| So you have food, water, shelter and now it's time for some heat. Your ducklings will need to have a heat lamp of some form. If you have aquired your ducklings from an early age, like 1-4days old, start the heat lamp off at a temperature at about 90 degrees F, after each week lower the temperature by about 5 degrees. When you have finished your degree lowering, your ducklings should be ready for outside life. But don't go by figures alone, have a look for yourself, If your ducklings are all squashed together under the heat lamp and making quite a bit of noise, turn the heat up a little. If they are spred out away from the heat lamp and panting, turn the heat down a little, and if they are reasonably spaced under the heat lamp and look content, then congratulations your temperature should be about right. It's important that ducklings are kept warm, because they're only babies and in the wild they would spend most of the day under mum's body anyway. I personally, strongly recommend that you don't try to sit on your ducklings to keep them warm though! Feel free to take your ducklings for stroll's around the backyard on warm days, it's good for them to be outside in the sun and pecking and eating tiny bits of grass. Never leave them un-attended!! |
