[Kathie]

As some of you may know our wonderful Light Sussex, Snowy, has just hatched duck eggs and we have 9 Indian Runner ducklings.  This may sound like a mad even stupid question but when should we let them have a paddle.

I've just been up to check on crum and drinking water and they are all tumbling in the drinking water bowl, a very small cereal bowl with stones in.  I thought I'd read somewhere that they should be kept away (or out) of water for at least a month, so I'm in a quandry and my OH wants to give them a pyrex dish, half inch high ten inches long, to paddle in.... can someone please help!!!
Kathie

[Caralou]

Any water should be very low level until they are over 2 weeks old. I hatched using a chook and for the first two weeks I used a 1in depth dish for paddling in. When ducklings are hatched with a duck her preening gives them waterproofing in their feathers, but they don't get this with a chook so you have to wait for their own preening and waterproofing to take effect. Mum chook will panic when they first go splashing, but they will do so happily on their own and within 2 weeks you can increase the depth gradually for them so they can paddle more and more 

[Kathie]

Thank you both for the advice, will just leave them to tample through their drinking water and change it regularly.  They are so cute Ive spent hours watching them for the last two days.
Kathie

[Junie]

When they go out on their own - do you think mum will try to follow?? I have quite a picture in my mind!

[Caralou]

Eve abandoned her ducklings here at 3.5 weeks of age - she was a little Sussex-Silkie cross and they were already far bigger than her as were Aylesbury crosses so it must have confused her somewhat! The first week when they got in their little water dish she would cluck away warning them to stay out then she just seemed to give in and ignored it. Never tried to take a swim herself when they were out with the other ducks thankfully 

[Kathie]

Junie I hope she doesn't try and follow them into the water as we have a pond 20x15ft and around 5ft deep and I can't swim. However, we plan on buying some sort of paddlilng pool such as a childs sand pit or other plastic thing that we dig into the ground as I believe runners are not too keen on deep water.

Caralou did you have to keep them warm yourself or were they big enough to just cwtch up?
Snowy has already been very vocal about them getting in the water bowl and they do listen and jump out...... for a second!!
We don't have any other ducks so this will be a huge learning curve for us all.

[Caralou]

It was during the really warm spell we had so I wasn't worried as the three of them snuggled together at night and were warm enough thankfully. Ducks and ducklings in my experience are hardier than chickens. Mine all use plastic paddling pools for water and are happy, but I know some people with Runners that love the deeper ponds - I think if they have the choice then they can decide is great (I don't have the space for a big pond sadly).