My Runner Ducklings have arrived! Pics

[jdywntr]

My runner ducklings from Metzer Farms arrived safe and sound this morning in FL. The post office called me at 8am and I went immediately to pick them up.

they arrive.

I was so worried there would be losses. But everyone was fine and there was 1 extra.

So, there are 11. 2- fawn/ white, 3-black, 3-blue and 3-chocolate. (I think)

SO cute. SO messy already. I'm going to get some hay today so that they have a bit more cushioning. I read enough to get worried about using pine shavings so I was just used towels but so messy.
They found the water right away but seem disinterested in the food. I think that I am going to split them up and seperate the ones I'm keeping. (I paid to have 5 sexed 1-m 4-f and ordered the extra 5 which turned out to be six.) I think seperating them will help keep the mess down and soon I will have to remove the leg bands anyway.

Any advice on keeping them dry? They have soaked themselves with the waterer. I've used paper towels to blot them but am worried about chilling.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Truely adorable!!!

The first 2 weeks of keeping my ducklies I had a plastic butter bowl with a hole cut in the lid just enough at the edge to let them get thier head in for drinking. They could not get their feet in until about 2 weeks old and then they got on top and would try to dunk their bodies in. At that point I put them in a wire bottom cage and let them have a bigger butter bowl to drink from. They would then be able to dump it so I put a plastic tub under the wire bottom to catch the water and not soak my brooder room floor.

Good luck. you are brave to do this in the winter. I was glad to get my babies outside in the spring so they could mess up a pen and enjoy being slobs!

 

[jellybean]

Until a week ago I was using puppy training pads. They work great! Just throw them away a few times a day, along with the mess and the smell! Now they're on shavings. They pick at them at first, and eat some. But quickly get used to it. I waited till about 2 weeks to start using shavings. You could set your waterer up on something, so they can't get in it. With a pan underneath, might keep them drier.

 

[desertdarlene]

Awwwww, cute! Some of them look a little sleepy.

 

[jdywntr]

unfortunately, I got up to check on them after I posted the pics and found 1 of the blues not looking good. I seperated it and called Metzer. I tried to get it to drink as was suggested but a few minutes later it died. Then a few minutes later another of the blues was not looking good. I seperated that one and it also quickly passed. I have been in the room with them for the last hour trying to get everyone to eat and drink. Especially my last little blue female. I am being cautiosly optimistic with the rest. The little gander is doing great. Eating like a little pig. I have put a covered dish with a hole in the lid with crumbles in water, another with water with greens and a little crumbles and another with the water with some moistened crumbles on the lid.
I hope everyone else is going to be okay.

 

[renegaderidgefarm]

Ducklings and their water!!! The very best thing to do is GIVE UP!!! I have a brooder built especially for ducks - half the bottom is solid for shavings and the other half is wire for all the water. It works good but the gallon waterer has to be filled twice a day. The adult ducks have a small swimming pool and it has to be cleaned everyday. I have no clue how 4 ducks can get that much mudd in the pool in a 24 hour period. I have 4 bantam ducks that are about 3 months old and they go thru 4 gallons of water a day. Yesterday, I moved them to a bigger pen and added a large feed pan (that I stole from the horse pasture) filled with water and they immediately jumped in for a swim. We'll see how they do today with the water issue.

 

[katharinad]

They will be messy no matter what. Don't to the straw betting. Straw has mold spores naturally on it and the water will make them multiply and that is toxic to ducklings. Put a cookie sheet under the water with some paper towels in it. Use pee wee pad covered with bath towels in the rest of the brooder. You just have to clean it a lot. That is your job a ducky mom. Just comes with the job, so no short cuts here. I usually clean mine in the morning and put another towel on top in the evening. Then I clean twice per day as the grow, again adding a towel in between. Get the largest plastic container you can get so it spreads out. I actually use a shipping crate lined with a plastic drop sheet and then topped with the pee wee pads and towels. Helps with the clean up. Personal unaccompanied household shipping crates can be picked up for free at moving companies. You see the military and state department does not allow moving companies to use them twice. As a result they end up with crates and they have to dispose of them. That cost money, so they happily give them away. I worked for years at a moving company so I know all this.

Duck stick to their flock, so separating is not a good idea. They will later have to learn to live with each other, after they have formed two flocks. Keep them together and you will have less of an issue to deal with.

 

[katharinad]

Quote:
Make sure each one get a sip of water with electrolytes and vitamins (especially niacin). Add to that a little bit of yogurt and sugar. Lets hope that will work.

 

[desertdarlene]

Awwww, poor duckies that died. I hope the rest are doing OK, too.

 

[jdywntr]

So far so good with the rest. All of the different info and opinions are confusing. I spoke with the folks at Metzer again and they recommended AGAINST yogurt and also said that I don't need to wet the crumbles. So, no yogurt, no greens, but I'm offering wet and dry food, their choice. Also have 2 waterers.

Any ideas on how to get sugar water, wet food encrusted ducklings clean? They look down right sticky. But they are all doing well (I think) and are active in between their naps. I am being cautiosly optomistic on the survival of the rest. I am sad to have lost the 2 blues.

They were straight run. At least I know that my blue female is still with me.

Thanks to all for the info and advice.