Do you know ducks ? Did you just get a duck ? You want to get a duck ? Before we get into it, let me tell you honestly, it’s not easy to care for ducks and keep them as pets. They are really cute as ducklings. It’s really tempting to just buy one, because they are not expensive at all. I too, used to be impulsive when I was younger, but as I am older, I value every little life, as very important and a responsibility for the entire life of the animal. We owe them that much, when we make the decision to purchase one. Please read the following and ask yourself if a duck really is for you.
How long do duck live ?
Domestic Ducks can live anywhere from 5 to 15 years old, as old as a dog! They are highly social animals, they need the companionship of other ducks. Never get just one duck, unless you plan to spend A LOT, if not all of your time with your duck. Ducks being social, feel loneliness and depression, just like us. They can stop eating and drinking if they are lonely. Even if you have 2 ducklings, they will still bond to you, do not worry about that.
After you bring your birds home, you will need to keep them inside your house, or in a brooder for at least the first 2 weeks of their lives, or until fully feathered, depending on the outside temperature. I usually keep mine in a large tote, a warm room with a space heater on to keep them warm, not too warm too ! They can overheat easily. My space heater has a security ability that if it tips over it will stop functioning immediately.
Duckling need the chance to get away from the heat source if they want to cool off. Being in a small enclosure doesn’t really allow them that unless it’s big enough. With the space heater I can easily control the temperature. The first week I use towels that I buy at the thrift store, then the second week I use wood shaving. You can also use puppy pads, but those get expensive rather quickly and your duckling can eat them.
These are my 2 ducklings, Yoda & Peggy in the picture above. Left one is the female, jumbo pekin duck. ( I asked for a regular pekin, but got a jumbo pekin.) The darker one on the right is Yoda, a blue runner duck. Their first day at home, they were 3 days old. I got them from Metzer farm, because I like Metzer. They are ethical, ship healthy birds. When there are no feed stores near where you live, or it’s not the time of the year, Metzer is a good place to order your duckling. Ducklings are shipped at the feed store, or to your house, on the very same day that they hatch. That’s because they just absorbed the yolk before they hatch, which gives them 3 days of not needing any food or water to survive shipping.
Before you get your duckling, make sure you have everything ready. Don’t wait until the day that you are getting your duckling because sometimes, it is hard to find food specific to duckling. Do not use chick food, especially not medicated ! It does not contain the right nutrient, duckling needs. (See Duck care 2 page for info on duck feed)
Does your duckling need a bath ?
Your duckling doesn’t necessarily need a bath, but it’s a good exercise for them. They already know how to swim, so they don’t need to adjust to water. If you do give them a bath, make sure the water isn’t too deep so they don’t drown, and don’t leave them in too long. Ducklings don’t have oil on their baby feathers, so the water will go right to their skin and make them cold. Make sure to dry them thoroughly and keep them warm. After their bath, you can put them in a warm place with a heat lamp to help them dry off.
How to bond with your duck
Your duckling will be sleeping a lot while they are growing. Ducks grow super fast ! It tires them out a lot. That is the best time to bond! I Keep my ducklings inside with me until they are fully feathered. This way, I have super tame ducks. Tame ducks are a lot easier to handle when they are sick and need medical attention, trim their nails etc. Just spend a lot of time with them. Talk to them with a soft voice so that they get use to your voice. I always put a used towel on me and have my duckling sleep on me during the day. I keep water and food close in case they need it. As a duckling, they eat and drink a lot. I also make sure to pet them a lot, talk to them so they get used to my voice and my touch. That is the absolute best way to get a tame duck ! The more time you spend with your duck, the more tame your duck will be. (It is in their nature to be wary of humans or everything for their own safety). Make sure you never make any sudden movement around your duckling because that can scare them.
A lot of people, after they are full grown, throw their duck outside. Then people wonder why their ducks are not friendly and get rid of them. Well… I would be wild too if my caretaker threw me out like that and never ever visited me or spent any time with me! Unless you just want ducks for meat. When you move them to their outside enclosure, it is important to keep visiting them several times a day, talk to them, pet them and spend a lot of time with them. It is constant work with most birds. I make sure to visit mine every single day and offer them treats. They will eventually eat from your hand and get used to you.
I visit them often, give them treats, talk to them etc. If you work and don’t have this much time for your duck, don’t expect your animal to be tame. It’s just how birds are. A dog or a cat might be better suited for your lifestyle. If your ducks are not tame and it is not a problem, you just enjoy watching their funny antics, then you should absolutely get ducks! Because, yes, ducks can be really funny 🙂 They are pretty smart, funny, and very cute animals. Once you get to see them grow up, watch them being ducks, it’s an amazing feeling ! I find it peaceful, relaxing, to just sit out there and watch them.
A hilarious anecdote about a rescued duck named Boris comes to mind. When Boris first arrived, he looked terrible and was extremely afraid of humans. We introduced him to another duck named Peggy, and they immediately formed a strong bond. To help Boris adjust, we kept him inside our house for some time. One evening, Peggy unexpectedly laid an egg, and Boris went into a frenzy, rolling it around and even trying to sit on it! It was quite a comical sight. Peggy watched Boris’s antics, as if he were a mischievous child. Eventually, they started fighting over the egg, popping it, and trying to claim it as their own. Boris’s funny personality shone through during this playful interaction. Peggy’s trust in us influenced Boris, and he began to trust us more too. He even started visiting my bedroom and lying near my chair when Peggy was in a different room sitting on her own eggs. It was a heartwarming reminder to never give up on a rescued duck.
What kind of enclosure do your duck need ?
Once you move your ducks outdoor, you will need a VERY secure enclosure… i can’t count how many times I have seen people losing their animals to predators and this can be avoided, but it can be really expensive. The list is LONG of predators that can kill your beloved friend.
Raccoons
Skunks
Coyotes
Red Foxes
Badgers
Mink
Hawks
Owls
Snapping turtle
Feral Cats
Weasels
Bobcats, Lynx
Stray Dogs
With all these predators above and then more, you not only need a safe day enclosure, but night time shelter. You can’t let your duck roam freely on your acres and hope that your pet will be safe. Just because you never lost one, it doesn’t mean it can’t happen, especially if your ducks are free range. If you are not willing to spend the amount of money, or time that it takes to build them a proper, safe place, for them to thrive, then like I mentioned earlier, get a dog or a cat, it will save you a lot of money, heartache and time. They are a lot less expensive than a duck. It’s frustrating and very sad to see all these poor innocent pet ducks being lost to predators because their owners did not keep their pet safe. “Some people might say: Oh well it’s just a duck. Well it happens, predators do what they are supposed to. Unfortunately, nature is cruel.”
Not everyone is willing to spend a lot of money on keeping ducks safe, or taking them to the vet when they need it. But remember, that animals, when we purchase them, don’t have a choice or a say in what we do for them. It is our responsibility to offer them the best life we can. If we are not willing to do that, then as humans, we should just make the better decision to pass on that cute duckling. Watch them on social media instead, follow people who love their pet ducks and are willing to take them to the vet and keep them safe. You will see that it is not easy to keep ducks as pet, and will help you make a better decision.
The best, safest way to keep your ducks safe, is to have a high, solid fence, to keep predators out. Electrify that fence, put in some dig guard to keep digging animals away, inside and outside, at the bottom of your fence. You will need to keep those digging, climbing, jumping predators out of your duck enclosure. For the night time shelter, a solid cement foundation under a shed, is one of the best option. A lot of predators will just chew through your wood floor, dig under your shelter, find any way possible to get into that shelter at night. Bears are really strong and can tear up a wooden shed.
When I lived in Sitka, Alaska, a brown bear (Grizzly bear) ripped wooden slats on the shed where we were keeping our ducks. He got spooked and ran away when we went out there and if we hadn’t gone out when we heard the noise, he would have torn the door apart and taken my ducks, Peggy & Yoda. He was attracted to the food, water and poop smell of my ducks in the shed. Most predators will go for the eggs, the food, water, but if your ducks get in the way, they will kill the duck first. Weasels can get into any tiny holes and kill a duck with ease. Snapping turtles can maim your duck on your pond or lake if you live back east, you should never leave your ducks on a large pond or lake, unless you are sure that there are no turtles, or anything that could get them. There are so many predators that will kill a defenseless duck. I know plenty of people who never lost a duck and have very nice, safe enclosures. So as you can see, owning a duck, can be really expensive. You also have to worry about predators from the sky. A net is a good safety measure to avoid your ducks being taken by a bird of prey. A livestock guard dog is also an excellent choice.
Does your adult duck need a bath ?
Yes ! Once your duck is moved outside, it is important to have a small pool or a container big enough for them to be able to wash themselves. I read somewhere that it is not important or necessary to do that, but it is ! Your pet duck will love it! Ducks spend a good amount of time in the water, they are very clean animals. It also helps them keep their feathers in top shape. That is very important for a duck. It distributes the oil a lot easier for them after a bath. Preening after a swim, will ensure that your duck will be fully “waterproof” That means that, when it rains heavily, snow, or it’s very cold, your duck will be completely dry and the water will just bead on their back. This helps regulate their temperature. It keeps them warm. A cold duck is at risk of upper respiratory infection and that’s a nasty disease to get rid of and very contagious to other birds.
Some ducks do not wash properly, use their gland or have other issue and well, it is a good idea to give them a bath inside and use Dawn dish soap on them once in a while to make sure that they are waterproof. Jumbo Pekin ducks, for example, have an extremely hard time getting into a pool because they have short legs and are very heavy. Some are even scared to climb little steps and get into a pool. So you will usually see them wash in their bucket of water but that is not enough to get a proper bath. Jumbo Pekin ducks, just like other ducks, appreciate being waterproof and having nice, clean feathers.