Duck hatched baby duck today....Help!

[BrittanyDawn2019]

I live in Alaska,
My duck had a baby duckling hatch about an hour ago, looks like other ones are starting to now. They are outside in a 12/12 shelter with lots of straw. I read online about brooding baby duckling but I was hesitant to do so. If provided with water, food and heat lamp will they survive till they are old enough to go outside?
I got ducks last summer, to enjoy fresh duck eggs, and I did not know they were laying eggs in the back of the coop. I'm not expierance raising ducklings.... any help would be wonderful!
Thankyou!
Brittany

 

[Cayuga momma]

You can let the mom take care of them. Just keep an eye on her, not all broody ducks are good moms.
Taking care of them yourself will make them friendlier towards you.
You want a brooder that is big enough for them. I usually have a box that is atleast 2 sq ft per duckling. They will grow up fast so you will want something that you can make bigger as they grow, something bigger you can switch them too, or you can start with something big enough.
Start with brooder temps between 95°F to 90°F (35°C to 32°C).
Each week you can lower the temp by 5°F to 7°F (-15°C to -13°C).
They need a water bowl deep enough to dunk their whole bill in. Be careful they don't get in the water bowl. They can drowned.
Duck food or non medicated chick starter (20% protein) is the feed you want. Ducklings like a mash (add water to food and mix)
Anything other than feed, they will need chick grit before they can eat it. You can put this in a bowl on the side.
Some people like to feed niacin supplements for ducklings. They need 55 mg of niacin per day for leg strength.
They will make a mess of the brooder. Some people use pine shavings. I prefer puppy pads for the first month. You definitely want something they can't slip on.
If you let them swim keep an eye on them. Their fluff isn't waterproof like feathered ducks. They can easily get waterlogged and drowned.

I'm sure others can give more info too.

 

[Miss Lydia]

If at all possible I'd let mama duck take care of them. She will keep them warm and show them where food and water is. Main thing you need to do is make sure they have a safe clean place to be until they are old enough to be outside. Mama will take care of the rest. Also if you have other poultry you will probably want to keep mama and her ducklings close by but with some kind of barrier [temp fencing] so they are safe. I use plastic fencing from Lowes and this way everyone can still see each other but mom and babes are safe. Just keep an eye on things because like Cayuga momma said not all ducks make great mammas but most do. What breed?

 

[casportpony]

They need 55 mg of niacin per day for leg strength.

I think you meant their food needs to contain 55 mg per 2.2 pounds.

 

[casportpony]

@BrittanyDawn2019 , welcome to BYC!
@Alaskan also lives in Alaska, so they might be able to offer some advice too.

 

[BrittanyDawn2019]

Thank you so much for the information! I appreciate it so very much.
As of this morning, when my husband looked into the coop one baby duckling was running all over the place looking very lost. The mother duck wasnt in the nest at all. So I set up a box in the bedroom with an old sweater, and a heating pad, and brought the other eggs in that had little beaks poking out. I think the mom got freaked out cause the eggs were not nearly as warm as yesterday.
So I'v got the eggs starting to hatch, another 3 that haven't started, or may have got to cold? And one little black duckling... and I put the duck food in there with water to soften it.
It's very exciting around my house this morning..

You can let the mom take care of them. Just keep an eye on her, not all broody ducks are good moms.
Taking care of them yourself will make them friendlier towards you.
You want a brooder that is big enough for them. I usually have a box that is atleast 2 sq ft per duckling. They will grow up fast so you will want something that you can make bigger as they grow, something bigger you can switch them too, or you can start with something big enough.
Start with brooder temps between 95°F to 90°F (35°C to 32°C).
Each week you can lower the temp by 5°F to 7°F (-15°C to -13°C).
They need a water bowl deep enough to dunk their whole bill in. Be careful they don't get in the water bowl. They can drowned.
Duck food or non medicated chick starter (20% protein) is the feed you want. Ducklings like a mash (add water to food and mix)
Anything other than feed, they will need chick grit before they can eat it. You can put this in a bowl on the side.
Some people like to feed niacin supplements for ducklings. They need 55 mg of niacin per day for leg strength.
They will make a mess of the brooder. Some people use pine shavings. I prefer puppy pads for the first month. You definitely want something they can't slip on.
If you let them swim keep an eye on them. Their fluff isn't waterproof like feathered ducks. They can easily get waterlogged and drowned.

I'm sure others can give more info too.

 

[BrittanyDawn2019]

If at all possible I'd let mama duck take care of them. She will keep them warm and show them where food and water is. Main thing you need to do is make sure they have a safe clean place to be until they are old enough to be outside. Mama will take care of the rest. Also if you have other poultry you will probably want to keep mama and her ducklings close by but with some kind of barrier [temp fencing] so they are safe. I use plastic fencing from Lowes and this way everyone can still see each other but mom and babes are safe. Just keep an eye on things because like Cayuga momma said not all ducks make great mammas but most do. What breed?

 

[BrittanyDawn2019]

The boys are Blue Sweeds and the mamas and Indian Runners...

I originally got the two swedish, ones and named them Bonnie and Clyde turns out they were both boys. And someone was rehomeing two young black female ducks so I got them so the boys would have friends... I'm now understanding how my aunt in kodiak ended up with 40+ ducks . Lol

 

[Miss Lydia]

Sounds like it. Hopefully the rest will hatch and you'll be mama duck for a while. Keep us updated.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yep duck math at its finest!