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- #11
I'm still learning...so take this for what it is worth....here's a few things....
I started mine out in a plastic bottom indoor guinea pig/rabbit cage. I now have them in a large indoor wire dog kennel with a removable plastic tray. I put it up on a table...this made taming them down a lot easier...made me look smaller.
I wet down their food, then gave it to them as a mush. They would walk on it and flatten it....I pitched it up all the time and they liked that. Then I gave them a choice of both hard pellets and mush....they ate both, but seemed to like the pellets better.
I let them make a mess of the water. I made sure it wasn't deep enough to drown them...and keep giving them something bigger as needed. I don't mind cleaning their pen all the time and think it's fun wacthing them go nuts....lol.
I started them on pine shavings, but switched to hay. I put up my own hay and have plenty.
I started giving them baths after they had adjusted a couple days....a couple days old. I am always right there....I have never left them. I have never used any soaps. Pipsqueak there would rest on my arm or hand when he/she got tired....I had to watch the water level or it since it was so much smaller....sometimes I put a lot of water in, some times not.
I am still reading up on niacin. I give them water before I go to bed with it in it and brewers yeast some times on their peas during the day. I change their water a lot during the day and don't want to waste the niacin.
I clean their pen at least once a day....they get bath time then put back into a clean pen.
Mine seem to not care for much heat lamp heat....just after a bath, while preening.....but that's in a warm house.
I have grit in for them.
Mine are going out to my broody hen pen when it gets warm enough...then to a big pen. ...and are going to be left out year around.
hmmmmm....still learning everyday! They are a ton of fun! I'm glad I got them!
I have pics in the Pekin duck club thread.
Here's a few....
My new ducklings coming are going into a kids swimming pool for a brooder. I probably won't have time to post...as I will be doing nothing but cleaning brooders....lol.
I started mine out in a plastic bottom indoor guinea pig/rabbit cage. I now have them in a large indoor wire dog kennel with a removable plastic tray. I put it up on a table...this made taming them down a lot easier...made me look smaller.
I wet down their food, then gave it to them as a mush. They would walk on it and flatten it....I pitched it up all the time and they liked that. Then I gave them a choice of both hard pellets and mush....they ate both, but seemed to like the pellets better.
I let them make a mess of the water. I made sure it wasn't deep enough to drown them...and keep giving them something bigger as needed. I don't mind cleaning their pen all the time and think it's fun wacthing them go nuts....lol.
I started them on pine shavings, but switched to hay. I put up my own hay and have plenty.
I started giving them baths after they had adjusted a couple days....a couple days old. I am always right there....I have never left them. I have never used any soaps. Pipsqueak there would rest on my arm or hand when he/she got tired....I had to watch the water level or it since it was so much smaller....sometimes I put a lot of water in, some times not.
I am still reading up on niacin. I give them water before I go to bed with it in it and brewers yeast some times on their peas during the day. I change their water a lot during the day and don't want to waste the niacin.
I clean their pen at least once a day....they get bath time then put back into a clean pen.
Mine seem to not care for much heat lamp heat....just after a bath, while preening.....but that's in a warm house.
I have grit in for them.
Mine are going out to my broody hen pen when it gets warm enough...then to a big pen. ...and are going to be left out year around.
hmmmmm....still learning everyday! They are a ton of fun! I'm glad I got them!
I have pics in the Pekin duck club thread.
Here's a few....
My new ducklings coming are going into a kids swimming pool for a brooder. I probably won't have time to post...as I will be doing nothing but cleaning brooders....lol.
