When can I let my ducklings swim and take short outdoor visits?

[Bekahj1209]

This is my first time hatching ducklings, so I have a couple questions. My ducklings are still really young - about 3 days old.

1) When can I let them swim a little? They love their water so far - have a cookie sheet in their brooder. How old should they be before I give them deeper water to actually swim in? Temperature? Depth?

2) I want to take them outside for a few minutes since it's warm (I live in SE Wisconsin) and they have SO much energy! Can I do that now just for short periods of time, or should I wait a little longer?

3) I have a couple late hatchers that I assisted with hatching. One is pretty weak but may be just tired from the hatch. I gave her some sugar water a few times and that seemed to help a little. Any other suggestions? The other one has a little problem with her feet - her toes are turned under a bit so she's walking on them and has a hard time getting around. What can I do to help her?

Thanks so much in advance for your help!

 

[Blue Raptor]

@WVduckchick @Pyxis

 

[GoldenFlight]

You can give them a swim whenever, but I would suggest having the water at least 70°F so that they can enjoy it awhile before getting chilled.

They can also go outside whenever. I really enjoyed taking my ducklings outside because they would follow me wherever I went. You’ll know to take them back when they start getting crabby.

For the curled toes... I would probably take two little squares of duck tape and put one on the top and bottom of its foot to hold the toes straight. I’ve done this a few time and it’s usually fixed after 4 or 5 days.

Not sure about the weak one... You always want to do everything you can to help, but sometimes the ones you help hatch just aren’t strong enough to survive. I hope that’s not the case here though.

Please post pictures of your babies!

 

[Bekahj1209]

Thank you! Here's a pic
Do you have any tips on how to revive the weak one?

 

[GoldenFlight]

Very cute!! I would feed it some hard boiled egg yolk for a boost in protein and other important nutrients. Other than that I’m not really sure... If it hatched that way, I’m not sure if there’s much you can do. I’m sorry I can’t be more help.