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Well, the first thing to do is keep it warm. We put our new babies in a 10 gallon aquarium (no water!!!) with straw on the bottom. We use the aquarium light to keep them warm, leaving the back part open to let some of the heat out.

Caring For Baby Ducks

SO YOU HAVE A BABY DUCK!

Now what do you do?

Be sure to keep your baby ducks away from dogs and cats!

If your duckling was just hatched it won't need to eat for a couple of days. Also, it does NOT need water to swim in! Your little duck may drown in water deeper than an inch, and the water container should not be too tall or it may get trapped inside and drown. When the ducklings are with their mother she provides oil from her body for their little feathers. When you take the duckling away from the mother it doesn't have that protection, water can penetrate the feathers to the skin and chill the baby. It can become water logged easily and drown, or get too cold.

Use a shallow dish for water... better still, go to the feed store and get a chick waterer. It is a special kind that the duckling won't be able to try to swim in.

You can pick up a chick feeder while you are there.

Feed your baby duck unmedicated chick starter, but ask the feed store personnel if they carry duck starter. Never feed your ducks of any age medicated feed. When your duckling is 3 weeks old, you can start to feed it little offerings of scratch. Be sure you only give it small pieces, the larger grains can choke it.

Baby ducks grow very fast, so be prepared! Have a pen ready for them! You can use a wooden frame covered with 1 inch chicken wire. Cover the top as well as the sides. Put lots of straw on the bottom. You can use the chick feeder and waterer until the ducks get big enough to knock them over. At that point get a feed pan and a larger poultry waterer.

When you see that your ducks are using their bill to get oil from the oil gland on their back just before the start of the tail, AND you can SEE the yellow oil, then you can place a 2" high shallow dish of water in the pen for them to play in. Be sure to put some 3" rocks in it so it won't tip and for the ducks to climb up on.

That should get you started with your baby ducks! Have fun and enjoy!

Kinds of Chickens and Ducks, Geese, Turkeys and other fowl. OSU web site.

Other poultry - Guineas - OSU web site.

If you don't have an aquarium, use a cardboard box about 18 inches square and 12-14 inches high. You need to provide a way to keep the duckling warm, so suspend a light over the box taking care not to let it touch the sides and cause a fire. The light should be 12 - 14 inches from the duck. Keep the box in a safe, warm place away from drafts.

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