The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: MelRice on August 03, 2011, 11:22:24 am
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My seven huge duck eggs are about to hatch...I can hear them peeping. Do I need to put them under a heat lamp ? for how long? temp? Ive done chicks before and quail but its my first ducks.
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Treat them just as you would chicks though you will have to clean them out more often. They make a lot of mess.
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You'll prob find they don't need as long on the heat as chicks either.
Definitely second that about being messy!!!
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Thanks all Ive got 5 cute ducklings under a heat lamp. one egg was not fertilised and the other never made it out of the shell, looks like it died just before the end! and yep they are smelly, but very very cute having their daily swim whilst i clean them out.
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they are definately messy, but worth it, and gosh they grow so quick :wave:
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I'm all jealous! photos, please! :&>
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sorry about no photos my IT skills arnt up to it and my OH is away for a month.Unfortunatly im down to only four now as "tiny" didnt make it. sob sob, he was realy realy cute too!
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When you say daily swim, I'm assuming you mean in water 1/2 deep....
Just remember they aren't waterproof since the only place ducklings get waterproofness from is mama's feathers. My dad had to teach me this as a child, by rescuing the ducklings off the pond where I'd put them, before they got waterlogged and sunk!
I love all my small feathered friends, but ducklings and goslings are somehow the sweetest and funniest, so more than make up for their smelly messiness ;D
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Only a supervised swim in a basin.. they seem to enjoy it and dive under, preen, and generally splash about. I just think that tiny was not as feathered or strong as the others. Mother nature knows best!
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Oh they are true water babies from the minute they hatch :)