Help! Found 4 ducklings in drive

[Chocolate Brownie]

How often do you have to clip their wings??

[shirlthegirl43]

Watch for the clipped wing feathers being replaced then clip again.

[Chocolate Brownie]

blo up pool... hummmmmmmmmmmmmmm, any other suggestions??

[Chocolate Brownie]

that arn't eggspensive

[shirlthegirl43]

We used a water trough as we had a spare one. The water doesn't need to be deep so as suggested by someone else, a child's sandpit will do the trick

[Chocolate Brownie]

wait a sec.. I use to have to put together in the shape of to shells a grandma and grandads, they may have given it away though

[shirlthegirl43]

wait a sec.. I use to have to put together in the shape of to shells a grandma and grandads, they may have given it away though

That would do the job.

[Chocolate Brownie]

I had a plastic paddleing pool that had two shells like a clam at grandmas and grandads they might have given it away though

[Chocolate Brownie]

whoops... wasn't sopossed to send it twice

[Chocolate Brownie]

how do tell the difference between duck and chicken eggs as mum is ellergic to duck eggs

[shirlthegirl43]

Duck eggs are usually considerably bigger than chook eggs. I wouldn't like to say for definate re colour (we had all boy ducks) but I think the eggs are usually pale green/blue to white (hence duck-egg blue being a popular paint colour)

[frias]

Wingfeathers well sort of stubbly little things at the moment, and I don't think they are very waterproof they've just had a paddle around in the water we gave and looked like drowned rats, they are on towels now

Just given them a bowl of chick crumb...

Just had a word with neighbour and she says Mallard babies swim from day one if raised by their mum as she oils them but if hand reared take about 4/6 weeks to swim.

[Chocolate Brownie]

What type of oil???sunflour oil, olive oil??

[Hilary B]

how do tell the difference between duck and chicken eggs as mum is ellergic to duck eggs

Some ducks lay 'duck egg green' eggs, others lay white eggs. If you see a duck egg next to a similar coloured chook egg, you will see the difference quite quickly, because the duck egg shell has a sort of translucent look. If you break an egg for eating, duck eggs have a very big yolk in comparison to white.

[frias]

What type of oil???sunflour oil, olive oil??

Are you puilling my leg CB?
Mummy duck has an oil gland near her rump the same as chickens do although chickens don't swim. I presume as the ducklings get older they learn to oil themselves when preening. My neighbours duck is sitting on 8 eggs and she says they are a beige colour with a blue hue.