Nasty, messy creatures!

[Sylviaanne]

Ok, I don't understand. When you said light diffuser I thought you might have meant a hose or pipe that sprayed a fine mist of water. So, what is the light diffuser? Thanks, Sylvia

 

[subhanalah]

It covers fluorescent lights in office buildings. A light diffuser.

 

[Sylviaanne]

Oh, the waffle design. I thought it was hardware cloth. What keeps them from stepping on the diffuser and tipping it all over? Thanks, Sylvia

 

[gryeyes]

for ducklings and geese, I use a big Cool Whip tub with an oval cut out of the lid. Snap the lid back on, fill it with water, and set it inside or on a short-sided baking dish.

They can't get into the tub to play in the water, and what water the manage to splash out usually stays in the baking dish.

Waterfowl need to dip their bills into their water to clear their nares (nostrils) often.

As to when they can go outside, it depends on the temperature... Mostly.

Unlike chickens, waterfowl grow body mass before feathers, so they will be fuzzy long after chicken chicks have 'feathered" out.

 

[subhanalah]

Oh, the waffle design. I thought it was hardware cloth. What keeps them from stepping on the diffuser and tipping it all over? Thanks, Sylvia

the weight is pretty evenly distributed. It's not hardware cloth, that is welded wire. This is ~1/2" thick plastic.

 

[Sylviaanne]

for ducklings and geese, I use a big Cool Whip tub with an oval cut out of the lid. Snap the lid back on, fill it with water, and set it inside or on a short-sided baking dish.

They can't get into the tub to play in the water, and what water the manage to splash out usually stays in the baking dish.

Waterfowl need to dip their bills into their water to clear their nares (nostrils) often.

As to when they can go outside, it depends on the temperature... Mostly.

Unlike chickens, waterfowl grow body mass before feathers, so they will be fuzzy long after chicken chicks have 'feathered" out.

Whether or not to put them outside has become moot. My daughter moved away from home in April and I took over her room to put my crocheting supplies in. Before that happened my chicks started hatching and I put them in her room for a brooder. In a cage. Now, my daughter has moved back home and the little ducks are out with their parents. They don't run together but they all sleep together and the babies seem to just love it. I still have to get my baby chicks out but we have a space set up in the henhouse for them. They are not quite big enough to run with the big chickens yet.

I did not know that they needed to dip their bills in the water to clear their nostrils. Learn something every day!

 

[Deester]

When mine were young boy I remember the mess. I put a dog wee wee type pad on the bottom of container then were the water was going I had a 1" lip pastic container under water and raised it up on a flat rock or brick. In the plastic container I put wood pellets. They absorbed better and I'd change just the water set up at some point during the day while saving the food and litter from getting wet, although they will get the food wet it just can't be avoided. So put minimal food and check it often.

I do remember about 4-5 weeks their feet seemed too big for their bodies and it was easy for them to tip things because of their feet. As messy as that time was I miss it.

Denise