Raising ducks at home has become progressively popular, only second behind raising chickens. People generally start raising ducks or other poultry for the eggs or for the meat. Nonetheless, in some cases, people do it for fun or keep ducks as pets.
Let me give you some hints, if you’re thinking about raising ducks. The first thing you need to do is to obtain baby ducks or ducklings. You can buy them through your local pet store, farm supply store or local hatchery. When you get your ducklings home make sure you place them in a brooder until they are fully feathered.
What is a brooder? It’s a small enclosure in which a heat lamp keeps the baby ducks warm enough. You can either make one yourself or buy one. Most experts agree that the heat needs to be about 85 to 90 degrees during the first week, then can be lowered about five degrees after that. Ducks reared at home must eat specific duck food which is high in protein and drink fresh water. The protein content should be about 16-17% so you must make sure that you provide the correct food for the ducklings so that they stay healthy.
When the baby ducks become fully feathered which is usually around one or two months of age, they can leave the brooder and be put into an outside enclosure. Ducks are said to be fully grown at 30 days. If you can make sure they have access to fresh grass and pasture as they can survive themselves foraging through grass. Otherwise, you’ll need a safe enclosure and you’ll need to continue providing the proper duck feed.
Depending on the breed of the duck, the age they start laying eggs is different, although usually around 6-8 months. Ducks normally lay an egg every day or an egg every two days. Duck eggs are 50 to 20 grams heavier than chicken eggs which tend to make them much more profitable for breeders. If you want omega-3 fatty acids, duck eggs are a very good source.
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