like a ... duck to water?

[DoctorSpoon]

My ducklings are only a few days old, but they are already capable of making a huge mess. They mix their food with their water, spread it over the floor, poop in it, roll around in it, then bake themselves under their heat lamp. The result is very crusty ducklings or, as a friend described it 'duckling en croute'!

After a little internet research I learned it was fine for them to have a bath, but to be careful they don't get cold - hand reared ones lack the natural waterproofing they should pick up from their mum's feathers. So, tepid water, a paint roller tray which has a built in ramp for getting in and out and away they went.

They loved it

and if you click on this you can see a little video clip of them in action:

Nicola

 

[Tengu]

Your going to have to get a bigger tub or they will grow up with an inferior complex...

 

[Staghound]

When I saw the first pic I thought you were advertising a set of paintbrushes, going cheep.

:sad6:

 

[Prophecy]

Very cool!

 

[Shambling Shaman]

When I saw the first pic I thought you were advertising a set of paintbrushes, going cheep.

:sad6:

You are quakers
:sulkoff:

 

[jojo]

Duck kebabs!

------duck/mushroom/duck/tomato/duck/green pepper/duck------

place on barbecue.

real home made hardwood charcoal of course, bit of tabasco....

enjoy....





Only kidding, I like ducks but they are really messy critters!


My daughter says I am horrible.... can't think why

 

[spamel]

I thought you're yellow ducks had been caught playing in a roller tray of black paint!

I didn't know about the waterproofing issue though, very interesting. Would Nikwax cotton proof help?!

 

[DoctorSpoon]

Duck kebabs!

------duck/mushroom/duck/tomato/duck/green pepper/duck------

Surely that'd be much better with a bit of chicken

Latest arrivals are some leghorn chicks. The eggs were given to my friend who owns the incubator and she asked if I'd pop them in with the duck eggs. I was quite impressed at managing to hatch four out of six and they'll be a nice thank-you to my friend when I return them with the incubator.

 

[Tengu]

And, erm, do you eat off that table?

 

[jojo]

Surely that'd be much better with a bit of chicken

Oh, ok, if you insist

-----duck/mushroom/chicken/tomato/duck/pepper/chicken------

I'll go and hide now.....:sulkoff:

 

[Gwhtbushcraft]

There gorgeous
you’ve got me all exited now as i have just this minute returned from my neighbors house whose broody duck i had three eggs under (alongside 14 of her own) to find 4 little ducklings poking thier heads out from under gemima, one of them mine.
Im a very happy bunny (Duckling ) The crumbs and the heat lamp are on standby.
George

 

[DoctorSpoon]

The crumbs and the heat lamp are on standby.
George

and don't forget the water ... lots of it Seriously though, ducklings need access to water all the time and it needs to be deep enough for them to submerge their beaks so they can clean their nostrils or they get breathing problems. They love to sploosh it around too so make a real mess!
Have fun,
Nicola

 

[Emma]

Ducklings and mess cannot be separated, ever. The amount of poo that comes out of one duckling is one of nature's mysteries, as is the sheer height to which they can splash it given a few hours and a half-full water pot (shortly becoming an empty water pot of course...).
Let them splash around in the tray as often as you can - not only are they amazingly cute to watch (especially if they start zooming around underwater ), but it'll do them good and encourage their own natural oils to put in an appearance. When you let them out in deeper trays or a paddling pool or something, they won't always find their way out easily because ducks believe that wherever they stick their beaks, their feet will follow. Of course this approach doesn't always work when they're trying to exit a pool that they've already half-emptied and aren't standing on the ramp/step you've given them to get out. Don't worry about it, they'll work it out eventually!

Probably teaching my grandmother to suck eggs here, but the one thing I would say is try to train them not to nibble your fingers or toes. It's cute while they've got little soft beaks but hurts a bit (especially toes) when they're fully grown. Same with chickens, but they hurt even more. One year none of us could go outside barefoot because one of the chickens would start trying to eat our toes. I think that one got given away to someone for the Sunday roast.

 

[-Switch-]

Whoah....

That chick has freakishly large feet

Seriously, it looks like it's been photoshopped, with a grown chickens feet cut 'n' pasted onto a little chick.

If I were that chick, I'd have a complex.

 

[DoctorSpoon]

That's little feet in comparison to the ducklings!

Thankfully the chicks have gone back to my friend's house now. Their shrill peeping was going right through me.

 

[ANDYRAF]

Yes, chicken goes right through me as well.