How to Take Care of Pet Ducks

Are you planning to keep some back garden ducks? Are you curious about what is involved in keeping your own flock of feathered friends? Keep reading to find out everything you need to know to get started!

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Why Keep Pet Ducks?

Whenever you are considering bringing another animal into your life, it is important to give the decision proper thought. Why do you want ducks? What will they add to your life and your home? Do your research – thoroughly – and make sure you have the time, funds and ability to meet all their needs.

Ducks are a big commitment. They can live for 10-15 years if they are well looked-after. So please take the time to select the right breed to suit your circumstances, and ensure you are in a good position to take proper care of them.

We had been thinking about keeping ducks for some time. They are very handy at keeping the pest population down in a vegetable garden, especially insects and grubs. We had read that ducks are usually very sociable, so make good companion animals. They are also abundant layers, with many breeds laying 300-350 large eggs per year.

When an opportunity arose to re-home a family of back-garden Indian Runner ducks, we had already done a lot of research into keeping ducks. So we decided to go for it!

Space and Set Up

Ducks need a lot of space to roam. Typically 10 square metres of grassy outdoor space per duck. They love to forage for grubs and they also eat grass.

It almost goes without saying that ducks need access to water! They must have a paddling pool or a pond, with water deep enough for them to submerge their heads. This is how they clean they bills after foraging on the ground. They also enjoy jumping in for a swim and splash about to clean their feathers.

Most domestic ducks are flightless. This means they are unlikely to fly away from home, which is certainly a positive. But this also makes them very vulnerable to predators, such as foxes. It is imperative that they are locked away in a secure house at night.

The outdoor space where you plan to keep your ducks must have a secure boundary. Whilst ducks cannot fly, they are very adept at finding and exploiting any weaknesses in netting or fencing!

Housing

Duck houses should have a solid floor with bedding for them to settle down in at night. The house should allow 0.5 – 1 square metre per duck. It should also be well ventilated to allow air to circulate at night, otherwise your birds will be at risk of respiratory infections.

Ducks will not put themselves away at night, so you will need to establish a routine of encouraging them into their house at dusk, and then waking early to let them out at dawn.

I personally have avoided using an automatic door open/close system for our birds. It would not be of any use for ducks in the evenings, as I have already explained, they need to be encouraged into their house. But my biggest fear is that the door opens automatically in the morning and a predator is standing right outside!

Equipment and Supplies

In addition to a secure house and paddling pool, your ducks will also need a feeder and drinker.

Feeding

Ducks tend to forage for the majority of their food. They love insects and grubs, grass and some weeds.

You should also provide your ducks with layers pellets or a similar poultry food, to ensure that they are adequately nourished.

Like chickens, your ducks will need access to grit and crushed shells. As birds do not have teeth, they need grit to help them digest their food efficiently. Crushed shells provides a source of calcium and other minerals for strong egg shells and all-round health.

Preventative Treatments

You should administer a worming treatment at least twice per year. This can be mixed in with their food for ease of administration. Follow the instructions of the information leaflet regarding the appropriate dosage of medication and whether a withdrawal period from eating the eggs is required.

It is also advisable to speak to your veterinarian to discuss whether any vaccinations are advisable given the prevalence of infectious diseases in your area.

Daily Checks

You must be able to spend some time observing and interacting with your ducks daily, so that any issues are recognised and dealt with promptly.

Daily tasks include:

• Topping up feeders and drinkers
• Refreshing water in their paddling pool
• Collecting eggs
• Checking bedding in their house and cleaning out as required

That’s all for this whistlestop tour about taking care of back-garden ducks. Please leave me a comment if you had a specific question which has not been covered here!

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