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How to Take Care of Baby Ducks

You will find many places that sell baby ducks and baby chicks around Easter time in the Spring. If you decide to buy ducks ( and yes plural because they are only sold in groups of three or six), or maybe you have found some baby ducks that were abandoned by their mother, here are a few things you need to learn in order to properly take care of your baby ducks.

Taking Care of Baby Ducks Tip # 1: Baby Ducks Need a Home

You will have to get a cage to put your baby ducks in. They sell cages at tractor and farm supply stores, but if you do not want to pay for one, you could buy the material and build one yourself. You just need furring strips and chicken wire. The rule of thumb regarding space for your baby ducks is to allow about a half of a square foot per duck when they are little, but as they grow, they will need about a square foot per duck. It is wise to lay a piece of laminate sheeting in the bottom of the cage because you will soon learn that baby ducks are very messy, so this enables you to clean their cage easily. Line the cage with newspaper and use straw, hay, or wood chips for bedding. You do not need to fill the cage with with bedding, however, because you will need to change this once or twice daily, so just put a pile in the corner for them to sleep.

Taking Care of Baby Ducks Tip # 2: Temperature

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It is very important that when you bring your baby ducks home, you keep them warm. At first, the baby ducks will require a temperature of 95 degrees, which you can achieve by both turning your own heat source up, and using a heat lamp for the baby duck cage. They make heat lamps that you can clamp on the side of the baby duck’s cage. Direct the lamp toward the bedding, where the baby ducks will sleep. You can lower the temperature by five degrees every week after you bring home your baby ducks. They are not too shy to tell you that they are uncomfortable. They will huddle with each other and chirp very loudly. If the baby ducks do this, you will know that they are not warm enough, so you can adjust the temperature for them.

Taking Care of Baby Ducks Tip # 3: Food

The only food that you will need to purchase for your baby ducks is chick feed. There is a debate over whether baby ducks can eat fruit and vegetables, but I do not recommend this initially because I have heard of people feeding fruits and vegetables to their baby ducks and then the baby ducks died. It is uncertain, however, as to the exact cause of the baby ducks’ death, but just to be on the safe side, limit their food to only chick food, which you can find at pet stores, or farm supply stores. You will also need to purchase a chick water dispenser for the baby ducks to drink water. A good tip when caring for baby ducks- only give them a little amount of water at a time because the baby ducks will play in it, and get it all over their cage, so periodically give them a little water to drink. Also, baby ducks have a hard time swallowing their chick food, so make sure they have access to water while they are eating, so your baby ducks won’t choke on their food.

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As I said above, baby ducks are very messy, so you will need to clean out their cage once or twice daily, replacing the newspaper and bedding. Be sure to keep their food and water dishes clean and free of feces, so your baby ducks will stay healthy. When the baby ducks get older, and when the temperature outside is warm, you will want to build them a coup, so they can nest, and have a place to sleep. Also, depending on the breed of baby duck you have, you may want to place them next to a pond, or create a little pond area for them because naturally, ducks love water. If you have migratory ducks, like mallard ducks, they will fly away and migrate South when the weather gets cold. If you love your ducks, you will let them go, and not try to keep them caged up in the cold. You will be surprised to see that in many instances, your ducks will return when the weather gets warm, and even if they don’t return, at least you raised them and gave them a good start in life. Ducks need to live the duck life, so give them the freedom to live as nature intended.

Baby ducks are adorable pets for you and your family. It is not recommended that children under 5 years old handle baby ducks without close supervision because the child will need to immediately wash their hands, as poultry can spread salmonella and other harmful bacteria. If you decide to add baby ducks to your family, take these tips into consideration, so you can provide the baby ducks a home in which they will thrive and grow healthy.