete floor down there. I sold both my brooder boxes, even the wire bottomed one. For $35 I bought a galvanized dog whelping box on CL, it's a 3x3 metal box, about 6 inches tall, with wire dog crate pieces that set up around it. I need to line that with hardware cloth, then I need to make a wood frame covered in hardware cloth to sit on the edge of the bin. There is a lip around the top to keep the puppies in, that will also support the wood frame.
Was thinking on drilling a drain hole in one corner, placing the whole thing on the sloped part of the floor, and affixing a hose that goes to the drain in the floor, so that it continually drains itself. It's the wet that causes the bulk of the odor. For cleaning, remove the ducks and wire floor, pour a bucket of water in, scrub as needed, drain it through hose. If I don't drill the drain hole, I will need to carry it around and pour it out like I had to with the totes that went below the old brooder.
Quote:
I used these for my adult ducks and figured i would try it on duckling. One got sick becuase it ate some of the dust the pellet broke into.
If you are using shavings then I would put a pie pan or something under your waterer to catch the water they play with and dribble. (worked wonders for me one wetness) and put the food on the other side of the brooder so they are not running back and forth so much making a big mess!
I wonder what kind of ducks you had because any knid of duck I ever raised would get a bill full of crumbles and rush to the water to wash it down or out. That was the biggest reason for changing water, the ducks would wash out the feed from their bills, maybe dabble a bit of it as food and go back for another load and at brooder temp that water/feed mix starts to stink fast! That was one reason I liked to let the ducks raise their own young ones. they still made a mess of their feed and water but without all that extra heat the smell wasn't that bad. just herd them into another pen and hose out.
I used these for my adult ducks and figured i would try it on duckling. One got sick becuase it ate some of the dust the pellet broke into.
If you are using shavings then I would put a pie pan or something under your waterer to catch the water they play with and dribble. (worked wonders for me one wetness) and put the food on the other side of the brooder so they are not running back and forth so much making a big mess!
I wonder what kind of ducks you had because any knid of duck I ever raised would get a bill full of crumbles and rush to the water to wash it down or out. That was the biggest reason for changing water, the ducks would wash out the feed from their bills, maybe dabble a bit of it as food and go back for another load and at brooder temp that water/feed mix starts to stink fast! That was one reason I liked to let the ducks raise their own young ones. they still made a mess of their feed and water but without all that extra heat the smell wasn't that bad. just herd them into another pen and hose out.
Quote:
I used these for my adult ducks and figured i would try it on duckling. One got sick becuase it ate some of the dust the pellet broke into.
If you are using shavings then I would put a pie pan or something under your waterer to catch the water they play with and dribble. (worked wonders for me one wetness) and put the food on the other side of the brooder so they are not running back and forth so much making a big mess!
I wonder what kind of ducks you had because any knid of duck I ever raised would get a bill full of crumbles and rush to the water to wash it down or out. That was the biggest reason for changing water, the ducks would wash out the feed from their bills, maybe dabble a bit of it as food and go back for another load and at brooder temp that water/feed mix starts to stink fast! That was one reason I liked to let the ducks raise their own young ones. they still made a mess of their feed and water but without all that extra heat the smell wasn't that bad. just herd them into another pen and hose out.
I just found out by moving them on opposite sides that they were less likely to run back and forth making such a mess. They would stay at the food longer and actually eat it and then go to the water and actually drink it with out making such a mess with food in it.
I used these for my adult ducks and figured i would try it on duckling. One got sick becuase it ate some of the dust the pellet broke into.
If you are using shavings then I would put a pie pan or something under your waterer to catch the water they play with and dribble. (worked wonders for me one wetness) and put the food on the other side of the brooder so they are not running back and forth so much making a big mess!
I wonder what kind of ducks you had because any knid of duck I ever raised would get a bill full of crumbles and rush to the water to wash it down or out. That was the biggest reason for changing water, the ducks would wash out the feed from their bills, maybe dabble a bit of it as food and go back for another load and at brooder temp that water/feed mix starts to stink fast! That was one reason I liked to let the ducks raise their own young ones. they still made a mess of their feed and water but without all that extra heat the smell wasn't that bad. just herd them into another pen and hose out.
I just found out by moving them on opposite sides that they were less likely to run back and forth making such a mess. They would stay at the food longer and actually eat it and then go to the water and actually drink it with out making such a mess with food in it.
Who knew!
I modify a chick waterer base for my very young baby ducks by putting a cup of water in the center where the bottle should be and putting their feed in the 'outside' of the base. Once they are too big for that I use a plastic coffee can for their water and a large bowl for their food. The brooders I have are not very wide, so they don't have very far to go for a drink. I use the lids on the coffee cans and cut holes in the side until they are too tall to use them, that also helps keep them from playing in it and making a big mess.
I've brooded ducklings in children's wading pools (the smaller ones) in the house for a couple of weeks. They do make a mess, its a lot of cleaning. I put their waterers in old pie pans to soak up the mess, it helps a lot. For the first few days, until they are eating well, I use towels and change them 2-3 times a day. Then I move to pine shavings and that seems to work out fine. I do find the kid's wading pool is too low on the sides after a few days, then I surround it with a cardboard brooder ring. It was a huge amount of work the year I bought 12 ducklings and hatched 12 more at the same time... eeek!
In the future I don't plan to hatch early in the spring, so that by 2 weeks or so, they can go out. In fact, I built some dividers for my "duck house" (A converted and insulated storage shed) and it should be fine to brood even little babies in with heat in later spring. I had a couple batches out there at a few days old last year and it worked great. One batch had a mother duck, the others were under a heat lamp. They have lots of room to run, no drafts, heat and the more room the easier to clean.
I much prefer mother ducks though. They do the whole thing OUTSIDE! yay! And they can have the run of the whole "duck house" and run, where they spend most of their time outside with mother and clean up isn't really a problem, nor is stink. I've got a couple of good broodies in my Saxonys and they are lovely large ducks that can mother a dozen or so at a time easily. Good girls! It's just hard to wait until they go broody on the First of May!
In the future I don't plan to hatch early in the spring, so that by 2 weeks or so, they can go out. In fact, I built some dividers for my "duck house" (A converted and insulated storage shed) and it should be fine to brood even little babies in with heat in later spring. I had a couple batches out there at a few days old last year and it worked great. One batch had a mother duck, the others were under a heat lamp. They have lots of room to run, no drafts, heat and the more room the easier to clean.
I much prefer mother ducks though. They do the whole thing OUTSIDE! yay! And they can have the run of the whole "duck house" and run, where they spend most of their time outside with mother and clean up isn't really a problem, nor is stink. I've got a couple of good broodies in my Saxonys and they are lovely large ducks that can mother a dozen or so at a time easily. Good girls! It's just hard to wait until they go broody on the First of May!
My first batch were raised in the dining room - with a tarp covering the floor.
The second batch were raised on the screened porch.
I can SO relate!!
The second batch were raised on the screened porch.
I can SO relate!!
- Aug 3, 2009
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Quote:
First batch in the house, second batch on the screened porch...looks to me like you are SLOWLY migrating their nasty, stinky feathered little butts outside to brood.
Been there, done it TOO many times to count, but lets all be honest...ducklings are ADORABLE and it's totally worth it.
First batch in the house, second batch on the screened porch...looks to me like you are SLOWLY migrating their nasty, stinky feathered little butts outside to brood.
Been there, done it TOO many times to count, but lets all be honest...ducklings are ADORABLE and it's totally worth it.
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