Pet Duck Care Tips
If you are thinking of raising a pet duck you should see this first. Ducks can live 5-10 years so getting a pet duck can be a pretty long commitment. You will need to keep your baby ducks warm and protected from the elements (preferably indoors) until they grow their feathers. When it's time to go outdoors you will need to have them a predator safe place to stay at night which protects them from the weather too, and a large safe fenced in area to run around in. They will need a pool or pond to swim in every day and you will need to provide them with a good diet.
What to Feed Your Pet Ducks
Make sure your ducks have fresh water at all times. Ducks need water to help them digest their food so make sure their water is fairly close to their feed. They will muck up their water and their feed, this is too be expected. Change feed and water daily so that old feed does not get moldy. Moldy feed will make your ducks sick.
Hatch to 3 Weeks of Age: Duck 18%-20% protein starter crumbles. Do not give ducks younger than 3 weeks of age chicken starter feed as it does not provide some of the essential nutrients that ducks specifically need.
3-20 Weeks of Age: Change the feed to 15% grower feed. You can use chicken grower feed at this stage.
20 Weeks of Age and Older: Feed a good laying pellet and seed mix feed or breeder feed for ducks or chickens. Be sure to provide shell grit to ensure the birds get the calcium they need.
Treats
Your ducks need vegetables and fruits in their diets but feeding them the wrong treats can cause vitamin deficiencies and health problems.
Things you can feed your ducks are:
Zucchini
Peas
Leafy greens
Corn
Vegetable peelings
Non citrus fruits
Worms
Things you should not feed your ducks are:
Bread (only give bread once in awhile)
Chocolate
Popcorn
Onions
Garlic
Avocado
Citrus fruits (1).
Scroll down to see more...
Hatch to 3 Weeks of Age: Duck 18%-20% protein starter crumbles. Do not give ducks younger than 3 weeks of age chicken starter feed as it does not provide some of the essential nutrients that ducks specifically need.
3-20 Weeks of Age: Change the feed to 15% grower feed. You can use chicken grower feed at this stage.
20 Weeks of Age and Older: Feed a good laying pellet and seed mix feed or breeder feed for ducks or chickens. Be sure to provide shell grit to ensure the birds get the calcium they need.
Treats
Your ducks need vegetables and fruits in their diets but feeding them the wrong treats can cause vitamin deficiencies and health problems.
Things you can feed your ducks are:
Zucchini
Peas
Leafy greens
Corn
Vegetable peelings
Non citrus fruits
Worms
Things you should not feed your ducks are:
Bread (only give bread once in awhile)
Chocolate
Popcorn
Onions
Garlic
Avocado
Citrus fruits (1).
Scroll down to see more...
Featured Video: How to Care for Baby Ducks
These beginner duck owners have some very useful tips on duck care too from baby to adult.
How to Predator Proof Your Duck House
Make sure your ducks have a place to sleep at night that protects them from the elements and predators.
- Use hardware cloth at the bottom of their duck house on all sides reaching six to twelve inches out. This prevents predators from digging under.
- Use a secure padlock on the duck house door not a hook and eye or slide bolt lock (raccoons are experts at fiddling with these and successfully getting them open).
- Use solar powered electric fencing around their run and duck house.
- Use predator protection lights.
Best Bedding to use for ducks
Based on my own experience raising ducks I would have to say that a combination bedding of hay and pine bedding works the best for ducks. The pine bedding helps to dry feces and keep odors down and the hay provides comfort and warmth. I have five ducks and only have to clean their 10 foot by 10 foot duck house out once a month (they free range on my property during the day and are only in the duck house at night or during the day when there is very bad weather). When cleaning the duck house I remove all the old bedding and before I put new bedding down I sprinkle Food grade DE on the floor and then add pine bedding and then hay on top. The Food grade Diatomaceous Earth prevents insect infestations.
Can you raise ducks with chickens?
You can raise ducks with chickens but it is not a good idea to house them together or feed them together once they reach pullet stage to adulthood. The reason for this is that duck feces are very loose and ducks love to muck up the water and get the bedding wet. Chickens need clean fresh water and dry bedding or they will get sick. Wet bedding and dirty water is a common cause of coccidiosis sickness in chickens. Male ducks can become very protective and aggressive and can harm or even kill a chicken that challenges them. This I know from experience. I had a Mallard drake who grew up as a baby chick with my chickens. When he got older he became very protective of my female duck and her eggs which, of course, is his natural instinct but his protectiveness become more fierce as time went on and he managed to kill two roosters and two hens before I actually caught him in the act. I knew something was getting them but assumed it was a predator. I set traps but didn't catch anything. Then one day I went outside because all the chickens and ducks were making a ruckus and the Mallard drake had a hen by the neck and shaking her. Needless to say she died of a broken neck and I found a new home for the drake right away. I use barrels with poultry cups to keep my chickens water clean and eliminate wet bedding. However, when my ducks had access to the poultry cups they would keep playing in the cups until all of the water in the barrel was drained even tho they had two swimming pools to play in between five ducks. I have also had a chicken hen trying to drink from the duck pool and the drake literally pushed her in grabbed her by the neck and pushed her head under the water and began to mate with her. I ran to stop him but it was too late the hen had drowned. So, in retrospect I wouldn't advise keeping a drake (male duck) with your chickens-ever and if you want your chickens to stay healthy don't raise them in the same pen with your ducks.
Do Ducks need a heater in the winter?
In my opinion, no, adult ducks do not need a heater in winter months unless you live in an area where temperatures frequently drop below 32F degrees. I do use a heat lamp in a bird cage with a metal bottom in my duck house during the winter but I do not know of anyone else who does this. My ducks seem to like it and huddle close to it in the winter. I feel better knowing that they have it. Ducks in the wild never need a heater and ducks have oils in their feathers that help to insulate them so in all truth they probably do not need a heater and most likely won't freeze to death as long as they have a place to stay where they are not exposed to the wind and snow. Baby ducks and young pullets do need a heater as they cannot retain their body heat because their feathers are underdeveloped.
Do Ducks make Good House pets?
No. Ducks are very cute and can be kept indoors while they are babies but they can get very messy-very quickly. Duck feces are very watery and makes a huge mess. Pet diapers do not work on ducks because the feces is so wet it soaks right through. I even tried putting them in pet carriers at night but every morning I had a huge mess to clean up. I quickly learned that ducks need to be kept outdoors in their own coop with a pool and shelter from the elements. I actually had two little ducks I picked up at Tractor Supply. I had no idea how to take care of ducks at the time but now I have many ducks and much experience. My ducks love being outdoors free ranging in a large fenced area and playing in their pools. At night, they get into their duck house as soon as they see me coming.
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References:
1. (2017). Innersouthvets.com.au. Retrieved 8 December 2017, from http://www.innersouthvets.com.au/assets/Uploads/Clients/135/How-to-feed-your-ducks.pdf
2. How to Care for Baby Ducks. (2017). YouTube. Retrieved 8 December 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIcj_7wlaxM
3. Free Image on Pixabay - Duck, Village, Nature, Farm. (2018). Pixabay.com. Retrieved 25 August 2018, from https://pixabay.com/en/duck-village-nature-farm-feather-1424505/
1. (2017). Innersouthvets.com.au. Retrieved 8 December 2017, from http://www.innersouthvets.com.au/assets/Uploads/Clients/135/How-to-feed-your-ducks.pdf
2. How to Care for Baby Ducks. (2017). YouTube. Retrieved 8 December 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIcj_7wlaxM
3. Free Image on Pixabay - Duck, Village, Nature, Farm. (2018). Pixabay.com. Retrieved 25 August 2018, from https://pixabay.com/en/duck-village-nature-farm-feather-1424505/
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