My transition brooder... what am I doing wrong??!!

[mandymcg05]

Ok. So these blue Swede babies are about 3 weeks old. I have them in a Transition brooder until I can get baby chicks out to the big coop this coming weekend.

The problem is that I work a full-time job and when I had a 1 quart watering can in with them they ran out of water multiple times a day. Now I have a 1 gallon watering can and every day I’m having to clean the brooder out top to bottom because there’s so much water! What am I doing wrong? What can I make better? Again this is only in transition brooder until I can get baby chicks out of my larger kennel for them.

I’ve tried a couple different “contraptions” for the waterer to sit on. But I just can’t figure it out. How can I save the water and the bedding?? Lol

Am I not meant to care for ducks? Husband says I need to get rid of them because I complain about not knowing how to take care of them lol. I LOVE THEM and rehoming is not an option unless this requires a full time duck mom

 

[hysop]

Two more days before the weekend is here

Hmm what I’ve heard is ducks love making a mess with water. They love water

maybe get a hanging waterer so it can’t be tipped over?

 

[rp riley]

Ducks are VERY messy, I had to clean out their brooder every day until I moved them outside to their coop which I still change the shavings every week, but I have 10 ducklings

 

[mandymcg05]

I mean I read and I researched and I googled for so many hours before I even considered ducks. But I swear there has got to be an easier way with this damn watering bucket LOL

should I set it up a different way? Should I put their food on the opposite end of the brooder?

 

[rp riley]

I mean I read and I researched and I googled for so many hours before I even considered ducks. But I swear there has got to be an easier way with this damn watering bucket LOL

should I set it up a different way? Should I put their food on the opposite end of the brooder?

I have only raised four sets of ducklings so I don't know a lot. These people will
@Isaac 0 @Miss Lydia

 

[tribalacres]

We used an open water container cause they will need to clean their nares and beaks out on top of pine pellets. It cut cleaning down tremendously. We've done this for four sets of ducks and it works for us. They are super messy but those pine pellets work amazingly..

 

[mandymcg05]

We used an open water container cause they will need to clean their nares and beaks out on top of pine pellets. It cut cleaning down tremendously. We've done this for four sets of ducks and it works for us. They are super messy but those pine pellets work amazingly..

Excuse me pine pellets???

 

[Kiki]

You need to make a waterer that they can not get into.

Think container with just a small opening where they can just stick their head in to get a drink.

 

[mandymcg05]

You need to make a waterer that they can not get into.

Think container with just a small opening where they can just stick their head in to get a drink.

I was going to use a milk jug but I would still be putting water in there constantly all day long. I wouldn’t think that it would hold enough for them for the entire day that I was at work.

 

[Kiki]

I was going to use a milk jug but I would still be putting water in there constantly all day long. I wouldn’t think that it would hold enough for them for the entire day that I was at work.

Two ducklings cannot possibly drink a gallon of water a day... I'm pretty sure they couldn't even drink one quart of water a day.
They're playing in it.
You've got to block them from playing in it.