No brooder bedding?

[gtaus]

I use pee pads first couple weeks cleanup 3x a day...

That's pretty labor intensive. You must have been really dedicated, and tired...

...I opted for the bedding that is pellets it says for horses and small animals it’s working pretty good and my first time for using it.

I mainly use (free) wood chips for bedding and it's working out for me. Are the pellets you bought basically compressed wood? I have never tried them.

 

[gtaus]

I might. Do you think chopped straw, even if less absorbent and not as pleasantly fragrant like wood chips, would be safer if nibbled on by one week or younger ducklings?

I have never had any problems with ducklings, or chicks, eating pine shavings or wood chips. Also, the local farm stores only use pine shavings for bedding in their bins for both ducklings and chicks. I don't know if chopped straw would be safer.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

The Count unfortunately was taken by a hawk, hence that is why I started the whole incubation thing. Trying to save him through his babies...

I'm hoping there is a drake in the lot, but I know that there is a possibility that there might not be one.

Sorry to hear that! He sure have sacrificed himself to save the life of his ducks.
Birds of prey are my stuff of nightmares, the area where my Duckies are roaming is just too large to be covered with some kind of netting - or to say it correctly: I cannot afford the amount of money that would be required. Fortunately there is a large neighborhood of crows close by who fight their personal vendetta with any hawk, daring to enter the valley.
Crossing fingers that will be at least one drake and that he will be black as the Count!

 

[Enigmius]

Sorry to hear that! He sure have sacrificed himself to save the life of his ducks.
Birds of prey are my stuff of nightmares, the area where my Duckies are roaming is just too large to be covered with some kind of netting - or to say it correctly: I cannot afford the amount of money that would be required. Fortunately there is a large neighborhood of crows close by who fight their personal vendetta with any hawk, daring to enter the valley.
Crossing fingers that will be at least one drake and that he will be black as the Count!

Yeah, I'm working on an 'expansion-pack" for the quack shack. This expansion will double the size of their current total space, lined with hardwarcloth(like the coop) and won't be protected from the elements like the original coop portion is. This way they can sunbathe, peck around through the grass to give the sensation of free-ranging when they really aren't.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

My Ducks have a fenced in area of over 5000 ft² with trees and shrubs and i am using temporary fencing to give them access to additional areas, like the potato-patch. They are being locked up over night, but during the day it is the job of my two drakes to pay attention and warn the girls. - Yeah, i started to feed the crows too last year, my ducks don't like scratch grain anyways…

 

[Enigmius]

My Ducks have a fenced in area of over 5000 ft² with trees and shrubs and i am using temporary fencing to give them access to additional areas, like the potato-patch. They are being locked up over night, but during the day it is the job of my two drakes to pay attention and warn the girls. - Yeah, i started to feed the crows too last year, my ducks don't like scratch grain anyways…

Wow. Thats amazing!

 

[Enigmius]

I'm already wondering how soon I can get them into the the "see-me-dont-touch-me" partitioned area, in the outside duck coop.. LOL

 

[Miss Lydia]

If you have a way to keep them warm and predators can't get in go ahead and move them. How many hatched? how come no pics?

 

[Enigmius]

If you have a way to keep them warm and predators can't get in go ahead and move them. How many hatched? how come no pics?

So far I have 5 little birdies(two hatched yesterday), one egg is zipping as I type, another egg is internally pipped, and I have one more egg not quite ready. If the last three eggs hatch into healthy birds, I'll have 8 out of 11 fertile eggs. I lost two, and had many that were not fertile.

The two that hatched yesterday had to be separated because they were being picked on by the others that were a couple days older, probably because they couldn't walk very well yet. I had to use the bathtub set up, but I put a nonslip mat down and plan on moving into the baby pool set-up tomorrow. I don't want them to be in there for too long. Plus I'm having a hard time with them. They are not wanting to take to the heat plate like the others did. It is so frustrating walking in there seeing them cuddling each other on the far end of the tub. I keep putting them under the plate. I hope they get it soon! I even felt the plate and made sure it wasn't too hot to the touch. It should just feel warm to the touch to be about 99*. But I'm going to try and move them to the baby pool tomorrow
Fingers crossed the older siblings don't pick on them..

 

[Enigmius]