Little Troubles

[DuckFather]

So I've had my two Pekin ducklings for a week now and I'm concerned again .. their feet are peeling and I looked it up and what I got from it it that I should start putting them in a little bit of water. Were they can walk in it of course. Also big concern is they've both started sneezing and I'm very very concerned about that.

I love them and really want to see them grow so I hope their okay.. they seem to be eating and drinking fine.

 

[Cassandra Lana]

Ducklings need deep water to clean their nostrils ! That’s why they are sneezing . If you have a heat lamp brooder you can let them swim too. I recommend filling your bath tub with 6 inches of warm but not hot water (raise level as they get older). Also put a bread tray full of water in your brooder .

 

[DuckFather]

Ducklings need deep water to clean their nostrils ! That’s why they are sneezing . If you have a heat lamp brooder you can let them swim too. I recommend filling your bath tub with 6 inches of warm but not hot water (raise level as they get older). Also put a bread tray full of water in your brooder .

Thank you that's really helpful I had a cake pan out for them today for a "first test swim" but tomorrow I'm gonna try the bathtub. Shouldn't I have a way for them to get out if there done? I donno I'm just scared to see him them in there for the first time being the overthinker I am. I first had a smaller pan out for them. One seemed to like it more then the other.

 

[Cassandra Lana]

they can only swim for 10-15 minutes in the bathtub anyway cause they don’t have waterproofing feathers oils yet. I deeply recommend watching them swim cause it is so cute ! You can remove them when you think they are ready (they will stop playing)

 

[Ella_r_ab]

So I've had my two Pekin ducklings for a week now and I'm concerned again .. their feet are peeling and I looked it up and what I got from it it that I should start putting them in a little bit of water. Were they can walk in it of course. Also big concern is they've both started sneezing and I'm very very concerned about that.View attachment 2575836 I love them and really want to see them grow so I hope their okay.. they seem to be eating and drinking fine.

I saw other replies, and what I did the first few times was to use the sink so it’s easier for my nerves, and them

 

[Brooke_R]

So I've had my two Pekin ducklings for a week now and I'm concerned again .. their feet are peeling and I looked it up and what I got from it it that I should start putting them in a little bit of water. Were they can walk in it of course. Also big concern is they've both started sneezing and I'm very very concerned about that.View attachment 2575836 I love them and really want to see them grow so I hope their okay.. they seem to be eating and drinking fine.

A little bit of sneezing is normal I think as long as they have enough water to clean their nostrils. My ducklings legs were peeling too and when I looked it up I read the same. I started giving them more frequent baths and i think it did fix it

 

[LT71689]

Thank you that's really helpful I had a cake pan out for them today for a "first test swim" but tomorrow I'm gonna try the bathtub. Shouldn't I have a way for them to get out if there done? I donno I'm just scared to see him them in there for the first time being the overthinker I am. I first had a smaller pan out for them. One seemed to like it more then the other.

they only need a few inches of water to paddle around in, so I took a heavy baking dish and turned it upside down for them to rest on. They'll tire out pretty fast. My two immediately wanted to do big zoomies and I was terrified theyd launch themselves (or each other) out of the sink so I just went straight to the bathtub.

For less messy water in their brooder you can take a juice bottle or milk carton and cut a hole in the side wall - big enough for them to get their whole head into, but not so big they can climb all the way in (because theyll want to). Make sure it's a good height so they can dunk their whole head under the water level but not so high up that they cant bend their necks over it. If you're using plastic you can melt the rough edges down a bit to make it smooth. Depending on the size of the container you can place that in another low-walled dish to catch the extra splashes.

As hatchlings they got a shallow tupperware with holes in the top on a plastic plate

And then they moved to a 1L plastic jug on it's side, and then up to a 2L upright jug in a low baking dish

 

[DuckFather]

they can only swim for 10-15 minutes in the bathtub anyway cause they don’t have waterproofing feathers oils yet. I deeply recommend watching them swim cause it is so cute ! You can remove them when you think they are ready (they will stop

A little bit of sneezing is normal I think as long as they have enough water to clean their nostrils. My ducklings legs were peeling too and when I looked it up I read the same. I started giving them more frequent baths and i think it did fix it

Do you know how often I should bathe them? I spend most if not all my time with them. Because their brooder is in my room. They seem to be more comfortable with me now which I'm really happy about and I cant wait to see them get all grown.
They dont sneeze as often as they did when we didn't have the heating lamp. So I hope they didn't get sick?.

 

[Brooke_R]

Do you know how often I should bathe them? I spend most if not all my time with them. Because their brooder is in my room. They seem to be more comfortable with me now which I'm really happy about and I cant wait to see them get all grown.
They dont sneeze as often as they did when we didn't have the heating lamp. So I hope they didn't get sick?.

I try to bathe them for a little while once a day. You could probably skip a day every now and then, though. And I just realized I think mine stopped sneezing as much after I turned off the heat lamp, too

 

[Cassandra Lana]

For less messy water in their brooder you can take a juice bottle or milk carton and cut a hole in the side wall

I did that too