How to Get a Duckling to Eat

Feeding baby ducklings is not difficult; ducklings instinctively know how to eat from the day they're born. Ducklings do sometimes have to be encouraged to eat when they're not familiar with a certain food. Baby ducklings should have food and clean water available to them at all times so they can eat and drink whenever they need to. A duckling doesn't understand scheduled feedings and needs access to nutrients at all times.

Things You'll Need

  • Metal or plastic animal feeder bin
  • Chicken feed
  • Mild vegetables (tomatoes, lettuce or cucumbers, for example)
  • Earthworms, meal worms, slugs
  • Small beetles and ants
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Instructions

    • 1

      Prepare the food. Use your fingers to break up the pellets into small pieces. Chop up the vegetables into tiny pieces. Collect small insects such as ants, earthworms and beetles and chop them up. Try them individually at first to see what your duckling prefers.

    • 2

      Place a small amount of the chicken feed, chopped insects or chopped vegetables on your finger. Moisten the food with one to two drops of water to make it easier to swallow. Give small amounts of food to your duckling until it's opening its mouth and trying to get the food on its own.

    • 3

      Place the finger with the food on it on your duckling's tongue. Close its beak together with your fingers to encourage your duckling to swallow. Don't hold the beak tightly or for more than a few seconds.

    • 4

      Place the chicken feed, insects or finely chopped vegetables in a feeder bin and put the feeder bin in front of your duckling.