Like a duck to water -- not

[RSTinWA]

I have 6 Blue Swedish ducklings, 10 days old, and doing very nicely in their brooder. Yesterday was a warm day, and with some sun on the deck and a shallow storage bin filled with tepid water, including a ramp to make it possible for them to get out, I thought they might enjoy their first swim. Wow, was I wrong. They hated everything about it. They were sure I was trying to kill them, and they act like they hate me for suggesting such a horrible thing. I don't think they were too cold -- when I put them back in their space, they didn't cluster under the heating lamp.

Was their reaction typical? Are they too young? Just a cranky bunch?

BTW, the Quackers are named: Graham, Ritz, Matzo, Rye, Triscuit and Saltine (known as Tina).

 

[Everose]

Are you sure they're ducks?

 

[RSTinWA]

Are you sure they're ducks?

Well, I am a newbie, so I may be mistaken, but they walk like a duck and cheep like a duckling, so I'm going with conventional wisdom that they are in fact ducks. Lol

 

[KaleIAm]

Maybe the entire experience was scary for them. Being outside with the open sky, being transported, ect.

My duckings loved swimming, but I only took them ten feet away to my bathtub. Maybe try again tomorrow but this time bring the "pool" to them?

 

[indianaducks]

I got one of those paint roller pans so there was a "shallow" end and a "deep" end for mine. And I put it in their brooder, for their first "swim". It was less of a swim and more of fun water time. Maybe try something like that?

 

[Everose]

Mine thought I was the best person in the world for putting them in the bathtub. Maybe try just two at a time, there might be one really freaked out duckling having a super horrible time and the others are feeding off of it's fear.

 

[RSTinWA]

Maybe the entire experience was scary for them. Being outside with the open sky, being transported, ect.

My duckings loved swimming, but I only took them ten feet away to my bathtub. Maybe try again tomorrow but this time bring the "pool" to them?

That's smart. It'll be messy, since we have them set up in our "tree house" (heated outbuilding with finished walls and floor) but tarps should help.

 

[RSTinWA]

Since we had another nice day, I moved their whole brooder out to the deck for 10 minutes and let them get used to a different setting, fresh air, sky, breeze. Next warm day, maybe I'll let them roam the deck without trying to put them into the water. They seem to hate to be apart from each other and really kick up a fuss if I separate any one of them. They're like a little pack, with the smallest one, Saltine, right in the center.