What Breed Should I Get?

[Aunt Angus]

I hope they're worth it and I hope he loves them.

I'll keep looking for a better brooder. I have a week until they ship. Plenty of time, right?

He loves the kids and they were very messy...

 

[Aunt Angus]

Dammit. It's my birthday next weekend. This is my present to ME.

(We'll just ignore that it's also my hubby's bday, too)

(or we can say that putting up with it is his present to me and that a happy wifey is both MY present to him and HIS present to himself)

 

[Quatie]

Happy wife, happy life. Or at least that is what all the men I work with say.

Also I should say my husband use to be one of those guys who hated anything dirty. If he got dirt on his hands, he would go ewww. Things have obviously changed. And he loves his messy ducks.

 

[Aunt Angus]

YES. Happy wife = happy life in THIS house.

Ok - What about a 2' x 4' trough? There is one @ Home Depot in the next town over. They have it 1' and 2' deep. I am assuming 1' is too shallow, and 2' would make for a good swimming pool for them later....

I may just buy it tomorrow and ask for forgiveness later.

 

[ChickensForEggs2500]

YES. Happy wife = happy life in THIS house.

Ok - What about a 2' x 4' trough? There is one @ Home Depot in the next town over. They have it 1' and 2' deep. I am assuming 1' is too shallow, and 2' would make for a good swimming pool for them later....

I may just buy it tomorrow and ask for forgiveness later.

That sounds like a great plan! Annd you can use it again and again!

 

[KaleIAm]

Good Point!!! - You're raising them inside, so do cover the walls around the brooder with some plastic. A duckling, falling on its back can shoot poop six feet in the air - well at least three feet. And sometimes they violently shake their little heads when they have their bills full of food, preferably when that food leaves hard to remove stains, like tomato or sweet potato.
I still have some orange dots on the walls of my home office from the first sweat potato they destroyed in seconds…

Oh... The head shaking with a tiny bill full of food... Or worse a tiny bill full of poop that they tasted for the 6th time. "No duckling! It still isn't food! It wasn't 10 seconds ago. It still isn't. Now, stop splattering me and the entire house!"

I had almost managed to block that memory...

 

[KaleIAm]

Well, now... I am beginning to talk myself out of getting ducks. I can handle the mess, but I'm not sure my husband can. I'm afraid he'll be angry with me.

I can't believe I'm really stressing out this much. I want to cry - which is crazy because I don't think I've cried in years...

Ducks are very messy. They will be for their entire lives. I take care of most of the work, because they are my ducks. But when I had surgery on my hand, 3 times, my partner had to empty the barn substrate and scrub buckets and pools for me.

I moved my ducklings outside as soon as I thought it was safe for them. It was entirely my choice. And then I spent a lot of time outside. I had my ducklings in a towel lined "kiddie" pool for a week. Then they got too big. After that I just had them on the floor of our spare bedroom. I put layers of towels down and washed a lot of laundry. When they went outside I washed the walls with warm water.

Nobody ever complained about my ducklings. Even my self professed germaphobe stepchild. Having ducks has been one of the greatest joys of my life.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

YES. Happy wife = happy life in THIS house.

Ok - What about a 2' x 4' trough? There is one @ Home Depot in the next town over. They have it 1' and 2' deep. I am assuming 1' is too shallow, and 2' would make for a good swimming pool for them later....

I may just buy it tomorrow and ask for forgiveness later.

I saw some huge Rubbermaid's at Wal-Mart with tall sides. That's what I'd use. Then you don't have to cover everything. Let them go swimming in the bathtub with supervision and take that time to clean out the brooder quickly. My ducklings love to bob for cheerios in the bathtub after they get over the initial fear of it. Make sure the water is nice and warm. I dry each one off with a paper towel and put them back in their clean brooder. 4 ducklings will be manageable.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Well, now... I am beginning to talk myself out of getting ducks. I can handle the mess, but I'm not sure my husband can. I'm afraid he'll be angry with me.

I can't believe I'm really stressing out this much. I want to cry - which is crazy because I don't think I've cried in years...

My wife hated the idea of raising ducklings inside of the house and we had multiple arguments. But every morning when she came into my office and the little ones started to peep excited at her she was melting like butter in the hot Arizona desert-sun…
You hubby will be the same! Ducklings are irresistible!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

My husband was not super excited about ducks at first. They melted his heart and he absolutely loves them now. Ducks have a way of waddling into people's hearts. They are hard not to love.

Also the mess will not nearly be as bad as mentioned. Hillbilly had several more ducklings than you will have. With 4 it will be far more manageable. I raised 2 and it was an absolute delight. I raised 8 and it was much more messy, but still fun.

Quacksolutlely correct! I had fifteen (15!) ducklings in my home office!
Four ducklings isn't even worth mentioning…