Your opinions on duck brooder area needed

[DuckyDonna]

@DuckyDonna that's a good idea, to check sales and stock up on those items, like kiddie pools. I can definitely spring for a $4 pool .

What kind of feeder did you use for the babies? I was thinking a low tupperware with a lid, with a hole or two in the lid, to keep them from getting in the dish, but with enough room to put their head down into it. Unfortunately I just took all the recycling away so I need to look around my house for something. Dangit! I knew I should have kept that hummus container. Reduce, reuse, recycle...

1 more day til the duckies land!!

I know right! Just when you think it's safe to throw something away then you need it. I shop at Aldi and they have these pretzel containers that are great for a feeder when they are little. Here is a progression of all the feeders I use. The first one I'm sure you have seen where you put a mason jar in it. All the rest were homemade out of stuff I already had around here. The 2 in the middle are pretzel containers from Aldi. All of them work really well with very little spillage.

 

[springvalley123]

I know right! Just when you think it's safe to throw something away then you need it. I shop at Aldi and they have these pretzel containers that are great for a feeder when they are little. Here is a progression of all the feeders I use. The first one I'm sure you have seen where you put a mason jar in it. All the rest were homemade out of stuff I already had around here. The 2 in the middle are pretzel containers from Aldi. All of them work really well with very little spillage. View attachment 1707958

I love this progression of waterers! I used the dog drinkers, but had to drill into them to get the right depth of the water, so they could get their growing bills and heads into the water. I raised 6 babies from the TSC, in a 5 ft round 1 ft deep plastic pool (about $18 at walmart at the time), with an x-pen around it, but that was in a spare room. The idea of the cardboard sounds great, that'd keep drafts away. I put them outside at 2-3 weeks with a heater in the coop/duck house that I screened away from the birds and their bedding. THeir temps go something like: 85 degrees first week, 76 degrees 2nd week, etc. although they don't fully feather (as proven by drake feathers) until about 7 weeks, as I recall. I later used the wading pool for the birds in their adult pen, but we put in a drain as it'd need to be drained quite often, even daily in places like PHoenix in the summer.

 

[DuckyDonna]

I love this progression of waterers! I used the dog drinkers, but had to drill into them to get the right depth of the water, so they could get their growing bills and heads into the water. I raised 6 babies from the TSC, in a 5 ft round 1 ft deep plastic pool (about $18 at walmart at the time), with an x-pen around it, but that was in a spare room. The idea of the cardboard sounds great, that'd keep drafts away. I put them outside at 2-3 weeks with a heater in the coop/duck house that I screened away from the birds and their bedding. THeir temps go something like: 85 degrees first week, 76 degrees 2nd week, etc. although they don't fully feather (as proven by drake feathers) until about 7 weeks, as I recall. I later used the wading pool for the birds in their adult pen, but we put in a drain as it'd need to be drained quite often, even daily in places like PHoenix in the summer.

I did have to use a drill on the 5-gallon bucket just to get some pilot holes started and then took a utility knife and carefully went between the holes. Carefully! I had some of that corrugated hose around and cut that for the bottom so they wouldn't cut their little necks on the edges.

I guess I don't have to but I change the water in their kiddie pool every single day because it's disgusting and I've got 7 ducks. In the summer I put another pool in the run in the shade.