We just got 20 Khaki Campbell hens (19 survived so far) and 2 drakes. We are hoping they will lay even better than our pekins, which have not had a drop in egg production like our chickens. In this blog I will share some things we have discovered while raising ducklings.
The brooder
We have brooded ducklings twice before this and not had the most pleasant experience doing so! Anyone who has raised ducklings in a brooder will understand, THEY ARE A DISASTER!!
They simply don't stop splashing their water all over the place! Which leads to soaked bedding, which in turn leads to terrible smells and potentially unhealthy ducklings.
In the past we have delt with the problem by constantly putting new bedding down and getting them outside ASAP! The problem is they splash water out faster than you can replace bedding. So, this time we used a spare rabbit tractor and built a duckling brooder! As you can see from the picture, the thing that makes this work better is having a place with drainage to put the waterer.
We originally were just going to leave it as is, but after a little while we decided that wouldn't work either as they turn the ground into a wet mess. The only way to keep things clean and dry is to put something like sand or fine gravel down.
We had some extra screening (the fine gravel that is put down before concrete) left over from our barn, so we used that. You can use anything that drains well as long as it won't hurt their feet. One advantage of using gravel is that it also serves as grit.
All young birds are very tempting to predators, so we put a strand of electric fencing around the top on the front and sides (the back is against the shop) to prevent anything from getting into the lid.
We also ran the electrified strand around the bottom where the gravel is (there is plywood screwed to the bottom under the shavings) so nothing can dig under, as well as diagonally across the hardware cloth to discourage anything from reaching through.
Another important thing is that there aren't any drafts, so face the opening of your brooder to the south if you have an open end like ours. If you are brooding your ducklings outside like we are, be sure to put it in as sheltered and dry of a location as possible. As far as size, about a square foot per duckling should be fine.
Heat Lamps
It's best to use a heat lamp that has a guard that will keep the bulb from touching anything should it fall. We bought ours from Premier One Supplies.
You can also use a heat plate which is a lot safer and more natural. The only reason we didn't use one for these ducklings is it's too small for the number of ducklings we bought.
To start with, hang the heat lamp just high enough so the ducklings aren't huddling under it after a little bit, but no lower than 12 inches. If you have it at 12 inches and they are still huddling under it, you will either need to add a second lamp or insulate the brooder more.
Bedding
For the section of the brooder that will have bedding, it is best to use a somewhat fine and very absorbent material. Fine wood shavings, saw dust, or peat moss work well. Ducklings don't scratch like chicks, so you only need to put down about 2-3 inches of the bedding and add more as it gets dirty. It is only necessary to clean the brooder out when the bedding level get higher than the brooder can hold.
Feed
Ducklings that are artificially brooded are prone to a vitamin B6 (niacin) deficiency since they usually don't have access leafy greens or the little critters they would naturally eat, which would supply this vitamin.
To prevent this from happening I recommend that you feed duckling specific feed until they are able to go outside.
Kelp does contain B6, so if you are unable to find duckling feed you can mix chick feed with 2% by weight of kelp. We are able to get duckling feed, but we still are giving them kelp to make sure they are getting all the other vitamins and minerals they need.
While it isn't strictly necessary to supply them with grit if they are only eating either chick or duckling crumbs, it will increase their health if you do provide it.
Water
A ducklings favorite! We use regular drown proof chick waterers as long as we can, but their bills (and amount of splashed out water) quickly outgrow them. After about a week you can either switch to a small adult chicken waterer or a rubber tub.
The important thing is that they don't run out of water, and they are able to get almost their whole bill in it, but also that they don't drown.
Don't worry too much about how dirty they get the water as long as you clean it out twice a day, they should be fine. Ducks have stronger immune systems than chickens and can drink very dirty water without getting sick.
Going Outside
If the nighttime temperatures are above 65 degrees, you should be fine putting them out at about 10 days. If the lows are between 50 and 65 degrees, wait until they are two weeks old, and below that wait until they are three weeks old.
Well, hopefully this blog will help you successfully raise ducklings without the mess that is usually involved! We are at day three now and the shavings ours are on are still very clean!
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