Ducks are adorable. Is this why ducks are so popular? No. They’re cheap to raise and aren’t too demanding in terms of diet, living, and all that. However, as a beginner, how challenging is it?
Now what to follow for Raising Ducks for Beginners? Decide which breed would be the best pick for you first. Make sure the breed aligns with your requirements and available resources. Then, create a suitable habitat for them to ensure the living space is safe from predators.
Of course, their diet must be filled with herbs, veggies, and occasionally fruity treats that keep them healthy. Allowing them to forage for a bit of a while will keep their natural instinct alive.
As a beginner, raising a duck isn’t challenging at all. Just make sure you’re following a few basic things, and that’s all. Come. Let’s read together!
Table of Contents
Raising Ducks for Beginners: Pet Ducks or Backyard Ducks?
First, decide whether you want to have a pet duck or a backyard duck.
Backyard Ducks are Cheap And Easy to Raise
Backyard ducks are comparatively easy to raise. They’ll eat by themselves and don’t require the same level of care as pet ducks.
You do not have to be too specific while giving them food. Just let them be themselves; they’ll forage and collect food for them. They’re cheap to raise as well. Mallards, pekins, khaki Campbell, or Indian runners might be a good choice, according to me.
Pet Ducks Are Not Recommended, Kinda Expensive, Requires More Attention
First thing first, ducks don’t make good pets in general. That isn’t just my acquisition. PETA also recommends not to buy pet ducks. They surely look pretty, but raising them with the required level of attention might not be a pretty experience.
However, you aren’t prohibited from raising pet ducks until the state you’re living in is all right with it. Kentucky, Colorado, Michigan, Montana, and Nevada belong to the allowed states. See, no New York or California here. Surprising, isn’t it?
Have a look at the laws and regulations of the municipalities you live in.
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How to Raise Ducks? 5 Top Tips
To raise ducks, know how to take care of them. Five key considerations in duck raising are as follows:
- Provide adequate space
- Creating suitable habitat
- Proper Diet
- Let them forage
- Proper egg reproduction
Apart from these 5 above considerations, there are so many things you may have in mind. No worries. Keep on reading I hope you’ll find all your answers simultaneously.
1. Provide Adequate Space
Providing enough space is undoubtedly the most important thing when raising ducks or ducklings. In general, ducks do require at least three squire-free spaces for each of them. Why three square feet? Because they like to stretch their wings. They do it to clean themselves, which is quite natural.
Remember, raising a chicken and ducks isn’t the same, actually. Although, there are plenty of similarities. But raisins aren’t the same, I must say. Ducks are highly messy about picking food and consuming it. So, if you have some chicken-raising experience, do not just think all the tips will work here while raising a duck.
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2. Creating a Suitable Habitat
However, their living place has to be dry and clean. Otherwise, a variety of duck diseases may arise. The space where ducklings are initially kept is called a brooder box. You can make it yourself or buy it from the nearest poultry accessory shop available.
So, that was about their living space. Now, there’s more space that you will need. Won’t you allow them to roam around? I’m sure you want to. So, how much should be the space? It might be your backyard, but it doesn’t matter how long and wide it is. Just let them feel they’re independent, and that’s all.
However, provide them some safety while the weather is terrible. A tarp might be an excellent choice to provide shelter for them from rain and storms.
Let’s have a look at a table featuring ducks and their suitable habitat in a nutshell.
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Space Requirement | 10-20 sq ft per duck (coop and run). |
| Coop Design | Spacious, ventilated, predator-proof. |
| Run Area | Safe outdoor space for roaming. |
| Water Feature | Shallow pond or pool for swimming. |
| Nesting Boxes | Quiet boxes for egg-laying. |
| Predator Defense | Hardware cloth, no chicken wire. |
3. Proper Diet
While raising a duckling, maintaining a proper diet is a prime concern. For baby ducks, the diet should mainly start with a starter feed in their initial days. Here’s an overview of what baby ducks should be fed.
| Food | Age | Time |
| Duck Starter Feed | 0-2 Weeks | Morning & Evening |
| Duck Grower Feed | 2-8 Weeks | Morning & Evening |
| Duck Layer Feed | 20+ Weeks | Morning & Evening |
| Fresh Water | All Ages | Always Available |
| Leafy Greens (e.g., lettuce, spinach) | 3-7 Days | Morning & Evening |
| Grains (e.g., cracked corn, wheat) | 7-20 Weeks | Morning & Evening |
| Insects and worms (e.g., mealworms, earthworms) | All Ages | Occasional Treat |
All these data are collected from a variety of experts and their opinions. According to the poultry organization in the US, baby ducks in their initial days (0 – 4 weeks at least) should be fed starter and grower feed. Then, they might be offered different treats such as veggies, herbs, and fruits.
Insects, worms, and other little creatures are also good for ducks. But you do not need to give them insects and worms. Just let them forage, and they’ll find it themselves.
However, all these foods are high in protein and niacin. These two nutrients are particularly important for ducklings’ diet for better muscle health and growth.
Related Reading: 6 Duck Feeder Ideas
Anyway, give them occasional treats and bring varieties to their diet sometimes. Doing so won’t make them bored. Let’s have a look at 10 variety of diet options for ducks.
| Fruits | Veggies | Herbs | Grains |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apples | Carrots | Basil | Corn |
| Bananas | Cucumbers | Cilantro | Wheat |
| Berries | Lettuce | Dill | Barley |
| Grapes | Peas | Mint | Oats |
| Kiwi | Spinach | Oregano | Rice |
| Melon | Bell Peppers | Parsley | Millet |
| Oranges | Zucchini | Rosemary | Sorghum |
| Pears | Corn | Sage | Rye |
| Pineapple | Broccoli | Thyme | Buckwheat |
| Plums | Cauliflower | Lavender | Quinoa |
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4. Let Them Forage
While you’re raising ducks, it’s one of the essential considerations to keep their natural behavior in themselves. Here’s why you have to keep them foraging every day, at least for a little while.
- Ducks are born foragers. While they’re foraging, they have more natural intake, which helps them not forget about their natural behavior and keeps them healthier. Also, ensures mental well-being.
- Consider mental stimulation here as well. Like many other animals, ducks need mental stimulation, too. While they forage, it’s like a hide-and-seek game for them. Just think, they need to use their brain to catch their companion. It potentially helps them to keep their brain active and be happy.
- Do not just think foraging is all about looking around for food. It’s also an exercise for the ducks. Ducks walk around and swim in the waterbody, such as a pond or a swimming pool. This physical activity helps them stay in top shape.
So, all in all, letting them forage will keep them a natural, engaging, and healthy life. In addition, it’ll help you save some money. Therefore, it’s a win-win situation, isn’t it?
5. Proper Egg Reproduction
For your ducks to lay eggs properly and efficiently, you have to take care of the ducks, too, in a very specific way. You have to ensure them safe housing, check their health on a timely basis, and do some other things as well. Let’s check all those out.
Housing
Ducks need a safe, clean place to lay eggs. Most importantly, they need privacy. Provide them with nesting boxes, appropriate bedding, and straws to lay eggs safely. Please make sure the area is dry and clean, of course.
Collect Eggs Properly
Ducks, in general, lay eggs in the early morning. To be specific, around the time while the sun is rising. Collect eggs daily to ensure the eggs are clean and fresh.
Light management
Consider light management very wisely here. Research by the Australian Department of Prime Industry claims that ducks will lay more eggs when they’re given appropriate lighting. A heat lamp for ducks can be a good option for temperature and lighting.
What is appropriate lighting for laying eggs?
Basically, it is claimed that a 40-watt bulb is good enough for every 150 square feet. How many hours are required? That is not specific either. You should consider the duck breed you have the level of comfort they’re showing with lights. But, 14 hours of lighting is considered standard for a day.
Health Check: You always have to make sure your ducks are in steady health. Check them on a timely basis to know if they have any mental toughness or physical illness or showing symptoms that indicate a disease. Vaccinate your ducks as per vet recommendation.
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Make My Ducks Safe From Predators: What Should I Do?
Safety from predators is essential. Here’s what you have to do to ensure their security.
Step 1: Make a Strong Barrier
I recommend using sturdy wire for making barriers, such as hardware cloth. No chicken wire, please. This is because the chicken wire can be pulled apart by small predators like Racoons. Hardware cloth won’t be pulled.
Step 2: Two-Step Locks
On the coop, open the doors and put two locks. It will make the highest security for your ducks. Raccoons or other Racoon-like predators may break the first layer latch of the lock. But two-step locks aren’t easy to pull apart.
Step 3: Dig Defense
Your safety setup isn’t complete yet. Since you’re creating shelter from the predators, do not just forget about the digging predators such as minks and skunks. Dig a one-foot-deep trench around the run and bury the hardware cloth before covering it with dirt.
By following these simple steps, you can ensure the safety of your ducks from the weather or from being attacked by predators.
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Raising Ducks As A Beginner: List of Precautionary Practices
There are some things you shouldn’t have done while you’re raising ducks. Let’s have a walk through the precautions you need to practice.
- Do consider the egg-laying ducks as an expensive product. Give them a cozy place, such as a tire full of straws. I guess you’ve got my point.
- Ducks are messy birds, we all know. It’s an absolute mess, especially if it’s about their playing arena! I suggest using extra straws to keep things steady, especially when it’s wet.
- Ducks aren’t picky about consumption. So, consider things high in sugar as an occasional treat, such as fruits like mango, apple, and watermelon. Give them the flesh portion mainly. Seeds aren’t recommended highly.
- Give them plenty of water. Containers might be a good choice for them to drink water. A standard container full of water can be an ideal choice for 10 ducks. No open tubs, please. They’ll make a big mess, surely.
- Keep their drinking water spot apart from their foraging area. Because you have to ensure they’re eating fresh and clean water.
- Baby ducks eat less than adults. Plus, their diet is quite different. Give them regular chick food without medicine for the first 14 days. After about 18 weeks, switch to duck food. Do not give them chicken food continuously.
- Do not keep chickens and ducks altogether. See, ducks require water and should have it available everywhere. Chickens should stay dry. I’m trying to say the environment isn’t suitable for keeping both chickens and ducklings. You either have to keep the environment dry and keep only chickens, or you have to keep ducklings and make water available for them.
FAQs
To know some other queries, in short, have your eyes on this section.
Q: Do ducklings need grit regularly?
Ducklings need grit when you want to give them something other than starter feed. However, it’s not necessary to feed them only grit, or you do not have to consider it the primary source of food. But if you feed them grit every day along with other foods, it won’t bother digestion.
Q: When should baby ducks be allowed to swim?
Well, baby ducks, in their initial days, should not swim. As their body isn’t well structured at that time, they may drenched with the water. When they’re at least a month old, they might be allowed to swim. You may make a swimming pool for them, like using a big bowl and keeping water in it.
Final Words
Raising a duck isn’t easy, especially as a beginner. They require proper attention, diet, and a safe home setup. While they’re growing up, they require a dietary change, require more foraging opportunities, and some other precautions as well. Just be aware of not overfeeding them, and do not keep chickens and ducks altogether.
However, besides all this hard work, attention, and hectics, raising them might be a fun experience as well. They’re adorable and while roaming around you will surely give you a peaceful feeling. While they’re happily roaming, it’ll make your days better, even after a day of long, stressful corporate meetings or a chaotic city day!
Sources And References:
- https://poultry.extension.org/articles/feeds-and-feeding-of-poultry/feeding-ducks-for-egg-production-kept-in-small-flocks/
- https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/animals-and-livestock/poultry-and-birds/species/duck-raising/egg-production
- https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/what-should-i-feed-my-ducks/
