The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[misbhaven]

Anybody have any ideas for a duckling feeder ? Chick feeders kind of work thinking maybe a small automatic cat feeder.\waterer would work better

 

[Leahs Mom]

Anybody have any ideas for a duckling feeder ? Chick feeders kind of work thinking maybe a small automatic cat feeder.\waterer would work better

@SallyinIndiana has ducks...maybe she'll have something... and @aoxa

 

[SallyinIndiana]

We use wet feed in a trough for the food. The plastic long troughs that have the flip covers work well for at least the first 3 weeks. After they outgrow those we use a drywall mixing trough. Eventually by week 8 the ducklings are huge and can even eat out of an ice cream bucket or anything you want to put the wet food into. Also once outside, the ducklings discover grass, bugs, and other outdoor goodies decreasing the amount off food they eat.
For the water we use the chicken waters for the first 6-8 weeks but then the ducklings need deeper water. At that point they get either a heater pet waterer if temps are below freezing or the 5 gallon bucket waterer flip thing set on a pallet with the 5 gallons of water being changed at least every 2 days.

https://www.meyerhatchery.com/produ...D=35PB&grd_prodone_filter=PRODUCT_ID = '35PB'

 

[misbhaven]

There is only three ducklings so right now I am just using a low wide bowl...but they ducklings will be getting a big upgrade I have a couple of 6 ft round kiddy pools, my meaties are getting one and the duckling the other the meaties are too lazy to escape and well if they do it is ok. My basment is unfinished not going to hurt much...my yard is a total mud hole I even have some fully feathered dorking chicks down there hopefully it is a little better tommorow so I can let them outside for a while.

 

[armorfirelady]

Anybody have any ideas for a duckling feeder ? Chick feeders kind of work thinking maybe a small automatic cat feeder.\waterer would work better

I want to say I saw someone who used a gallon milk jug they cut holes in that were just big enough for their head. They used it for water or feed or maybe both?

Of course as they grew they had to make the holes larger.

ETA this is sort of what I think I saw
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/566398090608295995/

 

[Jewelwing]

If anyone is interested, here's a link to a petition to ask the FDA to make stronger regulations regarding giving antibiotics to healthy animals on factory farms. Apparently, they're reviewing the legislation right now, so it's a good time to make opinions known. I think they're accepting public input until Wed, but you don't have to write a comment - this is just a petition you can sign:

http://act.credoaction.com/sign/resistant_bacteria?rd=1&t=3&referring_akid=10130.51959.i_vcgR

 

[armorfirelady]

Hope everyone is enjoying the milder weather. Seems it's the calm before the storm. We are suppose to get more snow tomorrow & some say a blizzard as well.

My girls have been outside from sunup to sunset with the milder temps. But it seems they have forgotten where their nesting box is. They are laying in the old run. Won't they be surprised they won't be able to get in there today. I'm hoping that keeping it closed for a few days will encourage them to use the nesting boxes again.

 

[TIC Remember]

Hello! I am watching this thread and probably won't be contributing much. Enjoying reading.

I would love to see some of you do a list of the things that are the most helpful for beginning chicken keepers who want to get started doing things in a natural way. I know the thread covers many of these but I think it would be great to see some of those things listed again.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:
That is a very interesting way to keep things contained!

 

[Leahs Mom]

Hope everyone is enjoying the milder weather. Seems it's the calm before the storm. We are suppose to get more snow tomorrow & some say a blizzard as well.

My girls have been outside from sunup to sunset with the milder temps. But it seems they have forgotten where their nesting box is. They are laying in the old run. Won't they be surprised they won't be able to get in there today. I'm hoping that keeping it closed for a few days will encourage them to use the nesting boxes again.

We're supposed to get snow again too! up to 8" by tomorrow morning after 50 degrees yesterday