Now that you've decided you want some, what do you need to know about raising them? Ducklings are not that difficult to raise once you know the basics and before you know it they'll be quacking right into your heart. The basics are the same as for just about anything else; shelter, bedding, warmth, food and water, and a few do's and don'ts.

 

Whether you've bought your new babies from the local feed store or incubated them yourself, the first thing you will need to have ready is a brooder. Now don't worry, it doesn't need to be anything fancy, many have been raised sucessfully in a cardboard box. The important things to remember about a brooder is it must have sides high enough that they can't get out and that it must be able to protect them from drafts. I personally start mine in a large rubbermaid container that I have cut out part of the top. I then place wire mesh over the opening to rest my heat source on and to protect them from getting burned by it.

 

The brooder will need some kind of bedding, you have several options here. You can use pine shavings, sand, wire mesh-edges turned under, or even an old bath towel. The one thing you don't want to use is newspaper! It is very slick and the ducklings wont be able to get their footing causing a condition called spraddle-leg which can be deadly.

 

The next thing needed for your brooder is a heat source. It can be a heat lamp or a regular household light bulb in a reflector to keep those babies warm, just make sure the bedding can't catch fire. For the first week the temperature inside the brooder should be 90-95 degrees F.,after that you can lower the temperature by 5 degrees each week until you reach 70 degrees which you should maintain until they are feathered out.

 

 What about food and water? Glad you asked! They should have food and water available to them at all times. A feed formulated for ducklings is the best choice, but can't always be found, as in my experience. I use a gamebird starter feed, it has lots of good stuff for growing healthy babies! The one thing you don't want to get them is medicated chick starter, it has been formulated for chicks. Ducklings are voracious eaters and will over-dose on it. They will need to have a water dish that they can get their faces into. You don't want the dish to be large around just deep enough for them to be able to do this. When ducks eat they fill their bills with food then get a drink to wash it all down and to clear their nostrils of excess feed. Because of the way they eat you will want to place them near to each other so that they don't end up dropping all their feed on the way to the water, but on the other hand you don't want them so close that their food gets completely wet.

 

Don't place the brooder near drafts or in direct sunlight. Like all babies they easily become chilled which can make them sick. Direct sunlight will over-heat the brooder and the ducklings! Don't worry you know if they're too cold/hot by all the noise!

Do let them enjoy short periods outdoors if the weather is nice. It will help strengthen their legs and they will get the chance to nibble on grass and bugs.

Don't allow them to go for a swim until they have gotten their feathers. This is a really important don't. Since they aren't being reared by a mama duck they wont have any of the oils necessary to keep them from becoming saturated. Once that happens two things can happen; one they can drown as they wont have anything keeping them boyant, and two they can become chilled and get sick.

Do allow them time to get to know you! Ducklings can be skiddish, allow them some time to get to know and trust you, it will be well worth it.

 

Jeannine