Hello all,
HELP!! We have two ducklings whom we love very much. They are Pekin Ducks and are just now 2 weeks old. We started them in a plastic storage container for a brooder, just like we use for our chicks. We knew they would grow fast, but they are growing faster than we thought. They are now housed in a large dog crate. The trouble is, they are messier than we thought as well. We do NOT want to give them up, but need ANY help we can get for what to do for a brooder. I have heard the figure of 1/2 foot per ducking increased by 1/2 foot per week. So at this point technically they would need just 2 square feet, but I don’t think that is reasonable.
The wire crate is about 2 feet wide by about 3 feet long. We take them out frequently so they can stretch their legs and wander around the living room. Now that it is averaging 80degrees outside, we have been taking them out to an outside, supervised pen for a couple of hours the past two days.
So really, my questions are these....
What is a good brooder for inside the house which does not allow the mess to spread yet is easy to clean up?
What’s the best way to have their water in their brooder without them soaking the bedding every 5 minutes?
What is the youngest age we can have them move to an outdoor, completely enclosed pen, before they move to the big pen with the chickens?
Oh, the reason they have to be in the crate in the house (or a brooder with a mesh cover) is because of the other animals we have living in the house. I have a larger plastic storage container with high walls that is about the same size as the crate (2 feet by 3 feet). I am contemplating moving them into that, but don’t know how long it will be before they outgrow it.
ANY help is Greatly appreciated! We love our Penelope Peep and Regina Quackenbush and want to be sure we are giving them the best home we can!
Ben and Helen
HELP!! We have two ducklings whom we love very much. They are Pekin Ducks and are just now 2 weeks old. We started them in a plastic storage container for a brooder, just like we use for our chicks. We knew they would grow fast, but they are growing faster than we thought. They are now housed in a large dog crate. The trouble is, they are messier than we thought as well. We do NOT want to give them up, but need ANY help we can get for what to do for a brooder. I have heard the figure of 1/2 foot per ducking increased by 1/2 foot per week. So at this point technically they would need just 2 square feet, but I don’t think that is reasonable.
The wire crate is about 2 feet wide by about 3 feet long. We take them out frequently so they can stretch their legs and wander around the living room. Now that it is averaging 80degrees outside, we have been taking them out to an outside, supervised pen for a couple of hours the past two days.
So really, my questions are these....
What is a good brooder for inside the house which does not allow the mess to spread yet is easy to clean up?
What’s the best way to have their water in their brooder without them soaking the bedding every 5 minutes?
What is the youngest age we can have them move to an outdoor, completely enclosed pen, before they move to the big pen with the chickens?
Oh, the reason they have to be in the crate in the house (or a brooder with a mesh cover) is because of the other animals we have living in the house. I have a larger plastic storage container with high walls that is about the same size as the crate (2 feet by 3 feet). I am contemplating moving them into that, but don’t know how long it will be before they outgrow it.
ANY help is Greatly appreciated! We love our Penelope Peep and Regina Quackenbush and want to be sure we are giving them the best home we can!
Ben and Helen
