How to Care for Baby Ducks

Ducklings are resistant to many of the diseases that affect poultry, according to the University of Missouri Extension. They also grow and develop feathers faster than baby chicks, making their brooding time shorter. In addition, they do not forage as geese do and as a result, don't require a large pasture. Ducks are happy with a few blades of grass and insects. To get them started on a healthy life, keep your ducklings warm, dry, hydrated and well fed.

Things You'll Need

  • Temperature-controlled brooder house with wood, concrete or dirt floor
  • Non-toxic absorbent litter
  • Crumbilized chick or poult starter
  • Rough feeding surface
  • Pelletted grower ration
  • Grain
  • Water and container for it
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Instructions

    • 1

      Find a structure with a wood, dirt or concrete floor to become your brooder house--the place your duckings will live until they can survive on their own. It should have 1½ square feet of floor space per duckling. You also should be able to adjust the temperature in this space.

    • 2

      Cover the floor of the brooder house with non-toxic absorbent litter, such as sawdust, peat moss or peanut hulls. Change the litter often, as ducklings do poorly in damp conditions.

    • 3

      Set the temperature at 90 degrees Fahrenheit when the ducks are born. Keep the area at this temperature for the first week.

    • 4

      Put mother birds (broody birds) in the brooder house with the newborn ducklings. They don't have to be their biological mothers. In fact, chicken hens can brood baby ducks. If you use surrogate mothers, place the ducklings under them in the evenings.

    • 5

      Provide broody birds around-the-clock with grain and clean water. Use water containers that will not allow your ducklings to get in.

    • 6

      Begin to lower the temperature in the brooder house during the second week of the ducks' lives. Reduce it by 5 to 10 degrees at the start of every week until you reach 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

    • 7

      Feed your baby ducks crumbilized chick or poult starter from the time they're born until they turn 10 days old. Make the feed available at all times on a rough surface. If ducklings walk on a smooth surface, they might damage their legs, according to the University of Missouri Extension.

    • 8

      Feed ducklings older than 10 days a blend of pelleted grower ration and grain, such as oats, cracked corn or wheat.

    • 9

      Make water available all the time. Ducklings need a large quantity of clean water to support their growth rate. Use a water container that does not allow ducklings to climb into it.

    • 10

      Let ducklings leave the brooder house to peck outside when they're 4 weeks old. According to the University of Minnesota Extension, by that age your baby ducks will have enough feathers to insulate their bodies. But keep them indoors until they're grown if they were born in the winter.