Oh. My.

[hypnofrogstevie]

I tried shavings and he was eating the shavings more then the food. I put him back on paper towels. Lots of luck. soon you will have as many ducks as you have chickens

 

[BrahmaMama]

Stevie, I think I tried mine once too, and ended up covering them up for another day or so. Just give it another shot later this weekend. I don't know about having 30 ducks...

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

Ok. I will try again. He is eating them like ritz crackers (without the cheese). I still need to post a pic.

 

[BrahmaMama]

 

[shy]

I have 3 khaki campbells and one mallard. Hoping two of the cambpells will be layers. They are messier than my chicks but they have their own tub. I use cedar chips which seem to work pretty well. They pecked at it at first but realized it is not food. I just have to keep putting on a new layer to keep some portion of the tub dry. Then in 3-4 days, I dump the cedar chips as mulch for my trees. Works out great for me. It can get expensive but hopefully in a few weeks, I won't need the cedar chips anymore as they will be outside.

 

[Morgaine]

yeah, duck are way messier than I thought they would be(even after reading on here how messy they are). I only have two and they were spilling so much water it made a huge mess on my floor. So I took an old teflon skillet I kept for some unknown reason and put a bowl of water inside that and it has really help to cut down on the mess. The skillet catches a lot of the water they spill and they like it cause they can put their whole heads in the water. I change it out 3-4 times a day. Here is a picture.

 

[deeszoo]

I like ducks better on wire. Don't get me wrong, they are still messy! And you still have to dump regularly because of the smell, but it isn't AS bad. And you have to make their waterer something they can't tip over AND be deep enough that they can get their heads in at least up to their eyeballs. Don't worry about keeping them dry. You can't! LOL!! Just protect the area around the brooder from splashing. We use an old shower curtain cut up. We can protect the walls and the floor close to the cage. Be warned. They CAN aim! But they are so much fun, I am hatching more!!

DeAnna

 

[12 Acres]

If I may, a question or two about ducklings...
I've read that if they aren't hatched under their mother they don't have the oily coating on their down, so they can't float until they're feathered out. Is this true?

I have a large 3/4 acre pond by the house and have been dying to try ducks for meat. But I'd also like a pair just to have in the pond. As you've said, they're very messy. My mom said "Don't get ducks! They'll ruin the pond!"

Honestly, I don't know why I want ducks, it just seems to me that it'd be nice to see some white or buff ducks swimming in the pond. I'd have to choose a quiet breed as I work midnights (the migrating mallards are incredibly LOUD!).

After reading some of the responses here I really am undecided! HELP!

P.S. I ADORE those big Brahmas and already have plans to get some buffs, light and darks next year (plus some Salmon Faverolles!)

Here's the pond on our 12 acres to give you an idea of what I'm working with:

 

[MissPrissy]

Why would she say ducks would ruin your pond? I don't understand that. Beautiful areal plat of your place. Love the shape of the pond.

 

[12 Acres]

That's a good question, Miss P. I suppose she thinks they'll poop in it and turn it into sewer water. I think she said that out of ignorance, really. Thank you!