[twizzel]

What do you all bed ducklings on in the brooder? My 5 hatched on Wed/Thurs and are so messy, they are on shavings which don't seem to soak anything up. I've put an old hand towel in the water area which isn't much better. Does anyone have any advice? I was thinking maybe wood pellet horse bedding?

[Clarebelle]

I've only hatched quail which i put on a towel for the first week and then switched to shavings, which, like you say, don't really help absorb anything. I am planning to try using sand in the chicken coop as bedding and did wonder if it would also be ok for using in a brooder? Not sure though

[HesterF]

Mine have got a bit of carpet under the brooder itself and then flax core horse bedding (which I use in all the houses) over the rest of it (all with newspaper underneath). The carpet was mainly because a couple of them were straddling to begin with and I haven't cleaned them out yet - when I do, I'll probably take out the carpet. They are hugely messy and beginning to smell now.

[sokel]

I have tried various bedding in the brooder and they all seem to be minging in no time at all when there is ducks in it.
I have 1 call duck duckling just hatched out so its in with the chicks. I am trying shredded paper this time but was considering megazorb, would love to hear if anyone has tried it as my only fear is they may eat it and get impacted

[Womble]

We've had the same problem as you, so I intend to rear our next ducklings on 1cm weldmesh held on a wooden frame so the poo just falls through into a shallow tray below (maybe!?). The idea is then that you can take the ducklings out, remove the frame, then empty the tray into the compost heap.  I'll start them off with a sheet of old curtain over the mesh until they find their feet, then take it away.
 
I have no idea if this will work - I just know that what we did before was absolutely not the way to go!!  I'd love to know if anybody has tried this before, and if it worked!!

[Clarebelle]

I have tried megazorb in with my quail brooder, it was ok, they are so messy though it didn't really help to stop the brooder getting in a mess. They didn't eat it but then it is probably too big for quail chicks to eat even if they wanted to!

[northfifeduckling]

Same as for the adults here, cardboard with straw on top, the card helps absorb moisture and the whole lot can just be folded over to take it away for cleaning. Never, ever use wood shavings for ducklings, they can mistake it for food and that's not good at all....

I have 1 call duck duckling just hatched out so its in with the chicks.

pictures, please, sokel 

[NicandChic]

Ive not had ducklings but for our first chicks I had them on puppy pads to start  once I knew the were all happy eating their chick crumb I moved them onto thick wood shavings.

[Eastling]

Womble we used a plasterers bathe with mesh attached to a frame. One end we used newspaper and wood chip and the other end had the water container. so any water went into the bath. Did work but had to empty and clean daily otherwise a bit smelly.

[Womble]

Thanks for that Eastling.  The last time I put a standard waterer on top of a paint roller tray, with weldmesh on top. Needless to say, they emptied the drinker into the tray several times a day!

Has anybody tried nipple drinkers for ducklings?  I'm just wondering if it might lead to less dabbling and mess (I'd still put a bowl in for a while each day so they can wash their heads etc).