What to feed baby ducks - Care and Feeding of Ducklings
Brooder
Keeping ducklings warm entails a brooder. A great brooder will certainly have a number of things it will keep ducklings safe, have either bed linen to take in wastes or a wire mesh floor to enable droppings to go through, and a heat source. A brooder can be as simple as a cardboard box with two to four inches of wood shavings for bedding, or as complicated as an industrial metal box brooder. For a few ducklings, cardboard has the benefit of being low-cost, disposable/recyclable, and hygienic. A wooden or metal brooder is more proper for larger varieties of ducklings, or if you raise lots of batches of ducklings per season. It needs to be scrubbed and decontaminated between uses. Wire-bottomed brooders or hutches are a good choice because ducklings tend to play in their water and get the bedding soaked quickly. Ducklings should never be brooded on newspaper its surface area is too slick and can cause leg issues. Brooders need to be big sufficient to enable the ducklings to get away from the heat source 3 x4 is an efficient size for a few ducklings and will certainly permit a lot of room for them to grow, as they grow quicker than chicks. For the very first couple of days, location paper toweling or an old fabric towel over the litter, so the ducklings know how to eat food, not litter. Keep the brooder clean change the trash frequently, every day if you have lots of ducklings. Damp dirty trash and droppings can cause coccidiosis, breathing troubles, and infections.
Heat Source
For a little number of ducklings, a 100- 150 watt hanging clamp-style work lamp suffices heat. Clamp to the side of the box and have the bulb and hood hanging over the side. For a greater number of ducklings, a 250-watt infrared bulb can be made use of. Infrared bulbs get really hot they ought to be kept a minimum of 18 inches far from combustible products (such as wooden or cardboard walls, and wood shavings). Be sure to use a porcelain socket plastic will melt if using an infrared bulb. A brooder should not be uniformly heated up. It ought to have a cooler location for ducklings to discover their level of comfort. For the first week of life, the brooder must be at about 90 degrees. If the brooder is too cold or too hot, ducklings will let you know. Too hot, and the birds will certainly crowd as far from the heat as possible. Too cold, and they will huddle under the light and peep loudly. Raise or decrease the heat source appropriately. Use a different wattage bulb if you can not physically lower the lamp or raise. For each successive week, the temperature should be reduced 5 degrees up until totally feathered out at 6 to 8 weeks. They should not need any additional heat beyond this age if located out of drafts.
Water
Fresh, clean water must be offered to ducklings at all times. The water ought to be cool, not cold and not hot. For 5 or fewer ducklings, a quart-size chick fount will certainly take them approximately about two weeks of age; for more ducklings or older birds, a gallon fount will be a more appropriate size. Once per day, you ll know if you need a larger waterer if you need to fill more than. Ducklings often take a mouthful of food and take a drink to clean it down. This habit means cleaning waterers is a chore. Waterers must constantly be deep enough to allow ducklings to rinse their nostrils and beaks as they eat or impaction will certainly result. Water must never ever be supplied in an open dish ducklings will track droppings and spilled feed with it and welcome illness, and will certainly play in the water and soak the brooder litter or get damp and cooled. For the very first couple of days, the waterer can be put straight on the toweling. When the toweling has actually been gotten rid of, position the waterer on a non-slip raised surface area, like a wire platform, to avoid the ducklings from scratching litter into their water. Enhance height as they age bricks or 2X4 lumber boxes are similarly helpful. To minimize the mess that ducklings make around their water, put a plastic houseplant tray under their waterer after a few days to catch spilled water.
Food
Preferably, baby ducklings should eat waterfowl starter crumbles, a mix specially created for their growth and development. Chick starter can be used as an alternative, with cautions. Baby waterfowl have 2 to three times the niacin requirements than baby chicks, and chick starter feeds consist of too small amount niacin for waterfowl. Niacin insufficiency triggers bowed legs and severe joint and bone conditions, and will certainly reduce their lifespans as adults. If a chick starter is used, you have to supply a niacin supplement in the feed or water. Niacin supplements in powder or tablet form can be acquired at many drugstores include 100 to 150 mg of niacin per gallon of drinking water until 10 weeks of age. Livestock-grade maker s yeast can be utilized to prevent niacin deficiency include 5 to 7.5 lbs of brewer s yeast per 100 pounds of chick starter (2 to 3 cups per 10 lbs of feed for smaller, more useful quantities). The niacin in green plants is largely unavailable to ducklings and will certainly not avoid niacin deficiency.
Ducklings should be fed 21 % -22 % protein chick starter with a niacin supplement until 2 weeks of age. Turkey starter (27 %) or grower (24 %) may be used as a complete feed until about 2-3 weeks of age, but its protein content is too high and can push their growth too quickly, causing joint and bone problems past 3 weeks of age (see angel wing below.
Grownup layer mash, crumbles, or pellets need to never be fed to ducklings, not even as an emergency situation ration. Its high calcium content is harmful to baby waterfowl, and will trigger bone, kidney, and liver problems, or fatality. An excellent emergency ration is a 50-50 mix of rolled oats and cornmeal, whirled in a food blender to a mash or collapse consistency. They must not be on this emergency situation ration for more than a day or so, as it does not constitute a balanced diet plan. For the very first few days, sprinkle feed upon a paper towel so that the ducklings can discover to consume. Mash is hard for ducklings to eat. It is too fine-textured and can cause choking. Mash can be wetted to form a crumbly texture, but it sours quickly and requires constant replacement. Crumbles are easier for them to eat. Duckling feeders come in many styles, but they should prevent feed spillage and wasting, and prevent contamination with litter or droppings. Elevating the feeder after the first few days helps. Again, open dishes are not the best choice of feeder for ducklings.
Immediately lower the protein content of their food by switching feeds or mixing in blended uncooked oatmeal, as much as 25 % oatmeal. Greens and free-ranging will also help.
Baby duckling grit consists of very small stones, like coarse sand, similar to parakeet grit. You can make your own duckling grit by purchasing a bag of decomposed granite from a building supply store. If ducklings are given no additional food other than chick starter, they don t NEED grit but it may help in certain situations (see below).
Ducklings can go out on grass or range on warm days at a couple of weeks of age, if the lawn is unsprayed and grit is provided with their feed. Finely chopped green feed like lettuce and dandelion greens can be put into the ducklings waterer to give them treats to fish for, as long as they have grit.
Diarrhea and vent pasting (droppings sticking to their behinds) is a common problem in very young ducklings. This is caused by a variety of problems. Carefully pick off the dried droppings (warm water helps) so the vent does not become blocked if pasting does occur. If pasting continues, try a blend of plain rolled (breakfast type) oats processed in a blender mixed 50-50 with chick starter. Sprinkling baby grit on their feed also helps prevent pasting.
After 6 months of age or their first egg is laid, they can be switched to a 16 % 18 % regular chicken layer pellet as their adult diet. For adult ducks, additional calcium in the form of crushed oyster shell is beneficial, especially if the ducks free range or are fed table scraps.
Wet Brooding
Baby waterfowl love to swim and can do so at an early age IF and only IF they can get out of the water easily and get to a warm brooder to dry off quickly. They are prone to chilling and hypothermia if they become soaked through. Sturdy ramps with good traction should be provided to enter and exit the water, such as a length of rough wood or 1/4 wire mesh. Avoid mud and general duck slop by elevating the swimming water on a low wire platform. Ducks foul swimming water quickly keep it clean by changing it often. Wet brooding is not a good idea if you brood ducklings and chicks together. Chicks can easily drown in the swimming water.
General management and FAQs
Ducklings that are listless, huddled with drooping wings, and have blood in the stools may have coccidiosis, a protozoan infestation. Good management of clean, dry litter (avoid damp wet spots from spilled water) and not letting ducklings range on land where adult birds have been living will prevent coccidiosis.
If grabbed by their wings or legs, the body shape of ducks and their wing and leg placement mean that ducks are prone to injury. Ducklings, especially, should never be caught by their wings or legs they are not as sturdy as baby chickens. Always pick them up by the body and don t let them jump from high surfaces onto hard ground.
Ducks are social flock creatures you should never have just one. They need a buddy. They may bond to chickens or other pets but are happiest with other ducks.
When they have more room, ducks are happiest. Coops and runs that allow more than the minimum space make healthier, happier birds. The minimum space requirements for open housing (coop with free range) is 4 sq. ft. per bird; for confined housing (never allowed outside) is 10 sq. ft. per bird.
Duck hens do not need drakes (males) to lay eggs they will produce eggs without a mate, but they won t be fertile and can not hatch.
Mature ducks can be fed regular chicken layer feed. Feed comes in mash, crumbles, and pellets. Ducks can waste an enormous amount of feed and feed spilled on the ground can become wet, moldy, and toxic. Pellets are the least wasteful form, followed by crumbles. Mash is difficult for ducks to eat, and should be avoided. Feeders that are either hanging at or placed at the level of the birds backs will help prevent feed wastage.
Scratch should be fed as a treat, not as a primary feed. If scratch or other grains are fed, grit must be provided.
Nest boxes should be provided at about 5 months of age, to allow the birds to get used to them. The sooner you provide nests, the more likely they will use the nests rather than laying their eggs on the ground or hiding their nests.
A wooden or metal brooder is more appropriate for larger numbers of ducklings, or if you raise many batches of ducklings per season. Brooders should be large enough to allow the ducklings to get away from the heat source 3 x4 is a good size for a few ducklings and will allow plenty of room for them to grow, as they grow more quickly than chicks. For 5 or fewer ducklings, a quart-size chick fount will take them up to about two weeks of age; for more ducklings or older birds, a gallon fount will be a more appropriate size. Water should never be provided in an open dish ducklings will track droppings and spilled feed through it and invite disease, and will play in the water and soak the brooder litter or get wet and chilled. Ducklings should be fed 21 % -22 % protein chick starter with a niacin supplement until 2 weeks of age.