# Raising Ducks



## ABURLEIGH (Aug 11, 2013)

I need some advice on raising some ducks. My local tractor supply is selling some freshly hatched ducklings. I need some advice on what to feed them and what type of bedding to use. I raised chicks before but never ducks. I would like some advice on this. Getting them on Wednesday. So any advice would help. Thanks guys and gals.


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## CAjerseychick (Aug 11, 2013)

just curious where are you located ( I am stopping by our TSC on Tues and have promised to get ducklings when available).... I want to know the answer too, to your queries...


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## Sumatra (Dec 5, 2013)

Two things I wish someone had told me when I got my first:

Duckings are much more delicate with heat than chicks. They grow out of that quickly, but I would suggest you keep them at about 5 degrees less than chicks. So for the first week, 90F, 2nd 85F, 3rd 80F and so on. If you see them with their mouths open, it's not some sort of sickness as with chickens. They're panting, lower the heat immediately. 

And always provide water. This may seem really obvious, but what I mean is, check it again 15 minutes after you fill and give the waterer to them. They often will swish it all with their bills out and play, emptying it out quickly, then dehydrating. That will then lead to them overdrinking next time and getting waterlogged, which is very hard on them. I've lost several this way. Also, always give food at the same time as water. They need it to get the food down their throats and clear their nose(or nares in waterfowl terms.)



To answer your other questions, they will do fine on paper towels the first 2-3 days, then pine chips the rest of the time, just like chicks. 
Chick starter is also what's fed to ducklings most of the time, but if your TSC carries Purina Game Bird Startena
Dumor chick starter/grower
Nutrena All-flock
or Purina Flock Raiser, then those are great. 

Ducks need higher amounts of niacin than chickens, so you'll find those four to be the best. If your TSC doesn't have those, adding some niacin/brewers yeast helps. A multi-vitamin supplement for water that has niacin would do as well.


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## Tango (Aug 19, 2002)

Dumor chick starter is medicated. Is medicated alright for ducklings? Feeding my kc trio Purina flock raiser 20% and they are doing well. Also I found that inches of straw bedding (like 6 or 7 that compacts down to 3-4) helps keep them dry between changing bedding. When they are day old babies they don't have waterproofing oils on their skin yet so good to help them stay warm  my girls are 7 days old now  Happy duck raising


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## Sumatra (Dec 5, 2013)

Yes, it was the old medicated chick starter of several decades ago that ducklings couldn't have. It used to be arsenic-based and dosed for chicks, and ducklings that ate a larger quantity, thereby getting a larger dose, couldn't handle it. Apparently that idea has managed to stay alive the past 40 years or so. Currently, amprolium is used to medicate chick starter and that is safe for ducks.


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## Tango (Aug 19, 2002)

thanks Sumatra


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## ABURLEIGH (Aug 11, 2013)

Tractor supply in lake Charles LA


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## solsikkefarms (Jun 1, 2013)

prepare for a mess... ducks LOVE to make the biggest mess with their water. I agree, keep them a little cooler than the chicks, but they will grow out fast. Once they are feathered out they are pretty much immune to the weather. Once they are over a week or two old provide enough water for them to bath in, ducks need to submerge their heads in water to clear their nasal passages. Other than that they are just like raising chickens.


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## CAjerseychick (Aug 11, 2013)

ABURLEIGH said:


> Tractor supply in lake Charles LA


Thx! over here in CA, I will stop by TSC tommorrow and see what they have!


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

Looks like good advice to me. I've found that ducklings raised with their mother will sit out in the cold weather (no where near to her!) and be perfectly happy in a little nest of straw, even only a few days old. They are tough, but do not overheat them. Even ducklings being brooded in my shed don't spend much time under the heat lamp, given space, they'll be all over the shed. By two weeks of age, I tend to let them come and go from the shed to the small yard, I have to lock them in when it rains, they don't seem to care. 

The niacin thing is important, if niacin is too low, they will have leg and neurological problems. The good thing is, if you see that, you can supplement and they will come back around very quickly. 

I feed one bag of chick starter, then put them on Flock Raiser pellets. They waste crumbles terribly. 

When they are in the house, I use a kiddie wading pool for them. It keeps the water mess down, but they can escape it pretty easily after a couple of days. Then I put a cardboard brooder ring around the pool to keep them in. I've gone to hatching later and putting them out in the shed with the 100 watt reflector lamp after a few days, depending on the weather. In the house I watch pretty closely to be sure they aren't heat stressed - if they spread out all over, they are getting pretty warm. I want to see them stay together more and certainly keep them from panting! 

I use larger water supplies as they grow, first few days they get quart waterers, then gallon, then 5 gallon ones. If the weather is nice, I take them outside and let them play on the lawn (in a pen, watched to see there are no predators such as cats or hawks around) and give them a clean cat litter pan to swim in. Outside ducklings get the bottom of a large plastic plant pot (the circular tray that goes under it) to wade in during warm days, then move up to the litter pan. I want them to be able to easily get out of the water. I take it away when its cool or night time. 

Ducklings are adorable, cute as can be, but also stinky and messy. 

As my husband is thinking of retiring, I am cutting back more and more on them though. We might move to town in a year or two and I doubt I'll take ducks with me. We want to be close to the rest of our family and maybe some shopping too! Now my hubby says he'd like a handful of chickens for eggs if we move to town, that'll be fun! That's a ways down the road though, but I do have way more ducks than I need.


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## devittjl (Jun 24, 2004)

Remember ducks that are raised in a brooder do not get functioning oil glands until a couple weeks old. So they should be protected from the elements and kept warm. they should have enough water to cover their bill past their nostril but not large enough to get into.

Baby ducks hatched and raised by the hen get the oils from their mother when they nest under her. 

It is the oil that provides the protection from the water and allow them to "float"


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

The ducklings I give access to wading pools when they are smaller are hatched in later spring, when it starts to become quite warm here during the days. If it is cool, rainy or night, no pools and I lock them up in the shed with the light. Even without mothers they seem to do well with this system. Quite possibly because the water is not deep, they can get out easily and it is both warm and dry during the days. 

Ducklings hatched earlier may stay in the house for a week or two, but they do grow very fast and are pretty hardy. I watch them closely though, to be sure they aren't chilled or overheated as they grow.


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## spblademaker (Oct 8, 2013)

Your local TSC should have all the info you will need. The chicks and ducks are showing up this Monday at our store. When you buy them, they should give you info to accompany your new animals. Maybe our store is special, but most of the employees have been raising animals for years, from horses to hamsters, and are a wealth of info too.


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