Ducklings

**Ducklings** are any type of young duck. All **ducks** belong to a group of birds called waterfowl. They are born looking different from adult **ducks**, but eventually the brood grows their own feathers and are able to live independently, swim, find food, fly, and migrate in the winters.

## What You’ll Need to Raise a Baby Duckling

* **Brooder** – a spare bathtub, large Rubbermaid tote, dog crate or cardboard box lined with plastic
* **Heat Lamp**
* **Thermometer**
* **Chick feed** — regular (chicken) chick starter feed is fine as long as it is unmedicated
* **Grit** — commercial chick grit or a small dish of coarse dirt
* **Shallow bowl for water** — such as a sturdy ramekin or soufflé dish
* **Shallow bowl for food** — a small terracotta planter base works well

I'd have raised ducklings in a plastic tote, a kiddie pool and a galvanized tub. By far, the best place I have found to brood your ducklings is a spare bathtub, if you have one, with their water dish at the drain end.

Ducklings can’t help but play in their water, and the brooder will be soaking wet all the time no matter what you do. So the bathtub method seems to be the most effective in containing their mess. I line the bathtub with a few layers of newspaper to absorb the water, then lay rubber shelf liner over that so the ducklings won’t slip on the slick newspaper. After the ducklings come to recognize what is food and what isn’t, I add a layer of pine shavings which are replaced as necessary, along with the newspaper and shelf liner.

When you first bring your new ducklings home from the feed store or they arrive in the mail, dip each duckling’s bill into a shallow dish of room-temperature water (or sugar water – 1/3 cup sugar/per gallon water), then set each into your pre-heated brooder. The temperature needs to be 90 degrees for the first week, then lowered a degree a day (7 degrees/per week) until the temperature in the brooder is the same as the outside low temperature, at which time the ducklings can be transferred outside to a predator-proof house/pen. By the time the ducklings are 3-5 weeks old, weather-dependent, they can spend warm, sunny days outside, carefully supervised and protected from predators.

Until the ducks are fully feathered around 7-9 weeks old, they have trouble regulating their body temperature and need heat. Watch the ducklings (as well as the thermometer) to gauge if they are warm enough. Warm ducklings will scamper around the brooder. If they are too cold, they will cluster under the heat source. If they are too warm, they will pant and stand as far from the heat as they can get.

Ducklings hatched in an incubator, unlike those hatched under a mama duck, don’t have oil glands working yet to coat and waterproof their feathers, so they can easily become waterlogged and drown. For this reason, a shallow water bowl should be used for water, one into which they can submerge their entire bill to keep their mucous membranes moist, but not fall into and drown. Stones or marbles can be added to a slightly deeper dish as the ducklings get bigger. Until they are about a month old, ducklings should only be allowed short, supervised swims. I fill a plastic tub with warm water and let them splash around for a few minutes to get used to being in water. I then dry them off and return them to the brooder so they don’t catch a chill.

## Feeding Ducklings

Ducklings can be fed regular chick feed. (Be sure it is unmedicated because ducklings eat more than chicks and there is a risk they could over-medicate themselves.) However ducklings have higher niacin requirements than chicks so add a sprinkle of brewer’s yeast on top of their feed to assist in building strong bones. Raw oats can also be slowly added to their feed for added protein and nutrients until a 25% oats/75% feed ratio is achieved. Grit in the form of commercial chick grit or coarse dirt must also be provided to help the ducklings digest their food.

Healthy treats such as dandelion greens, chopped grass and weeds (chemically untreated), worms, Swiss chard, kale, peas and moistened oatmeal are all favorites of growing ducklings. Ducks don’t like to eat wilted or trampled greens, so I toss the treats right into their water bowl where they enjoy scooping them up with their bills.

When they eat, ducklings grab a bill full of feed and then dunk it in water to moisten and swallow. Their feed will get wet and should be thrown out daily. Wet feed can harbor mold and bacteria, especially in the warm environment of the brooder. I use a terracotta planter base for feed. The porous material wicks moisture away from the feed and seems to keep it drier. It is also a good idea to place their feed under the heat lamp, where the heat will dry it a bit. I provide constant feed and water for ducklings. Once they are about two months old and presumably living outside, you can remove their feed and water at night if you wish. Leaving only water is fine, leaving feed without water is not. Any time they have access to feed they must have water nearby or they can choke.

A week-old duckling will drink about half a gallon of water a week. By the time they are seven weeks old, ducklings drink a half gallon of water a day, so be sure their water is always filled.

Using the bathtub as a brooder also works well because the bathroom door can be securely shut to keep the ducklings safe from curious children and family pets. If you don’t have a place you can locate your brooder behind a closed door, consider using something you can cover to keep the ducklings safe. Children need to be taught to handle the ducklings carefully and gently, preferably only with adult supervision, and to not drop them.

Handle your ducklings as often as you can. Talk to them and bring them treats, and soon you will have them literally eating out of your hand!

## Pekin

Originating in Beijing, China (originally called Pekin) around 2500 B.C., white Pekin ducks are a calm, hardy breed. Although raised predominantly as a “table” or meat bird, Pekins do make wonderful pets and laying ducks. They are docile, friendly and can lay between 150-200 large white eggs per year. Too heavy to fly, they are content to forage on the ground for grasses, weeds, bugs and worms. Pekins don’t tend towards broodiness (meaning the females don’t have a tendency to sit on eggs to hatch ducklings), so artificial incubation is usually needed if you are interested in hatching Pekin eggs. This is a bonus for those looking purely for egg production, since broody ducks stop laying, causing a decrease in production for the period they sit on a nest. Pure white with yellow bills and feet, Pekins have beautiful dark blue eyes. They are considered “heavy” ducks, weighing between 8-9 pounds.

But Pekins are just one of several breeds that would make a wonderful addition to your backyard flock. If you are looking for friendly, attractive ducks that lay well and aren’t too noisy, here are some suggestions:

## Indian Runner

Indian Runner ducks originated in Indonesia where rice farmers used them to control insects in the rice paddies. Extremely active and energetic, Runners are excellent foragers. Standing and walking almost upright, they move quickly on land and rarely swim, although they do appreciate a pool to use for baths. They come in various colors including black, buff, fawn, white, gray and chocolate. Fairly light ducks, Runners typically weigh 3 to 5.5 pounds. Good layers of greenish or white eggs, Runners can lay 150-200 eggs per year. Not quite as calm as Pekins, Runners are friendly and make wonderful pets.

## Mallard

It is thought that all domestic duck breeds except Muscovies developed from Mallards. Domestic Mallards are small, weighing only about 2.5 pounds, and excellent flyers, so if you choose to raise Mallards, a covered run is recommended to keep them contained. The females are brown with blue wing tips, the males have the distinctive greenish head. Mallards don’t produce as well as other breeds, managing only 60-120 eggs per year, but they lay beautiful greenish eggs and will sit on them (go broody) and hatch out ducklings if you let them. Mallards are a highly energetic and “talkative” breed, more gregarious than the others mentioned here, but extremely good-natured. Backyard Mallards love to paddle around all day in a small kiddie pool or pond.

## Khaki Campbell

The Khaki Campbell breed was developed in England in the early 1900s by crossing the Runner, Rouen and Mallard breeds, and by the 1940s was a recognized breed in the United States. Light brown with a bluish-green bill and brown (female) or orange (male) feet, Khaki Campbells have dark brown eyes. Drakes have greenish heads, a nod to their Mallard blood. Not known for being broody, Campbells are excellent layers, laying more than 300 white eggs per year. Considered a “light” duck breed, Campbells have only limited flying ability and generally weigh 3.5 to 5.5 pounds. A bit more skittish than Pekins, they are still a good choice for family pets, since they are such excellent egg producers and foragers.

## Swedish

Originating in Pomerania, which comprised areas of northern Europe and Scandinavia under the control of Sweden, Swedish ducks first arrived in the United States in the late 1800s. Decent layers, the females will produce 120-180 white eggs per year. Blue, black or silver (splash) with white bibs and slate bills, the Swedish breed is attractive and popular for exhibition. Swedish ducks are very calm, extremely hardy, good foragers and difficult for predators to spot. The females do have a tendency to go broody and sit on nests. The Swedish are considered a “heavy” breed and generally weigh between 5 to 6.5 pounds.

## Saxony

A fairly new breed to the United States, Saxonies were bred from Rouen, Pekin and Pomeranian duck breeds in the 1930s in Germany as a good all-purpose duck. Almost wiped out during World War II, the breed enjoyed a resurgence in Europe by the 1950s but didn’t reach the United States until 1984. Saxonies are active, alert and energetic. Excellent foragers, they do best with a bit of room to explore and stretch their legs. One of the larger breeds, they weigh 7 to 8 pounds. A beautiful breed that shows well, the males are oatmeal with a burgundy chest, silvery-blue wings and charcoal gray-blue heads with a white ring around their neck and orange bills and feet. The females are fawn-colored with white eye stripes and orange bills and feet. Saxony females lay roughly 200 white eggs per year and will sit on eggs if you allow them the opportunity. Saxony ducks are on the American Livestock Breed Conservancy critical list, with very few breeders in the United States.

Other than Saxonies, the other five breeds are readily available from hatcheries such as Ducks for Backyards or Metzer Farms. Saxonies are a bit more rare and are only available through private breeders at this time.

Regardless of which breed (or breeds) of duck you choose to raise, you will discover the joy and satisfaction of keeping an extremely hardy, good-natured and productive type of poultry. Ducks always seem happy. They are easy to please; seemingly content with fresh food; clean water both to drink and in which to play and swim; a safe place to sleep and plenty of garden scraps, greens and weeds.

Ducks get along fine with chickens in a mixed flock and different breeds of ducks also get along with each other. Most breeds lay white eggs, but Runners, Mallards and a few select other breeds often lay greenish-blue eggs. Cayuga ducks lay charcoal gray or blackish eggs.

## How to Hatch Duck Eggs

Hatching your own ducklings is a wonderful way to start, or add to, your backyard flock. Domestic ducks rarely go broody (i.e. sit on fertile eggs until they hatch), so hatching eggs in an incubator is generally your best bet. Various types of incubators work slightly differently, so it’s important to read the instruction manual for your particular model, but here are some general tips for a successful hatch.Be sure to order your hatching eggs from a reputable breeder or hatchery. If you can find eggs from a local farm, that’s even better. Shipped eggs are often jostled and have a far lower hatch rate than eggs that don’t have to be shipped.If you have your own fertile eggs, pick the most uniform, preferably not covered with mud or manure. Don’t wash them, instead carefully scrape off any muck with your fingernail or a rough sponge. Don’t choose small or large eggs because they tend to not hatch well.“Candle” each egg to check for hairline cracks and discard any cracked eggs (use a regular flashlight and cup your hand around the beam to shine it through the shell). Store your eggs pointy end down at a 45 degree angle in a cool location (around 60 degrees). Rotate the eggs side to side several times a day until you’ve collected enough to fill your incubator. Eggs will stay viable for at least a week after being laid. After that, fertility starts to decline.When you are ready to set your eggs, mark an X on one side with a pencil. This will serve as your guide when turning the eggs (if your incubator has an auto turner, you can skip this step). Place the eggs in the incubator with the pointy end down and set your incubator in a quiet location out of direct sunlight where it won’t be bothered by children or pets.Duck eggs incubate at a temperature between 99.3 and 99.6 (but again, check the setting for your particular model) for 28 days. The humidity level should be 45-55% for the first 25 days and then increased to 65% for the last three days. If you are manually turning your eggs, you want to turn them a minimum of five times a day - turning 180 degrees side to side each time - so the egg spends every other night on the opposite side. This prevents the developing embryo from sticking to the shell.Five days into the incubation, you should be able to see some veining and development when you candle the eggs. By day ten, candling will show significant expansion of the air sac in the blunt end of the egg and a developing embryo. If you see a reddish ring inside the egg, that ‘blood ring’ indicates bacteria has gotten inside and it should be discarded. Contaminated eggs can explode and contaminate other eggs.Starting on day ten, the eggs will benefit from daily misting and cooling. Once a day, remove the lid of the incubator and leave it off for 30 minutes. Then mist each egg with lukewarm water and replace the lid. This mimics a mother duck leaving the nest each day to find something to eat and maybe take a short swim, returning wet to her nest. Studies have shown this can greatly improve hatch rates.Continue turning, cooling and misting the eggs until day 26. At that point, one last candling should be done and any eggs not showing development discarded so only viable embryos remain. The eggs should get one last turn, cool and mist and the humidity should be increased in the incubator. The ducklings will move into ‘hatch position’ and the eggs should not be moved from this point on.Hopefully, if all goes well, on day 28 you will begin to see ‘pip’s (small holes) appear in the eggshells. The duckling will then make its way out of the shell and eventually a brand new baby duckling will emerge! This whole process can take 48 hours or longer, so resist the urge to assist. Leave the ducklings in the incubator until they are rested and fluffy. They don’t need to eat or drink for the first few days; they can survive on the nutrients in the egg yolk they absorb just prior to hatching. Once they have dried off, they should be moved to a heated brooder. A few sips of sugar water before you put them in the brooder is always a good idea to give your new ducklings some added energy and a good start in life.