Newspaper gets too slippery when it gets wet, so some rubber shelf liner, an old yoga mat or something easily rinseable that the ducklings can easily grip with their feet is a great choice for the bottom of the brooder. While you can use a cardboard box as an inexpensive brooder, ducks make quite a mess in their water, so a plastic tote or metal tub is a far better choice. Ducklings need a safe, draft-free brooder that is heated for the first few weeks to keep them warm until they grow their feathers. Raising baby ducks isn’t much different than caring for baby chicks. Or you can try your hand at hatching duck eggs, which isn’t much different than hatching chicken eggs, although the incubation period is 28 days versus the 21 days that chicken eggs require. The Metzer Farms website has wonderful information about different duck breeds and allows orders of a minimum of just two ducklings, making it easy to raise ducklings. Not only are they adorable, you have a better chance at ending up with friendlier adults if you handle them and let them bond with you and get used to you from a young age.ĭucklings are usually available from your feed store or a local farm, or you can order them from Metzer Farms. While adult ducks can often be found on Craig’s List or a local farm, I highly recommend starting with ducklings. If you’re thinking of adding a few ducks to your backyard, you’ll want to learn how to raise ducklings. Did you know that duck eggs are not only larger than chicken eggs, they’re also higher in fat, which means that your baked goods will raise higher and taste richer.
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