Raise ducklings properly
Good news: ducklings are easy animals to keep. They have many qualities, including the ability to blend in well with a barn, allow you to connect with them emotionally, and effectively weed out your garden. If you value advice and want reassurance on how to feed your ducklings, reading this article will be very helpful.
Meet the emotional needs of ducklings
If you have a few ducklings, it is advisable for their health, but they do not have a mother, because you have found abandoned ducklings, or because you have decided to adopt ducklings through gifts. or shopping, their relationship would be very good. strong. Therefore, when isolated from the group, the duckling clucks and chirps until it finds its mate.
If you only have one duckling, you will have to spend a lot of time with him to satisfy his need for companionship.
Meet the heat needs of ducklings
The interest of the group is that we can kiss to warm up. But that may not be enough. Also, whether you have one or more ducklings, heat lamps can be useful depending on their age.
The temperature can be maintained:
- Thanks to infrared lamps (but beware of damage in contact with water),
- Thanks to the Elstein lamp, it only produces heat (no light)
- Electric or gas heating.
Newborn ducklings need 35°C. Then, reduce the temperature by 2 to 3°C per week. At 5 weeks, they no longer need heating if their natural temperature does not drop below 23-25°C. The ducklings can come out from week 3 or 4 if the season is good.
By observing their behavior, you will know if the temperature is adapted to their needs. If it is too hot, they will move away from the heat source. If it is too cold, they will group together, close to the source of heat. If the temperature is good, place the ducklings near the heat source, slightly separated from each other.
Housing ducklings
These critters are also afraid of drafts. They must therefore be placed where they are not.
Any storage box can accommodate your ducklings. However, cardboard does not react well when it comes into contact with water. If you insist on using this material, you will need to line the bottom of the box with a thick layer of newspaper, which will need to be replaced as soon as moisture appears. Sucking rice straw litter is also suitable.
One of the drawbacks of ducklings is their dirtiness: they spread their droppings all over the place and spread their food very widely. Therefore, you will have to spend time cleaning the premises where they are housed.
Feeding ducklings
The ducklings have a good appetite. A healthy duck is a duck that rushes for food when it appears. Otherwise, he is sick.
Ducklings need water to devour their food, so they must have access to fresh, uncontaminated water when eating.
One mistake is to feed them adult waterfowl food. It's not okay at all because they're not adults.
Ducks are omnivores. The ducklings, accompanied by their mother, eat everything they find, such as worms, larvae, slugs and more or less large seeds.
A balanced diet for ducklings will include a variety of green vegetables (lettuce, spinach, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, celery, carrots, broccoli, nettles, dandelions, green beans, etc.) and protein. Fruits should be avoided due to their high sugar content. Ground seeds of barley, millet, wheat, oats or corn can be added to feed rations from one week of life. You need to chop everything or grind the mixture in a blender. Cat or dog food mixed with vegetables is also suitable for them.
Until the age of 2 weeks, protein represents 22% of the diet, and from 2 to 7 weeks, it represents only 16%.
Food should be placed in containers that are slightly elevated, as any food placed on the floor will quickly become soiled with excrement. It is advisable to ensure that the feeder is clearly visible, brightly colored and placed in the light. Pay attention to how each duckling eats, at the risk of favoring the strongest ducklings to the detriment of the weakest ducklings who risk losing weight.
Protect your ducklings
Ducklings are easy targets for predators. If you keep ducklings in a garage or barn, make sure there are no openings in the room through which predators can enter and reach the young.
Domestic dogs and cats in your home should be kept away from ducklings or they may attack them. Even though their intentions are more peaceful, the power imbalance and the fragility of the duckling's body can lead to injury or worse.
Handle a duckling properly
Ducklings are fragile little animals that must be handled with care. Its legs and feet are particularly delicate. If you must grab one, grab it by the base of its neck, especially not too tightly, or from the top, place four fingers on one side of the animal and your thumb on the other. Once caught, it is important to hold the duckling under the body to prevent a possible fall and to reassure the duckling.
