Ducks are a popular animal to raise on a homestead. Many people like ducks even more than they like their chickens! My husband being one of those people. He says all the time that he wishes we started with ducks. Since we’ve been raising ducks for a few years now, I thought I would write about raising baby ducks for beginners.
Ducks are so much fun and have great personalities. One of the best things is to hear their cheep cheeps turn into full-blown QUACKS! Duck eggs are delicious and can be eaten just like chicken eggs.
Ducks in some sense are easier to keep than chickens. Duck are easier to house. They don’t need nesting boxes and roosts, since they sleep on the floor and lay eggs where they sleep. They are much cleaner in the fact that they do not like to poop where they sleep. My duck will run out of the coop in the morning to go to the bathroom. She tries really hard not to do it in her coop!
However, ducks can be messy with their water source. Especially, when they are young. Baby ducks who are experimenting with water, love to splash, kick, swim, and run around knocking said water sources over!
After a few weeks of constantly spilling and splashing water, you may get pretty fed up with the cleaning! It’s a daily duty when you are raising baby ducks. Just remember duck mama, that this stage doesn’t last long, maybe 4 weeks at most.
Raising Baby Ducks For Beginners
To begin, I believe the most important place to start is making sure you have everything that ducklings will need. Baby ducks don’t need much, but there are a few important facts you’ll want to know.
Niacin – A Vital Nutrient For Ducks
This is one of the most important things you need to know about raising baby ducks, so please pay attention. I’ve seen hundreds of people commenting in forums and other places, they didn’t have any idea that they should be giving their ducklings a vitamin supplement of niacin. So, let me explain what it is and why they need it.
Niacin, this vitamin also is known as Vitamin B3. It helps with the development of baby ducks. Without enough niacin ducklings may end up with something called splayed legs, bowed legs, or wry neck.
The only feed that typically supplies enough niacin for ducks in subsequently duckling starter or grower. However, duckling feed is difficult to find. It’s not typically sold in stores.
So, make sure you have a good source of niacin for your baby chicks. Here’s a couple of options to give your ducks an extra boost of niacin. I’m including the product I typically bought when my ducks were little. It’s called Brewer’s Yeast. It contains a good source of niacin.
Niacin is easy to give to ducklings. According to Duck DVM, ducklings need 70mg of niacin per kg of feed. I typically mix in the appropriate amount in their crumble feed. That worked out great for me in the past. It was quick and easy, and no one had a niacin deficiency!
What To Feed Ducklings or Baby Ducks?
Ducklings grow so rapidly, it’s very important that you not only choose the correct food but make sure they have food and water all the times. Ducklings don’t need extra calcium, like laying ducks do. Calcium is important for the production of eggs. However, it’s not added to duckling feed or baby chick feed since they aren’t laying eggs yet.
0-17 Weeks Old
So, duckling feed can be expensive and hard to come by. I’ll link to a couple of sources on Amazon. Duckling feed is often referred to as duckling starter/grower.
However, if you can’t afford it or if you are raising a mixed flock with other poultry such as chickens, you may just want to use chick feed called chick starter/grower or even flock raiser which is one of my favorite. Just remember with these options ducklings will need a supplement of niacin or brewer’s yeast.
Additionally, it’s important to note that ducklings should NOT eat medicated feed.
18 weeks and on
Ducks typically start laying anywhere from 18 to 22 weeks old. Ducks that are laying eggs need extra calcium. Adult duck feed, contain extra calcium and it’s important for egg production.
Ducks can be feed duck feed, chicken layer feed, or you can use a flock raiser.
Want to learn more about a duck’s diet? Hop on over to my other blog post What Do Ducks Eat. Over there you can learn all about treats for ducks, stuff they may forage for, and more!
Grit – Sand Or Pebbles
Ducks and chickens alike whether big or small, need some type of grit. Since they don’t have teeth, grit helps crush food.
For babies, they will need smaller grit sizes. You can buy baby chick grit, just for them. It will help them crush up their food. Which is especially helpful if you tend to give them food other than crumbles.
Fun Fact Time: We live in Florida, and instead of having a grassy yard, we have sand. Literally, we live in a sandpit. I never have to give my chickens or ducks grit because of this fact.
Water
Ducks need water. Not only drinking water but they’ll need a pool too.
Ducks like to dunk their head in the water. It helps them keep their noses clean. If you’re raising chicks and ducks together, you might give them a small bowl of water with supervision, for a few minutes a day or even a couple times of a day.
Ducks tend to make a mess! Ducks are quite mischievous when they are young, knocking over the water source and playing in it. Quack!
Be sure to clean up any spills and remove any wet littler materials and replace them with dry material. Wet conditions for birds can cause all kinds of sickness.
Can Baby Ducks Swim?
It’s important to note that ducklings don’t grow waterproof feathers until they are about 4 weeks old. Ducklings will often swim with mom, however, if you’re raising baby ducks yourself, you need to know a couple of things…
Ducklings need to dry out in a reasonable amount of time. If it’s cold, it’s not a good idea to let them swim. This could lead to them getting too cold and possibly death.
Make sure that you provide a heat source to help them dry their feathers. We live in Florida so, it’s really hot here. The baby ducks didn’t have any issues air drying in the middle of summer here.
Another thing to keep in mind is that they need supervision around water. Fatigue can kill!
Secondly, in order to avoid fatigue, keep the water level fairly low. This means they can swim or practice swimming, but still stand up when they get tired of swimming.
If they look tired, pull them out of the water and remove the water source.
Lastly, I wouldn’t recommend giving them a swimming water source all day. Just a few minutes a day.
We provided a small pan of water for the ducks to swim in. This is an old pan that I’ve had for years. I didn’t plan on using any longer. You could also use a bathtub, but limit the amount of time and don’t leave them unattended! Especially, since they can’t escape a bathtub and they may end up drowning due to fatigue.
Here’s a video one of the baby ducks playing in a pan of water. Notice she can still stand up, and she has plenty of supervision.
Heat Lamps
Ducklings may need a source of heat. During the first week or so we typically keep the babies in a smaller brooder. We use a small desk lamp with a reptile bulb to give them heat whenever it’s needed.
Your brooder should be big enough to provide some of the space that is not lit up by the heat lamp. This gives chicks and ducklings space to remove themselves from the heat when they get too hot.
I noticed when my ducks were babies that they need less heat than the chicks did. They would sleep much farther away from the light and they didn’t huddle as much as the chicks either. So keep that in mind.
Each week you want to decrease the heat. Read more about heat lamps. This article is about baby chicks, but it will give you a ton of information that you can apply to ducks too.
Warning Signs Of Too Much Heat
Some things to note if ducks are panting, drinking lots of water, not playing, and not eating, they are too hot. You may look into getting a smaller bulb wattage, decreasing the temperature by moving the lamp further away, or increasing the size of the brooder. Especially, if you’re raising 5+ ducks at a time!
Raising more baby ducks means more heat in the brooder. Their body heat alone may be pretty intense. So make sure for ducks they have an extra-large brooding space, and plenty of room to escape that heating element!
Safer Heating Methods
You don’t have to use a heating lamp. They actually make safer heaters for baby chicks, ducks, and even chicken coops now. Many people are using these now instead of the dangerous flammable heat lamps.
I haven’t bought one yet. I couldn’t afford it when my last batch of ducks and chicks were little, but I have heard from many friends who did buy this product that it’s absolutely worth it! Here’s the one my chicken friends suggest, it’s the Brinsea Ecoglow brooder heater. (Pictured Below)
Brooders
There are more and more brooders on the market these days. Below I’m going to show a few I’ve found on Amazon! Pick something that will work for you. Just so you know we use the black plastic tub, we bought a really large one.
Duck Coop
Eventually, your ducks will be big enough to live outside in their own coop. You can also choose to house them with chickens or other birds. Just make sure they don’t get pooped on or sleep in poop. This can be bad for thier health.
A duck coop must have good ventilation and be big enough for them to spread their wings a bit for grooming…
Ducks sleep on the ground so they don’t need roosts like chickens do.
I prefer to have a duck house that’s close to the ground. My heavier duck has more trouble getting up and down onto things. A suitable ramp is wide enough for a duck to navigate it easily and not too steep.
We prefer to build our coops because the store-bought ones don’t seem to last the test of time. Here’s a couple of designs for some inspiration, or you could just click on the images and buy one. I won’t judge! Sometimes you just need an easy option!
Will Your Ducks Fly?
Most domestics ducks don’t fly. Common ducks like Pekins don’t fly. They are too heavy.
For some other breeds, they are lighter and DO have the ability of flight. For more information on this read more at Do Ducks Fly?
Duck Eggs
Ducks should start laying around 18 to 22 weeks old. When they start laying make sure to switch their food to adult duck food, chicken layers, or flock raiser. These adult foods contain calcium which is necessary for the production of eggs.
Duck eggs are delicious. Some people say they are creamier and tastier than chicken eggs. I never noticed it to be honest. However, they are typically bigger than the average chicken egg.
Duck eggs also contain more protein than chicken eggs. Which makes them great for baking!
Daily Tasks Of Taking Care Of Baby Ducks
In the morning, you’ll want to check and make sure the food and water are filled up.
Clean up any mess that was made overnight. Remove any wet material, and scoop up some poop. Replace with fresh litter.
If you want friendly ducks, be sure to spend time with them throughout the day. It’s also a good idea to check on them now and then and make sure everyone looks normal.
If you hear a lot of chirping, it may indicate something is wrong. Too little heat, too much heat, no food, or no water…
Periodically, you’ll want to make sure they still have food and water.
At night before bed, I like to make sure everything is in tip-top shape. The food and water are full and everyone looks happy and healthy.
Things You’ll Need To Raise Baby Ducks or Ducklings
Supplies For Baby Ducks
Here's a couple of items you'll be needing to help you raise baby ducks. They don't need much, and they are pretty easy to take care of.
Buy small waterers and feeders for young birds. This helps to keep poop out of these supplies. Additionally, too much water can be a bad thing. Baby chicks and even duckling could drown in too much water.
Ducklings require a little bit of heat. We used a reptile bulb with a desk lamp. Heat lamps can be dangerous especially when you're using the typical clamps that they are designed with. We NEVER left the lamp on unsupervised! It can be a fire hazard.
The lamp I linked to only comes with a 25w bulb, that is not enough for chicks or ducks. I'll link to another bulb.
This bulb is 100 W. Whatever lamp you use make sure it can handle a 100-watt bulb! Not all of them are rated to take such a strong bulb.
Alternatively to buying a heat lamp, you can buy one of these instead. This is a safer heat source, with much less ability to start fires.
Most domestic ducks don't fly. They are simply too heavy. You can have a coop that's up off the ground but there should be a sufficient ramp for ducks to navigate. I prefer having a coop closer to the ground, but not directly on it, which would rot more quickly due to how much rain we get.
Another note, we prefer to build our chicken coops. They last much longer when you build them yourselves. Most of the time companies use the thinnest cheapest wood possible to create these "houses" for livestock. It just doesn't stand the test of time. The one I bought ended up lasting for about 6 months...
There are several types of bedding you can use. Pine shaving a very popular. On very cold nights, you can throw in some straw. It helps keep the coop warm.
Ducks don't only need drinking water, they also need a pool for bathing and swimming. Unlike chickens, ducks actually love to swim. They love taking a good ole water bath and even flirting with their friends in the pool.
A pool can be made of tons of different materials and can be all kinds of sizes.
Ducklings don't have waterproof feathers until they are 4 weeks old. It's advised that you don't place them in water until then or you may risk killing them.
Chick grit is an important part of every meal, just mix in a little bit into their feed, or you can place an extra bowl of it on the side.
You can choose from a few options when feeding baby ducks. Duckling feed can be hard to find and expensive, but it's the only option that has enough niacin typically so you don't have to add extra to their diet. It's formulated to be a complete nutritional diet for ducklings.
Alternatively, you can give ducklings a Flock Raiser feed. This feed boasts that it's good for babies and adults alike. However, extra niacin will be needed when feeding this to ducklings!
Brewer's Yeast is a great source of niacin or B Vitamins. Ducklings not being feed duckling feed will need some extra niacin in their diet.
As always thank you for joining me, and if you have any questions, I’m happy to answer them in the comments section. I truly hope you learned a little bit about taking care of and raising baby ducks.
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Resources
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0271531795020632
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6538334/
i looked at several blogs trying to figure out what i should expect while taking care of baby ducks daily. I just wanted to say thank for posting that info, it’s the only place i’ve found it so far.
i wasn’t really sure if i could handle taking care of them by myself or if i might need to hire some help. thank so much!
Oh you’re very welcome Dotty! Glad I could help!
Great information about raising baby ducks! Thank you!
how many eggs do they lay?
Ducks can lay up to one egg a day. Different breeds will lay different amounts of eggs each year, but never more than one egg a day. You can check out my post about ducks eggs here —> https://homesteadwishing.com/do-ducks-lay-eggs/
The baby ducks in your video are so cute. Thanks for all the great info on raising baby ducks. It’s all really informative. Now if I can talk my husband into getting some ducks!
You’re welcome! Haha good luck with getting your husband on board. Tell him how amazing the eggs are??
My husband ended up liking the ducks better too. He keeps trying to buy more ducklings. I keep saying no. Their eggs sure are good though.
Same here. We don’t need any more ducks or chickens, please no. Send me a pig, or maybe one of those crazy goats. IDK, no more birds for now! Lol
I love that you included a list of items I’ll need. I’m going to work on buying everything on the list and then I’ll get some baby ducks! Thanks Kristi!
Great idea Gracen!
My wife wants to get baby ducks. I was thinking it would be too much work, but ready your post I think it’s manageable.
Oh good! I’m glad you found it doable. Your wife will surely be happy! Ducks are so much fun, you’ll fall in love with them in no time!