How to Rear a Duck
Ducks can live in a variety of settings, ranging from a coop in the backyard to a large farm. Before buying any ducks, you should decide whether you will be able to give them the care they need. Ducks are social birds, so you should rear them in a group. They require at least 10 feet of space per bird, housing to keep them safe from extreme weather and predators, and a place to swim. You should consider whether you can afford to keep ducks and if you have enough time to look after them.
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Things You'll Need
- Duck coop
- Heat lamp
- Duckling enclosure
- Sawdust
- Cat-litter scoop
- Duck feed
- Fresh vegetables and plants
- Cracked corn
- Pool or pond
Instructions
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Rearing Ducklings
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Keep ducklings indoors in cold weather until they are four or five weeks old. In warm weather, ducklings can start living outside after two or three weeks.
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Use an artificial heat source when rearing motherless ducklings. Place a heat lamp in the corner of the ducklings' enclosure, positioning it so they can move away from the heat. Observe the behavior of the ducklings to ensure that they are not too hot or too cold.
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Keep the duckings in a non-inflatable plastic pool, or a playpen with screening on the sides to prevent escape. Cover the base of the enclosure with sawdust and remove droppings daily with a cat-litter scoop.
Feeding Ducks
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Purchase feed that contains 20 to 22 percent protein, for ducklings aged three to five weeks. Beyond this age, use duck feed such as game bird starter, ensuring it contains 14 to 16 percent protein, increasing to 16 to 18 percent protein when the ducks are laying.
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Avoid feeding ducklings chick starter, as the incorrect balance of nutrients it contains can cause deformities while the bird is growing.
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Supply ducklings with plenty of green vegetables and garden weeds. Adult ducks can eat chopped boiled eggs, tomatoes, bugs, snails, worms, night crawlers, mealworms and bloodworms.
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Provide ducks with a constant supply of fresh water. This is essential for the ducks to wash down food and to clean the vents on their beaks
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Mix cracked corn with duck feed for adult ducks in the winter. Cracked corn is more digestible for ducks than whole corn.
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Avoid feeding ducks unhealthy foods, such as bread, popcorn and chips.
Providing A Source Of Water For Ducklings
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Purchase a waterer specially designed for birds, or use a very shallow dish. Ensure the ducklings can climb out of the water when they wish.
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Place the water source in the opposite end of the enclosure to the heat lamp.
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Clean the water at least twice a day, as it will quickly become dirty.
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Supervise ducklings that you are raising without a mother when they are swimming. Until they are three or four weeks old they don't produce oil to keep their feathers waterproof. Pay attention they don't become cold or drown.
Swimming
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Provide ducks with a source of water in which to swim. They can survive without swimming but will be unhappy.
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Set up a plastic wading pool, if you don't have a pond. Provide means for ducks to enter and leave the wading pool. Both a pond or pool require a filtration system.
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Change the water when it becomes too dirty.
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References
- Photo Credit Digital Vision./Digital Vision/Getty Images
