No chick waters, feeders instead for ducklings.

[cheezenkwackers]

A month ago, I set 10 of my ducks eggs in my incubator, figuring only half would be fertile. I now have 10 beautiful ducklings. I have never had more than six at a time, before now. After they drained the chick feeder and made all their bedding wet, I realized they needed a duckling waterer that would accommodate all of them. I cut holes in a storage container but there wasn’t room for 10 holes. Then, when I was at the feed store, I saw a long chick feeder. I have been using it for water for the last 24 hours and only had to change out a few handfuls if damp shavings. I am sure it won’t work forever, but so far so good. PS. I fill it using a watering can with a long skinny spout.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Perfect! and what adorable babies

 

[ruthhope]

They are really sweet -- and you can see which are going to grow up being mischiefs -- already sleeping on top of your new waterer!!

 

[Lor]

Smart!
Adorable babies.

 

[AmeraucanaHank]

A month ago, I set 10 of my ducks eggs in my incubator, figuring only half would be fertile. I now have 10 beautiful ducklings. I have never had more than six at a time, before now. After they drained the chick feeder and made all their bedding wet, I realized they needed a duckling waterer that would accommodate all of them. I cut holes in a storage container but there wasn’t room for 10 holes. Then, when I was at the feed store, I saw a long chick feeder. I have been using it for water for the last 24 hours and only had to change out a few handfuls if damp shavings. I am sure it won’t work forever, but so far so good. PS. I fill it using a watering can with a long skinny spout.
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great idea! I think will try it!!!

 

[indianaducks]

That's a really cool idea. Thanks for sharing.

 

[addctd2plnts]

Great idea while trey are young! They do need to be able to get their whole heads in water as they grow, though. They then will fling the water all over and make a terrible mess. If you are looking at ways to house them and have a pen, having a movable walk in pen makes having ducks SO MUCH EASIER! It's not quite as safe as static pen, but there's no mess to clean up, ever. The perfect situation would be to have both and use the movable pen whenever possible. With the movable pen they get fresh grass and bugs daily. They are more healthy and happy. I'm surprised at how much of the grass and weeds they actually eat. The kits for the movable pens come with a really cheap and useless chicken wire that won't stop any predator for 5 minutes and really bad zip ties. But if you upgrade the fencing on the sides to 1/2" hardware cloth and the zip ties to 1 cm extra heavy duty ones, it's much safer. We took the hardware cloth around the bottom cross brace and crimped it at a 90 degree angle to help make a predator apron that moved with the pen. We left it about 8-10 inches out at the sides to discourage digging. We have a large amount of predators. I came out one day to see a Fox about 25 ft away, but it looked like he was hunting the quail that flew up out of the grass when I came out because he took a jump at them before he ran off. We did get electric netting after that to go around an area big enough to move the pen a bunch of times before we have to move the netting and pen. Can't tell you how nice it us to never deal with the nasty permanent pen issues! Only down side is if you want a pen large enough for a kiddie pool, it needs to be 9x12 and that takes two people to move, unless your ground is very flat and you're strong. This is the style pen I'm talking about: https://www.strombergschickens.com/product/walk-in-chicken-run-13-1-ft-x-9-8-ft-x-6-6-ft

 

[cheezenkwackers]

I appreciate your reply and all the time it must have taken. I have been raising ducks for five years now. I have a coop for night time and a giant garden that they free range in during the day. These ducklings are the children and grandchildren of my ducks. I am sure yours do better in a movable pen vs a stationary one. I think they need grass, weeds, bugs, and worms. My get all of that all day in the garden. I am fortunate to live in the middle of a subdivision which allows poultry. So, the only daytime predators are hawks but my ducks have lots of shrubbery and hiding spots. Thanks again!

 

[AmeraucanaHank]

I am sure it won’t work forever, but so far so good.

Still working?

 

[cheezenkwackers]

Still working?

It worked well for two weeks or so. Then, I found homes for 8 of the ducklings. Since I only have two left I use an old sour cream container with holes cut in the top. It takes up less space in the brooder.