birdcare
Page: ducklingcare

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How To Take Care Of Ducklings

Caring for ducks is not a difficult task. When you have a passion for that, you will do a good job. As you watch them grow, they will turn into adult ducks eventually. You must make sure that they are raised and taken care of properly.

 

Brooding your ducklings correctly after they hatch is key in getting them to develop and grow properly. A brooder can be anything from a large battery brooder to a bathtub or container that has the necessary fixtures and amenities. Baby ducks will live in a brooding area. You can choose a small facility or house them in the corner of a barn. It’s important that they are protected so the brooding area must be enclosed. They must be protected against animals that could harm or even kill them. Give the baby birds enough space and ventilation so they’re not stepping on each other and they can breathe. Inadequate heat or drafting winds will cause the ducklings to catch a chill or over crowd each other around the heat source, causing significant stress. This is a very important time in their biological life, and keeping their stress levels low is critical to healthy development.

 

Animals that would fit the mold include foxes, raccoons, dogs and cats. Since the ducks are so small, they are defenceless and need to be kept away from the larger animals. In order to keep out germs, the brooding area must always stay clean, dry, lighted and always ventilated.

 

The ducks must have proper bedding in their living quarters. You can use straw or hay for the bedding. Don’t use chips or wood shavings because the small ducks could become ill. Change their bedding daily, especially if it’s wet or moldy. 

 

To provide them with adequate heat, use a heat lamp with an infrared bulb. Generally, regular light bulbs do not provide enough heat from them. Depending on how many ducklings you are caring for will determine the wattage that you will need. 

 

For the initial 10 days that the ducks are house, keep the temperature at 98 Fahrenheit. The temperature will decrease 5 Fahrenheit every week as you raise the lamp. Keep doing this until you get the temperature at 70 Fahrenheit. It can take up to a month and a half to get to this temperature level.

 

Do not provide direct light contact with the ducklings. Place the heat away from them. You will know if they are comfortable with the temperature if they are active and they eat and drink. They will be uncomfortable if they go away from the heat. You will know that they are too cold if they make a lot of noise and gather together in a group.

 

Ducklings need to have a duck starter while you are feeding them. This is a device that helps you feed the duck. Some of the best foods for them are finely chopped fruits and vegetables. They have to consume food that can go down easily because they don’t have teeth. 

 

They can also eat worms and other small insects. What they cannot eat includes onions, dry bread, grains and birdseed. The bread is especially dangerous because it can mold (catch fungus) and the ducklings can die.