Duck Care Information

GENERAL GUIDELINES – These are our general guidelines for keeping ducks, chickens, geese and quail. We recommend personal research is also done prior to the purchase of our poultry.

WHAT SUPPLIES DO I NEED FOR MY DUCKS?

Feed

· Chick crumb (until two weeks old)

· Growers Pellets (for up until they are put on layers pellets at sixteen weeks)

· Layers Pellets (From sixteen weeks onwards)

· Oyster Shell and Grit (for growers onwards)

· Ducks absolutely love foraging in your garden for bugs and will be of great help to reduce your garden pests.

Treats

· Greens

· Peas

· Lettuce

· Mixed Corn

· Wheat or Barley

Water

· Ducklings will need a shallow bowl of water drinker. If a duckling gets stuck in a water container, they will get cold very quickly.

· Ducks require fresh drinking water available at all times.

· Most ducks absolutely love water – they must have a small paddling pool deep enough for them to wash their nostrils and eyes in to keep them clean, wash their plumage and keep them very happy.

Heat Lamps

· If you are purchasing ducklings, they will require a heat lamp until six weeks old and fully feathered.

Bedding

· The best bedding to use for ducklings is a fine wood shaving.

· The best bedding for growers or point of lay ducks is straw or wood shavings.

Housing

· For ducklings – a large box or rabbit hutch

· For growers and point of lay – a fox proof house/shed

o This should be well ventilated and dry.

Run

· A large run or fenced area with wind protection, some sun shade and safe from the predators.

· Some breeds of ducks can be good flyers so ensure your run is completely enclosed.

KEEPING DUCKS

· Ducks will need to be let out of their house early in the morning and provided with feed and fresh drinking water at all times.

· Keep their house clean to ensure they are as healthy as possible.

· Ducks require a water source deep enough for them to wash their nostrils and eyes in every day and clean their plumage. You will have hours of entertainment watching your ducks splash around

· We advise a thorough weekly check of your ducks health – this includes making sure their eyes and nostrils are clean, they are in good feather condition and are a healthy weight.

· A wormer can be given to the ducks via their food – always check the product for specifications.

· Ducks will need a predator-proof house to be shut in at night. This should be well ventilated and as secure as possible to keep your ducks safe.

· Ducks are very social birds and are happy in company. This is why we will only sell them in a minimum of two, however we recommend groups of three or more.

· Unlike cockerels, drakes are very quiet birds and will not cause much noise disturbance. We recommend you have one drake to two or more ducks, as in our experience this makes for a much happier flock.

· Some breeds of ducks are louder than others, so this should be taken into consideration when researching which ducks are right for you.