My Love Affair With Ducks...

[DuckyDonna]

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.

all you have to do is get some cardboard and stand it up all around the pool and when they get bigger you can get one of those dog fences to put around the pool and hold it together with a small bungee cord. When they are really small they will be able to fit right through the holes in the fence. Easy Peasy!

I got the cardboard at Sam's club from their pallets and the fencing from Walmart online. I have a great big pool and the fence just fits it. On the smaller pools you can just fold back one of the 8 panels. They are around $30+. Those fences come in very handy too for lots of things like dividing "problem" ducks until they get the minds right.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

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

I sure she is laying eggs! She is just hiding them better from this evil humon who stole them last time and destroyed her nest.
Ducks are very persistent, Muscovies are obsessed!

 

[SolarDuck]

I sure she is laying eggs! She is just hiding them better from this evil humon who stole them last time and destroyed her nest.
Ducks are very persistent, Muscovies are obsessed!

If she is hiding them somewhere they are getting grabbed by rats before i find them

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

No more stale pizza in my house! Leftovers are being cut into bill-size pieces and added to the supper-bowl. Doe, tomato-sauce and toppings - except any avocado, that is tossed.

 

[ChickensForEggs2500]

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.

Thank you! This seems like a great option for me if I decide to brood ducklings!

 

[FunQuail]

all you have to do is get some cardboard and stand it up all around the pool and when they get bigger you can get one of those dog fences to put around the pool and hold it together with a small bungee cord. When they are really small they will be able to fit right through the holes in the fence. Easy Peasy!

I got the cardboard at Sam's club from their pallets and the fencing from Walmart online. I have a great big pool and the fence just fits it. On the smaller pools you can just fold back one of the 8 panels. They are around $30+. Those fences come in very handy too for lots of things like dividing "problem" ducks until they get the minds right. View attachment 2522928

If I ever get ducklings again, I think I'll try this setup. It looks like a good set-up, hauling the metal water tanks every other day in and out of the basement was not much fun lol!

 

[Melky]

Any suggestions on keeping duck water clean for drinking. I clean it every day. Today I left out both cuz couldn’t get the old out frozen. Mrs. Mable has choice between one dirty water frozen bowl from yesterday and new fresh water. She actually tastes both before deciding fresh is better. It’s like a wine tasting. I clean and provide fresh every day.

 

[duluthralphie]

Any suggestions on keeping duck water clean for drinking. I clean it every day. Today I left out both cuz couldn’t get the old out frozen. Mrs. Mable has choice between one dirty water frozen bowl from yesterday and new fresh water. She actually tastes both before deciding fresh is better. It’s like a wine tasting. I clean and provide fresh every day.

I do! I do! I do!

 

[Mimi13]

Any suggestions on keeping duck water clean for drinking. I clean it every day. Today I left out both cuz couldn’t get the old out frozen. Mrs. Mable has choice between one dirty water frozen bowl from yesterday and new fresh water. She actually tastes both before deciding fresh is better. It’s like a wine tasting. I clean and provide fresh every day.

Hmmm, keeping a duck’s drinking water clean? You can’t, and that’s a fact, Jack!

However, I feel somewhat successful if I’m able to keep their BODY out of their drinking water and I accomplish that one of two ways.

I use a 2 gallon heated bucket in their ‘house’ all year round and plug it in during colder weather. I still have to clean it out every day - not from poop, but from a couple of inches of feed in the bottom. I feed all my birds a crumble and I think I need to put the ducks on a pellet, but I can’t find a pellet in the brand I use.

The 2nd waterer I have is one I made out of a 13 gallon blue barrel. I was going after an automatic filler to make sure they never ran out of water, but I soon changed my mind about what I needed. Once again, the main point is not to let their bodies get in the water so I drilled three holes in each side and they are able to get their entire heads in to clean their eyes and nares. I no longer keep it connected to a constant supply of water because of the nastiness of feed that accumulates so quickly in the bottom. That waterer stays out in their run area and I change it out every 2-3 days. And like yours, mine will sometimes drink that water over the fresh. Neither waterer has poop in it though, so I consider it a win for me. But they drink the water out of their pools too!

I hope this conveyed what I meant for it to.

Here’s a couple of pictures of my homemade waterer, complete with the float inside that I don’t use anymore.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Any suggestions on keeping duck water clean for drinking. I clean it every day. Today I left out both cuz couldn’t get the old out frozen. Mrs. Mable has choice between one dirty water frozen bowl from yesterday and new fresh water. She actually tastes both before deciding fresh is better. It’s like a wine tasting. I clean and provide fresh every day.

I built a semi self cleaning waterer in 2019 and in the meantime i have added a pipe heating cable to the waterer, the rubber hose and the sillcock to prevent everything from freezing.