A Crash Course on Brooding Ducklings

You may know how to raise chicks, but do you know how to raise ducklings? Raising ducklings is similar to raising chicks, but there are a few key differences. In this article, I will be sharing my method as someone who has been raising ducklings for years.

Setting Up the Brooder
As with chicks, you want to set up your brooder 24 hours before you intend on placing ducklings in the brooder. This ensures that the brooder is completely functional and warm before putting your babies in.

Feed and Water
Going back on prepping the brooder, you want to put the water in the brooder 24 hours before putting the ducklings in. This is done so that the water is room temperature when the ducklings take their first drink. Drinking water should be room temperature for ducklings. If the water is too cold, it could cause shock and result in a sick or dead duckling. If you have the ability to control the temperature of the water (kitchen sink with hot and cold water), this is a little bit easier to manage. If you are using a hose, try to fill an extra waterer so that it can get to room temperature by the time you switch it out with the empty one.
When feeding your ducklings for the first time, there is a mixture I use to give vigor to the ducklings. Below is the "recipe".

1. On a piece of newspaper, place one handful of feed.
2. Cut up one heaping tablespoon of liver. I prefer beef liver. Make sure to cut the liver into super fine pieces so the ducklings can easily consume it.
3. Cut up one half of a boiled egg into super fine pieces, like the liver.
4. Place the liver and boiled egg pieces on top of the handful of feed. No need to mix, as the ducklings will mix it on their own.
5. Feed this everyday for the first week, alongside their normal feed. Then feed every other day for a week, then three days a week for the next week.

Another thing that I feed is yogurt or milk. This increases the good bacteria in the gut of your duckling. Doing this deters the Coccidia oocysts from thriving. When using yogurt, just add one spoonful to a small ramekin and watch to see how much they consume. You do not want any leftovers. Adjust accordingly. If using milk, make sure to use mammal milk, not almond or soy. Cow's milk, goat milk, any mammal. Pour milk into a small dish and offer it to your ducklings. Do not let it sit too long, as it will spoil like the yogurt.
When choosing a feed for your ducklings, make sure to get a feed that is geared towards ducklings and/or waterfowl. Look for an ingredient called Niacin. Ducklings require Niacin to function. If you don't have the option to feed a duckling feed, you can buy Niacin in pill form at your local drugstore. You can also use brewer's yeast.
Location of feed and water is important as well. You want the ducklings to be within 6 inches of feed and water at all times when they are young. This way they are not having a hard time finding feed or water.
One of the hardest parts of raising ducklings is keeping water contained. Ducklings love to play in their water. To try and contain the mess, you can place the waterer on a baking tray with a cookie cooling tray on top of it. This lets the water fall through, and not able to be tracked on their feet into the bedding.

Heat Source
You have many options when it comes to heat for your ducklings.

It is up to you on which heat source you would like to use. I have used all three and prefer the heat plate. I do use the reptile bulb as well, since the heat plates are a little expensive.
When using a heat bulb, watch how your ducklings react. If the ducklings are directly under it, it may be too high causing them to be cold. If they are as far from it as possible, they are too hot. Adjust the bulb until you hit the right spot.
The temperature in your brooder should be 95 degrees F for the first week, then decrease the temperature by one degree per day until fully feathered. If you don't have access to a thermometer, refer to my previous statement about watching your ducklings' activity. Also, try to put the heat source on one end of the brooder so that the ducklings can retreat if they feel overheated. Tip: place water away from direct heat, as it will evaporate if directly under heat source.

Bedding
Bedding is an important part of your brooder. Ducks are much more messy than chicks. Their water splashes and watery feces create a messy brooder quickly. Below are options for bedding:


I personally use pine pellets. I would use peat moss, but the price is a little high for me since I raise hundreds of ducklings. Peat moss is the proven winner out of these three, according to the professionals I have talked to.
You should change the bedding often. If you smell ammonia, it's too late. Ammonia can cause eye damage as well as foot damage. In ducklings, too much ammonia can actually deteriorate the webbing between their toes. Try to change bedding as often as possible. If you have the appropriate amount of space for your ducklings, you should be changing the bedding every few days, depending on which bedding you use.

Play Time
Ducklings are waterfowl, so you may be eager to give them swimming water. There is a difference between ducklings you raise and ducklings in the wild or with their mother. When wild ducklings are hatched, the mother takes oil from her preening gland and covers the ducklings with it. This makes them waterproof and able to swim with her. Your store bought or incubator hatched ducklings do not have a mother to waterproof them. Because of this, you should not put your ducklings in swimming water for at least 2 weeks. At 2 weeks, introduce them to warm water for 10 minutes at most. Then quickly dry them off and place under heat source. You can do this until they are fully feathered. They will be able to waterproof themselves after a few weeks.
If it is warm enough outside (80+ degrees F), you can give ducklings outside grass time. Do not leave them unattended for any period of time. Keep a sharp eye on their behavior. If they are huddled up together, put them back in the brooder.

Conclusion
This should be a good starting point for raising your new ducklings. Remember to supply water at all times. Change the bedding often and keep the brooder as dry as possible. Play with your ducklings to make them a little less skiddish as adults. Once you raise your first batch of ducklings, the next batches will get easier. Everyone raises ducklings differently, so do what works best for you and your ducklings! Happy brooding!