My Love Affair With Ducks...

[shawluvsbirds]

I find it so hard to believe that a broody duck would hold her poop while on the nest. They sure as heck can’t hold it any other time. And just so you know, broody poop (from a chicken) is the biggest and the stinkiest poop ever!

I guess the squeaky clean comes from the duck washing the eggs with the water from her feathers.

Nah I don't think so.
I really think when they decide they wanna sit they just don't soil where they sleep.
Now they might track poo in on their webs if they step in it.
Or another duck might defile the nest. Kinda depends on their set up.

 

[Mimi13]

Oh just wait until you experience a broody dux poo!!
I don't think anything could compare. They hold it. Believe me.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Nah I don't think so.
I really think when they decide they wanna sit they just don't soil where they sleep.
Now they might track poo in on their webs if they step in it.
Or another duck might defile the nest. Kinda depends on their set up.

No other duck dared to come close to my broodies nests! Little Pinball Duck fought off two drakes 1½ times her size and Brownie was limping after she was done. But she was gentle with me, because i brought her mealworms. Broody ducks deserve mealworms!

 

[Mimi13]

No other duck dared to come close to my broodies nests! Little Pinball Duck fought off two drakes 1½ times her size and Brownie was limping after she was done. But she was gentle with me, because i brought her mealworms. Broody ducks deserve mealworms!

Only if you WANT them to be broody! I dread the day...mainly cause I don’t know how to break a broody duck. Good heavens!

 

[SolarDuck]

Only if you WANT them to be broody! I dread the day...mainly cause I don’t know how to break a broody duck. Good heavens!

I was dreading the day too until it happened... a few weeks ago Penguin went broody and she turned into a demon
After I dumped out her nest within a few days she was back to normal, but she still hasn't given me any eggs since then

 

[ChickensForEggs2500]

The past two days my little darling ducklings have used over a gallon of water. That is perfectly fine, but today I had to go to the doctor and I was afraid their little one quart container would not last them till I got home, which was almost 4 hours later. Luckily, there was still water in the trough part, but no more in the container.

I made a catch basin to go under the one quart waterer, which BTW has been a godsend...and a lifesaver. So it wasn’t as easy as just plopping in a large waterer. As soon as I got home and refilled their water I got to work on another catch basin to fit a 5 quart waterer.

Here is what I did in case anyone else would like to try it.

Found an old piece of 1/2” plywood and traced the feed pan (catch basin) on it. I marked a 1/2” line on either side of the ‘pan measurement line’ and drew each of those lines around parallel to the first one. I cut this ‘circle frame’ out with a jig saw. This gave me a one inch circle board that I could use to staple hardware cloth to that would sit nicely on top of the feed pan. I did not place screen wire on top of the hardware cloth on this one like I did on the first one. I didn’t want them to possibly get their bills stuck in the squares of the HC. But they are a bit older now and hopefully that won’t happen. After I cut the plywood I sanded the edges and top really well so there would be no chance for splinters. And then I stapled the HC to the bottom side.
View attachment 2081318View attachment 2081320

I had to find something that would sit underneath the waterer that would hold its weight instead of the HC. This brick was the perfect size.
View attachment 2081321
View attachment 2081326

Of course I had to move it to the center of the pool so the little boogers didn’t try to escape. It was a little bit taller than my previous one, so I placed two bricks up next to it for a little boost.
View attachment 2081330

My smallest duckies had no problem getting up there. Now I don’t have to completely fill the waterer up (because we all know it’ll need cleaning out before they use/spill it all), but if I ever need to be gone several hours I won’t be worrying the entire time.
View attachment 2081333

@Mimi13, what was the size of this kiddie pool? Also did you find that you needed walls to keep them in after a few weeks? Thank you so much!

 

[Mimi13]

I was dreading the day too until it happened... a few weeks ago Penguin went broody and she turned into a demon
After I dumped out her nest within a few days she was back to normal, but she still hasn't given me any eggs since then

Just like a human...withholding until they get their way!

 

[Mimi13]

@Mimi13, what was the size of this kiddie pool? Also did you find that you needed walls to keep them in after a few weeks? Thank you so much!

This pool was one of the larger hard plastic kiddie pools. I believe it was about 5’ across at the top (a little narrower at the bottom) and the height of the walls was about 10” high. I can measure it in just a bit for an exact size.

Only one of my precious, little ducklings made her way over the wall. I didn’t get to see it though. I was in the process of taking them out of the bathtub and drying them off, one by one, and putting them back in the brooder/pool. Petey, my White Layer (and the eventual Bulldozer duck) was first, so she was the only duckling in the pool. As I was drying off the second one, I heard the literal splat splat splat of duckie feet coming quickly across the bathroom floor. Geez, it was Petey, and she was fast. I learned never to let them be by themselves in the brooder again.

I have since learned that ducks go just about anywhere they wanna go...upstairs, downstairs, you name it. And, if they can ever get their head and neck (below their crop) over the edge of something, their body will follow.

The side walls of the pools definitely do not need to be any shorter or the boogers will be out in a heartbeat, especially if they detect food on the other side.

ETA: 4.5’ across and 12” deep.

 

[Mimi13]

 

[Mimi13]

Petey gives free rides and Hershey isn’t happy at all about it!

Please disregard I Dream Of Jeannie playing in the background.