Common Mistakes When Bringing Home Ducklings

With the cheap cost and obvious cuteness of ducklings, purchasing them on an impulse is on the rise. As many of you know, ducks are amazing creatures and make wonderful pets. But unfortunately for many new duck owners (and their adorable ducklings) there is so little info out there to help them start their babies off correctly. Most duck purchases are made on a whim at a feed store (who can resist those little peeps?!) that mostly caters to chickens. The proud new duck parents are often loaded up with equipment and feed before being hustled through a line and out the store, not leaving them much time to ask questions or really decide if they should get a duckling or not.

I am assuming you are here because you are either:
A) adding some ducks to your family
-OR-
B) you already have and am at the "oh crap what do I do now" stage.

Don't fret! Most mistakes are easily fixable, and I am always here to help. Below you will find a lot of common mistakes made after bringing ducklings home and simple solutions on how to fix or avoid the issue entirely.

• Poor/Incorrect Diet and Lack of Nutrients
• Incorrect/Improper Lighting
• Poor Bedding Material Choices
• Incorrect Waterers 
• Under and Improper Handling
• Improper Swimming Conditions
• Overcrowding/Loneliness 
• Mixed Flock Brooders
• Threat from Pets and Children
• Lack of Supervision
• Abandonment