How to Care for Black Swedish Ducklings

Black Swedish ducklings require a certain amount of care, especially when they're very young. Wild ducklings and ducklings hatched naturally have the advantage of having their parents available to them, but most domestic breeds are hatched in incubators and sold as pets. Young ducklings are too sensitive to extreme temperatures and require warmth in the first several weeks.



Ducklings also require special feed while growing and cannot eat medicated chick food. You'll need a special place to raise them (called a brooder) that has a heat lamp and a place free from drafts.

Things You'll Need

  • Brooder
  • Brooder lamp with 250-watt heat bulb
  • Thermometer
  • Wood shavings
  • Chick waterer
  • Water
  • Chick feeder
  • Food for waterfowl
  • Coop with adult waterers and feeders
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Instructions

    • 1

      Hang the brooder lamp over the brooder where you will put your ducklings, and turn it on.

    • 2

      Place wood shavings on the bottom of the brooder, and set the thermometer there.

    • 3

      After several hours, check the temperature. The thermometer should read 86 F. If not, move the brooder lamp up (if too hot) or down (if too cold) and recheck.

    • 4

      Fill the waterer and place it in the brooder.

    • 5

      Fill the feeder and place it in the brooder.

    • 6

      Place the ducklings in the brooder.

    • 7

      Refresh food and water in the duckling brooder and clean up wood shavings, placing more as required.

    • 8

      After 7 days, decrease the temperature to 81 F.

    • 9

      After 14 days, decrease the temperature to 73 F.

    • 10

      If it is consistently 70 F or warmer out, you may remove your ducklings from the brooder and allow them to live in a pen or outside. Otherwise, you will have to decrease the temperature to 66 F at 21 days and decrease it again to 59 F at 28 days.

    • 11

      At 36 days, decrease the brooder temperature to 55 F, or allow the ducklings to become acclimated to the outside temperature and put them in their coop.

    • 12

      Continue to offer waterfowl food and water to the ducklings, so they can eat and drink when they need to.