spring hatches: at 6-8 weeks old, once your ducklings are fully feathered, they should be ready to move outside and away from the heat permanently – into a dry, draft-free house.
Water
When you first bring your ducklings home (or take them out of the incubator), dip each duckling’s bill into a dish of sugar water (1/3 cup sugar per gallon of water) for an added energy boost. You can give them sugar water for the first few days, then switch to plain water. Room temperature or lukewarm water is best. Position the waterer at the opposite end of the brooder from the heat lamp so that splashing water doesn’t shatter the bulb.
Adding a splash of apple cider vinegar to the water every few days is also extremely beneficial as a health and immune system booster and thought to help prevent internal worms, bacterial infection and coccidiosis. Be sure not to use metal if you are adding apple cider vinegar, because it will rust even galvanized metal waterers.
What kind of waterer? A traditional Mason jar chick waterer doesn’t work well for ducklings. The design is too unstable and tips over too easily around rambunctious, clumsy ducklings. Ducklings are also able to empty a fountain (or gravity) waterer in mere minutes. Instead, I like to use a shallow, flat-bottomed dish or stoneware pie plate. Setting the water dish on a rimmed cookie sheet can help keep the water mess contained.
Ducklings need water at all times, day and night. They are prone to choking if they don’t have access to water any time they are eating, so never leave feed for them unless they have ample water as well to help them swallow their feed. They also need to be able to keep their nostril membranes moist, clear of feed and debris and to clean their eyes in the water. As they grow, they will need progressively deeper water containers, but they can easily drown or get chilled if they sit in the water, so add some stones to help prevent accidental drowning – and be sure the water is just deep enough so that they can submerge their bill and head.
Setting a waterer in a cookie sheet helps eliminate messes.
By 2 weeks old, your ducklings will start to preen and activate their oil glands, which help to waterproof their feathers. By providing them a water dish 2 or 3 inches deep, you can facilitate that process for them. By choosing a slightly deeper water container with a smaller diameter you can prevent them sitting in it for the most part.
Ducklings are drinkers! A week-old duckling will drink about half a gallon of water a week. By the time a duckling is seven weeks old, it will drink almost a half a gallon of water a DAY, so be sure there is always clean, fresh water available. Water should be changed at least daily and very possibly several times a day if you are able, to ensure debris-free, clean water. Remember though, ducklings are messy, so if you expect crystal clear water, your expectations are too high! Feed, some dirt or straw or shavings in the water are not a problem; but feces are.
Provide ducklings with fresh water every day.
Feed
Feed should be provided at all times for your ducklings, away from the heat source and fairly close to the water. Ducklings can choke if they eat without drinking, so you want to keep the feeder and waterer next to each other. Traditional Mason jar chick feeders don’t work well for ducklings any better than the Mason jar chick waterers mentioned above, since the little guys have trouble fitting their bills in the small holes – and the Mason jar feeders are also prone to tipping over. Instead, I use a small terracotta planter base or a sturdy casserole dish for feed. Since ducklings go back and forth between their feed and water, the terracotta also helps keep the feed a bit more dry by wicking moisture away. Leftover feed should always be discarded at the end of each day to prevent mold, but wet feed can be left during the day without a problem.
What kind of feed? Regular chick feed is fine for ducklings if you can’t find waterfowl starter feed. However, ducklings should only be fed UN-MEDICATED feed. They eat more feed per ounce of body weight than chicks, so it’s possible for them to over-medicate themselves, and since they aren’t as susceptible to coccidiosis anyway, there is no need to feed them medicated feed.
• For the first 2-3 weeks: Offer chick feed (19-21% protein) all day long, and preferably through the night as well (as mentioned previously, just be sure ample water is also provided).
• From 3-9 weeks: You will notice a substantial growth spurt at about 3 weeks, so switch at that point to the lower protein starter/grower feed (15-17% protein) until they are about 9 weeks old. Too much protein can cause leg and wing deformities, kidney and liver damage.
• From 9-20 weeks: Ducks are close to their adult weight by 9 weeks and grow slowly between 9-20 weeks, so give them grower feed (15% protein) – or continue to feed them the starter/grower feed during this phase.
• Around 20 weeks or so: At this point they will be ready for layer feed (16% protein with added calcium) to prepare them to begin laying. Ducks should start laying any time after 21 weeks old. A good layer will lay for more than four years and live to be eight to ten years old on average, although ducks living a dozen to 15 years is not unheard of.
Feed supplements
Brewer’s yeast. Ducklings require more niacin than chick feed provides, to help with bone growth, especially in their legs, so you need to add brewer’s yeast to their diet. Too little niacin can cause leg deformities and weakness and also result in smaller ducks than normal. It’s important to supplement them with niacin, especially during the starter/grower phase.
Garlic. Garlic is another beneficial addition to ducklings’ diets. Fresh or powdered, garlic improves general health, boosts immune systems and supports respiratory health. When the ducks are older, I crush whole fresh garlic cloves into their water every few weeks, but for ducklings, the powdered form is less of a choking hazard.
To combine both of these beneficial supplements, I use a garlic powder/brewer’s yeast mix from Thomas Laboratories made specifically for poultry. A 2.5% ratio of the mix in the feed is the recommended dosage. I find that a sprinkle over the top of the feed dish each time I refill it is easier than trying to measure out an exact amount. If you are not seeing any issues with standing or walking, sprinkling the powder, while less precise, is far easier and most likely sufficient. On the flip side, if your ducklings aren’t growing well or have trouble with their legs, adding a bit more can help. You can also premix in bulk, mixing 1/2 cup of the powder into a 20-pound bag of feed. Just be sure to remix the feed before you measure it out since the powders will tend to settle at the bottom.
Your ducklings’ feed should be unmedicated.
Probiotic powder. This is another excellent feed supplement. It aids in intestinal tract health and helps maintain a healthy digestive system. Just a sprinkle in their feed will provide numerous benefits. A ratio of 2% probiotic powder to feed is generally recommended. Again, guesstimate the amount or premix in bulk.
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