Baby Duck

Baby Duck

Tips If You Are Planning on Raising and Keeping Ducks

If you are planning on keeping ducks in your backyard, this article could potentially be helpful for you. Keeping ducks can start with you raising ducklings. This may be one of the best ways for a beginner because you get to learn everything from scratch and you gradually build on basic knowledge. It is also easier if you start with ducklings.

Baby ducks, regardless of their breed, are all raised the same way. You need to hatch the ducklings yourself or you can use a hatchery. When keeping ducks, remember to separate the baby ducks from the adult ducks. The adult ducks may drown your ducklings.

A duck brooder is something you must have if you are to raise ducklings. This will provide them with a warm and safe environment. A heat lamp of about 40 to 100 watts will do. Of course, this is also subject to your observation of the ducklings. Ducklings huddled close to the light means you probably need to warm it up a bit. Ducklings also need straws for their feet instead of newspapers because smooth surfaces may supposedly result in leg problems for them later on.

Just in case you may be thinking that the initial step towards keeping ducks is already quite complicated, a plastic crate or carton will actually already suit your needs. Outdoors coop will only come later on when keeping ducks already involves taking care of adult ducks. In both cases, though, you have to make sure that your ducks are safe from predators such as raccoons, foxes and even cats.

Keeping ducks also means feeding them properly. Duckling feed can be bought from any poultry feed supply store. You may want to look at the feed you are using because some breeds may require a modified type of feed. You will need to feed your ducklings these - exclusively - for the next four to six weeks. Those raising ducks are advised against feeding them bread as this may cause choking when the bread swells.

For drinking water, using a shallow dish will work since ducklings need to submerge their heads. This is supposedly to help them clear their sinuses. Take care to put pebbles in to keep them from drowning, however. The pebbles will keep the ducklings from submerging their whole head. You may also add a little sugar to their drinking water for the first few days.

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