How to Raise White Wood Ducks

Wood ducks are one of the most common ornamental duck breeds. A close relative to the Mandarin, white wood ducks are extremely hardy, are easy to raise, get along well with other duck breeds and are a good duck for beginners, according to duck breeder Mandarin Lane Farms. Ducks are generally easier to raise than other poultry because they are less susceptible to common poultry diseases. People raise wood ducks solely for exhibition or hobby purposes.

Things You'll Need

  • Garage, barn or chicken coop
  • Waterfowl or chick starter
  • Pelleted chicken grower
  • Cracked corn
  • Grower-size insoluble grit
  • Raised nesting boxes
  • Pickle jar lids
  • Live mealworms
  • Waterer or pans or troughs with wire guards
  • Rough paper
  • Corncob litter, wood shavings, chopped straw or peat moss
  • Brooder
  • Incubator
  • 250-watt heat lamp
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Instructions

    • 1

      Set up an area for ducks in the building of your choice; a garage or barn will do, or you can house wood ducks in a chicken coop. Ducklings require half a square foot of floor space for the first two weeks and 1 square foot of space for the next two weeks. If ducklings are confined for the entire first month, they will each require 2 square feet of floor space. Grown ducks need 3 to 5 square feet of indoor floor space per bird.

    • 2

      Cover the coop or duck area floor with soft, clean litter. The floor covering can be corncob litter, wood shavings, chopped straw or peat moss. Keep the litter clean and dry and remove any molded floor covering material immediately.

    • 3

      Provide grown wood ducks with raised nesting boxes. Wood ducks are cavity nesters, so require raised boxes at a ratio of three nesting boxes for each nesting pair.

    • 4

      Purchase an incubator. If you brood and hatch your own ducklings, you can use a broody chicken to hatch the eggs. It's easier, though, to use an incubator. You will need to turn the eggs three to five times a day until three days before they hatch, so buying an incubator that automatically turns eggs is recommended.

    • 5

      Place hatched ducklings in a brooder. Ducklings require double the brooder space per duck than chickens require. The brooder needs to be heated with a 250-watt heat lamp. Brooder temperature should stay steady at 90 degrees F. for newly hatched ducklings. Lower the temperature by 5 degrees each week. Watch the ducklings' behavior to determine if the temperature is right. If ducklings move away from the heat, they're probably too hot. If they huddle together near the heat lamp, you need to increase the temperature.

    • 6

      Start ducklings out with waterfowl or chick starter food. It's common to lose wood ducklings at between four and six days old because they often can't find food or understand how to eat. To encourage ducklings to eat, sprinkle feed onto the floor or onto the ducklings themselves. You can also smear moistened food onto the sides of the brooder, or float feed in pickle jar lids of water. You can also feed ducklings live mealworms to encourage them to eat. Once ducklings are eating regularly, place food on rough paper; slick paper can cause leg injuries.

    • 7

      Use waterers ducklings can't get into. Ducklings are easily chilled when they get wet. Buy duckling waterers or use pans and troughs with wire guards to prevent baby ducks from getting wet. Adjust waterers as the ducklings grow. When ducklings are fully feathered, their water source should be wide and deep enough for the bird to dip its entire beak and head into.

    • 8

      Switch to pelleted chicken grower feed. For adult ducks and 1 month and older ducklings, pelleted chicken feed supplemented with cracked corn should be available at all times. Ducks also need constant access to grower-sized insoluble grit.