North Carolina

[BHep]

When should introduce my ducklings to water, and how long should I let them swim a day?

I usually let the "swim" in a VERY shallow pan, I use a paint roller pan. Just 15 minutes or so. They can go in the bathtub or sink for a few minutes. They are so stinking cute!!!
YES... They can drown. DO NOT LEAVE THEM UNATTENDED!

 

[BHep]

So sorry for everyone's loses

hope they are the only ones

Beth......WTG on the egg......got to see that color

Hope everyone is warm and dry tonight

I have it on the counter for you to see ....

 

[KristanB]

Lookie what I got today....they are Araucanas/EE...so sweet!

 

[NewHomesteader2010]

AWWWWWW!! SO CUTE!!

Lookie what I got today....they are Araucanas/EE...so sweet!

 

[Poupoulles]

Hello everyone. As some of you may know already I am totally new to chickens and chicks. Today our chicks are 14 days old and we have had them almost 2 weeks now. It has been really fun and definitely a new adventure. We have 26 and they are amazing me with their flying abilities already!

Some are actually standing on the ground and flying UP to my shoulder while others go to my arm first then shoulder. lol. It is so funny but not funny when I see how high that is next to my brooder wall. My husband and I are working hard and fast on just the brooder side of the coop right now since I think I am going to need it soon. I might get some netting for the top of my brooder box in the meantime. Wow, at 2 weeks old I'd have never thought that. haha.

I have taken several at a time outside because it has been pretty and they really like it. I also let our dog Samson in with them for the first time too and he did great. We have allowed his nose and head in the brooder box since day one and he knows the chicks and they know him. He is still in training mode of course (I'd never leave him alone with them at this point) but he is doing great. Today is suppose to be really warm so we are going to some outside time again for a bit before the storms come. Have a great day friends. Kim

Here's a few updated pics from the last 2 days.

Is that a Rottie? I have one and he loves baby chicks. He is the best chicken guardian dog I have ever seen. There is just something about a huge dog chilling with a bunch of tiny baby chicks...

 

[Poupoulles]

I was stressing about not having yet built the hoop house for my chicks and turkeys coming next month, until today. CRAZY WIND!!! A hoop house would have been in teh next county by now! Anyone else get blown to bits today?

 

[wildriverswolf90]

The wind was so strong here it tore the sheet metal of the roof of my coop and blew the tarp out of barn and into my neighbors field.

 

[wildriverswolf90]

Thanks for the info Bhep! I had no idea ducklings could drown. One more question, at what age should I keep a pool in with them?

 

[NewChickHere]

Hi Poupoulles. YES, he is a pure Rottie and is so wonderful with them. It's great to hear someone else talk about them as a great guard dog for the chickens as I do not want a rooster right now and I think he would make a great replacement Roo, what do you think? lol. He wants to protect them even now. One got a bit far from all the others and he went over and gently nudged it and guided it towards the others. Course it was headed that way pretty well just after he walked over to it but I could tell what he was thinking. He's my big sweetie! He just turned 4 a few months ago.

Kim

 

[NewChickHere]

Oh and the wind was and still is horrible here also. We have 25 acres and 15 of it is just a flat field so the wind whips across that field towards us like crazy and we have to really strap stuff down etc. That was my job today while hubby was at work and I saw we had this wind and storm coming. Didn't get much of a storm but the wind was really kicking.