Patridge bantam chicken poorly foot?

[TheChookKeeper]

We are off on holiday for 1 week this coming Monday, and I have a few questions about what to do with a few aspects of my ducks (2x appleyards).

 

My brother is coming in every couple of days to feed the chooks, take the eggs, and check on water and suchlike (as well as deal with the other pets!).

 

We have been "test running" what we plan to do with the ducks this week, and have been keeping them shut in a little run which attaches to their new house for a day or two at a time.

 

After a 2 day stint, their water (to swim in) is looking really manky, and most of it has been spilt all over the place - this is creating a bog, as they are in quite a small area - usually they have the whole garden to play in.

 

SO - Would it be OK to leave my ducks WITHOUT their swimming water? My plan would be to leave them with their bowl of drinking water, which would be cleaned out and filled up again every couple of days.

Is that OK?

 

Thanks!

[AnnieP]

Erm, I don't really know about ducks, but I wonder if you took away their swimming water, as it is a natural instinct, would they not try to swim in their drinking water??

I think you may have to put up with a wet boggy place for a while!

I might be wrong, but I thought all ducks need swimming water, apart from Indian Runners?

I hope someone far more knoweldgeable than me will be along soon!

[Christian]

By no means a duck expert, but they need clean water daily to bath their eyes. Bathing in dirty water can cause eye problems.

[Lesley]

Yes, they will need clean water each day and should really have swimming water as well.

 

Do you have anyone else you could ask to help during the time you will be away?

[TheChookKeeper]

Am now on holiday - am sitting in almost-sunny somerset!

 

I decided in line with what you suggested in the end anyway. They have both drinking and swimming water, and have asked brother to go and empty and refill every couple of days, unless he is passing (which he should quite freqently), in which case he can do it daily.

 

Hopefully they will be OK!

[helenthomas7]

Hiya, hope you had a good holiday. Just incase its useful for when you next go away I'll let you know what I did.

 

I have 3 Aylesbury's that my old Dad looked after while I was away for a week. It was too much for him to be hawling my big paddling pool around to empty so I bought a HUGE cat litter tray from Pets At Home - cost about 7 quid. Was big and deep enough for 2 of them at a time to get in and clean themselves and very easy to empty and fill up for Dad. They were very happy to have proper pool back when I got home but this served a purpose and I will do it again.

 

Am also looking into getting a pond pump mentioned on the poultry forum so you can empty pond in various places so you don't get the very soggy, smelly mess in one place!

[TheChookKeeper]

Thanks for your reply.

 

I have now returned, and the ducks (and chooks) were fine.

 

There wasn't as much of a quagmire as I had expected (still pretty rank though!), and as you say, they were very happy to be released into the rest of the garden again!

 

They both spent about 5 minutes just standing flapping their wings and running up and down the garden... barely touched their nice clean new swimming water though!

 

I think they need to figure out where it is again, as I keep that at the opposite end of the garden, on concrete, which a drain right next to it - makes it FAR less hassle to empty it.

 

I use a giant terracotta flowerpot thing for my 2 - although they only bearly both fit in it at once now - so invested in a new one from Ikea last time I went... unfortunatley, they don't understand they should use one each... and both still cram into one!!!

 

 

Thanks again for all your help.

[Lesley]

We dug a big sump underneath our fibeglass pond and filled it with rubble then stones then gravel. When we empty the pond it all soaks away underneath and stops making the lawn soggy (or soggier after all the rain )

[pickles]

hi there let me know if you get stuck when you go on your hols another time, as i run chicken, duck and rabbit boarding (see website).

 

re the pond spilling everywhere, you could always put it onto a few paving slabs or some shingle to stop the mud bath, whilst you are away.

 

regards

 

Pickles