Alan is a veteran of the US Air Force, a master electrician, and a long-time hobby farmer.
Basic Duckling Care
Raising baby ducks is a fun and rewarding process. Only a few easy steps are required to ensure healthy and happy ducklings. The proper food and water presented in a correct manner, a heat source, and proper housing are really all they need to thrive.
These days, the right feed for ducklings is easy to find in most cases. Providing water seems obvious, but there are special considerations when dealing with baby ducks and water.
A heat source along with proper housing is often referred to as a brooder. Brooding ducklings is actually the process of raising them until they are mature enough to leave the brooder and live without an artificial source of heat. This brooding period will normally last six to eight weeks.
A few easy steps is all it takes to ensure healthy and happy ducklings.
What Do Baby Ducks Eat?
They should eat a special livestock starter feed specifically designed to meet their dietary needs. This feed may have a couple of different names like duck starter feed or waterfowl starter. It is easily obtained online or locally at a livestock feed store.
Can ducklings eat chick starter feed?
When these cannot be sourced, a more common chick starter feed made for chickens can be used. It is important to note that some chick starter feed contains medication and should never be used for ducklings. Chick starter feed is fine for ducks as long as it is not medicated. The feed should be in crumble form if it is truly a starter feed.
What's the best way to feed ducklings?
Ducklings should be fed using a plastic poultry feeder. These are widely available and help to keep the food clean and sanitary. A feeder normally has a red trough on the bottom that provides access to the feed and a plastic bottle or bucket on top that holds the unused feed. As the ducklings eat the feed from the bottom, more feed slides down from the top container and keeps the trough filled.
They Love Water
Providing water at all times is especially important when raising baby ducks. Ducklings drink very often throughout the day. They also require a lot of water while eating. It is important that water is presented correctly.
Do ducklings like to swim in water?
Ducklings hatched in an incubator and raised in a brooder do not have the necessary oil on their bodies to make them buoyant. Under more natural circumstances, the mother duck would transfer some of the oil on her feathers to her babies. For this reason, ducks raised artificially in a brooder should not be given water deep enough to swim in until they are fully feathered. This is an important guideline and should always be followed to avoid any unnecessary risk of drowning.
When can I let the ducklings play in water?
When ducklings are a week old, they can be offered a shallow pan holding less than one inch of water once a day. They will splash and play in this water. Remove the pan after about fifteen minutes so the ducklings can dry off. Baby ducks will enjoy this daily playtime in the shallow water.
What's the best way to give ducklings water to drink?
Drinking water should be presented to baby ducks in a plastic water fount designed for young poultry. A water fount will usually feature a red plastic trough on the bottom, similar to a feeder. A plastic reservoir on top holds the water, which flows out via gravity through a small hole to keep the trough filled. Keep the water fount clean and filled with water.
What Is a Brooder?
A brooder is really the combination of a reliable heat source and a draft-free enclosure.
