Two ducklings on the way! What should I know?!

[blondiebee181]

Yeah, Amiga brings up a good point about approaching them in a low-to-the-ground position, that helps them not to be so afraid, because if you tower over them, they are more likely to suspect you as a predator. When mine were really little they wanted to follow me EVERYWHERE. And when I had to leave them in the brooder, they would cry. I let them follow me as often as possible....in the kitchen, in the bathroom (they even took showers with me) down the street, in the yard. I spent every second I could with them. In the mornings (I kept the brooder next to my bed for the first week) I would scoop them out and let them cuddle with me, I held them while watching movies or working on the computer. Even now that they are older, I have taken them on car rides and to the feed store. They are super-friendly. When I come home in the evening all I have to call when I get out of the car is "duck,duck,duck!" and they both quack back from the yard. You will love them, waterfowl are truely one-of-a-kind. They are very intelligent.

The water thing.....yeah I did the waterer-inside-a-larger-container thing. This worked very well. Elevating it slightly is a good idea too so that they don't sling bedding or poo in it.

 

[blondiebee181]

There are many ways to keep the water from soaking the bedding and making a stink and causing a risk of mold and health issues. The basic idea is to keep the water out of the bedding. I used a splash catcher and it worked pretty well. But with eleven ducklings, it was still pretty high maintenance. We never had an odor problem, I will say that.

I have seen people post great frustration after a week or two when they discover that they cannot just add food and water, that they must change out bedding, or they find that when they don't manage the water or change bedding, things get a wee bit aromatic.

So, something needs to catch the splash. Ducklings splash. And withholding water is the worst idea in the world. Okay, there are worse ideas, but ducklings are waterfowl and need water in order to live and thrive. Harness the inevitable, it is written. Since ducklings splash, the water pot needs to sit in or on something that keeps the splash away from the bedding. This could be a larger container, could be a water-tight box with perforated top, there are different ways people handle this.

About the axe murderer problem. As folks have already written, it doesn't last forever. For me, it felt like forever because it went on for several weeks and I was so sad to see my babies terrified of me. It's their survival instinct and so it is good, but it makes handling ducklings tricky. I had visions of them needing therapy!

Anyway, a few forum members really helped me out. One told me to come to the brooder as physically low as I could get. Glad no one videoed me creeping into the brooder room like a monitor lizard. But it did help. What also helped was letting the ducklings run around in the hallway (the hall floor was covered with an old sheet for easy cleanup) while I did brooder cleanup. Before letting them back into the brooder room, we had a pea party. They were still quite wary of me, but they slowly - slowly - became more tolerant of me, eventually following me back and forth between the brooder and the bathroom. They even all piled into the bathroom on occasion to watch me wash out their dishes. I'll see if I can find that photo.

So, patience, treats, remember that tall things are predators to a three week old duckling's mind, quiet singing (they don't care if you cannot sing), and just quiet time with them. Keep a book handy.

Beautiful Runners, Amiga

 

[Amiga]

Thanks.

 

[chicknfun]

Ducklings must splash. It is in the contract. They must also fling things like poop and damp feed. Also in the contract. Set up the brooder so that the water that gets splashed goes somewhere other than the bedding and the flung stuff is easy to wipe up.

Ok, That sounds like too much fun to bear.......I guess I won't keep their brooder in my large closet like I did with my chicks.....