1. HOW IN HEAVENS NAME DO YOU KEEP THE BROODER DRY?????????? I have an 8 foot kiddie pool with shavings in the bottom covered with towels. I change the towels twice a day and the shaving every other day. But they are sooooo messy with their water that the shavings and towels are constantly soaking. I am really worried that this is not good for them. I mean, I know they are ducks, and they aren't in drafts, and they have a two heat lamps that they are not camping out under. But is being damp all the time bad for them?
2. They won't eat their peas no matter how I fix them. They are 4 weeks already and they have not had a single pea for the sheer fact that they REFUSE to eat them. I have mashed them and given them whole and NO GO... so now what? What does niacin deficiency look like and how soon does it start???
3. I have WH ducklings from Holderreads that come from their show quality lines. My questions is about bill color. Aren't the males supposed to have a yellowish bill? All my ducks except one has the gun metal gray bill. The one that is light colored is actually a female. Do duck bills change in color??? Or are they all going to be useless to breed from because of the wrong color bill?
4. How often do you let them swim while they are brooding? I have 16 and it is quite a production to catch them and carry them one or two at a time into the bath and then dry them all off individually before putting them back in the brooder. So they have only swum a couple of times. They do love it and I am wondering how neglectful a mama I am if they only get to do it every few days? And man is my bathtub gross afterwards LOL!
2. They won't eat their peas no matter how I fix them. They are 4 weeks already and they have not had a single pea for the sheer fact that they REFUSE to eat them. I have mashed them and given them whole and NO GO... so now what? What does niacin deficiency look like and how soon does it start???
3. I have WH ducklings from Holderreads that come from their show quality lines. My questions is about bill color. Aren't the males supposed to have a yellowish bill? All my ducks except one has the gun metal gray bill. The one that is light colored is actually a female. Do duck bills change in color??? Or are they all going to be useless to breed from because of the wrong color bill?
4. How often do you let them swim while they are brooding? I have 16 and it is quite a production to catch them and carry them one or two at a time into the bath and then dry them all off individually before putting them back in the brooder. So they have only swum a couple of times. They do love it and I am wondering how neglectful a mama I am if they only get to do it every few days? And man is my bathtub gross afterwards LOL!