Duck farming is becoming more and more popular. Ducks make great pets with their unique personalities, they lay a bigger egg that has more nutrients. Duckling care is quite easy, they are intuitive and mostly self-sufficient. Ducks love to forage for food, they will rid your garden of crawling, squirming or flying pests. Who wouldn’t want their own personal ninja pet, catching mosquitoes and wasps out of the air before they had a chance to land?

Newly hatched ducklings will need a brooder box with a heat source until you can acclimate them to the temperature of their new habitat. This is usually done by starting the ducklings at about 90 degrees Fahrenheit and lowering the temperature 7 to 10 degrees per week. Lower the temperature one or two degrees per day instead of all at once. It just seems like a good way to do it.

With a heat lamp, you can’t control the temperature as easily. To adjust the heat, pull the bulb further out, from time to time check that your little ducklings look comfortable. The ducklings should have enough room to get away from the heat if it gets too hot. A happy duck will go back and forth between hot and cold, not just sit on one or the other.

Water is the most important thing a duck needs. While watching a duck swim is one of the best parts of raising ducks, they don’t have to swim to be happy. To care for your ducklings, they must have enough water to submerge their heads. Ducks dip their heads in water to clean their beaks and nostrils. Clean, cool water helps them swallow and digest food.

Feeding time for your little ducklings is great. They are cute, furry and gentle little piranhas, hand feeding them is my personal favorite time to care for the ducklings. Ducks pinch a bit, but usually it doesn’t hurt. I have heard of adult ducks grabbing their lips and noses, but have not had the pleasure of the experience so far.

With raising ducks comes many food options, the most common being chicken starter or chicken feed. The medicated feed vs. non-medicated feed debate is hotly debated. Ducks eat more than chickens. The strongest argument against medicated feed is that ducks get poisoned by the medicine. Other than the drug, the strongest argument in favor of medicated feed is that it depends on the drug and how it affects your specific duck. Note the duck sandwiches. Treats keep your feathered friend very happy.

In my area, the only brand that said for ducks was “Purina Flock Raiser”, it has natural ingredients, probiotics and prebiotics, but it is not medicated. I say it simply because it said for ducks.

Ducks love algae, clovers, dandelions, garden weeds, worms, crickets, potato and tomato bugs, fruits, vegetables and much more! Ducks do not have teeth so you will have to make sure it is well prepared. Dandelions and weeds would need to be cut into manageable pieces that the ducks can swallow, the same goes for fruits and vegetables or just about anything too big for that matter. However, they are somehow able to eat some fairly large frogs and newts.

Hand-handling and feeding is the best way to befriend your duckling. Each duck comes with its own unique personality. Raising ducks and watching them grow, learn and play while caring for them is a great experience for anyone. When a duckling you care about approaches, wags its tail, and then honks at you, you know you’ve made a friend.

Important tips for raising ducks:

• Ducks need clean, fresh water, especially with food. If a duck eats too much before drinking water, the crop could swell and suffocate your little one.

• Ducks are gatherers, they will pick up almost anything off the ground to see what it tastes like.

• Some ducks grow very fast. Be prepared to expand your living space. The size of the space varies from about 1/3 square foot each when they are newborn to 3 square feet per duck in a few weeks. As a general rule of thumb, you need enough interior space for each duck to fully expand its wings, which is why the typical requirement of 3 square feet per duck is used.

• Recommended outdoor space is 15 square feet per duck.

• The ducks get dirty, try to spread the water and food as far as possible. Keeping your place clean is crucial to your survival.

• Predators such as dogs, cats, and owls are the main reason for duck deaths, next is disease. Simple things like daily cleaning and penning them up are the best duckling care to maximize the lifespan of your duckling.