Do You Have To Have A Heat Lamp For Baby Ducks

If baby ducks aren t being kept warm by their mother they need extra heat for the first couple weeks of life.

Do you have to have a heat lamp for baby ducks.

Be sure to use a lamp with a ceramic socket. This ensures that if they are cold they can go under the light for some warmth and if they get too hot they can move out from under the light. Baby ducks need to be kept very warm in the first few weeks after they hatch to give them the chance to get used to the chilly air outside their eggs. Buy a brooding lamp at a feed store or hardware store and affix it to the top of the brooder.

Make sure dogs cats and rats are kept out. Once they are about two months old and presumably living outside you can remove their feed and water at night if you wish. But you should know that ducklings don t need heat for as long as chicks do. Keeping chicks during summer months can be easier than winter because your house may be hotter.

Use a 100 watt bulb to start. The lamp is normally hung about 18 from the bedding where it should be 90 95 degrees. But in barns or garages which may run 60 degrees chicks need supplementary heat until they are fully feathered at six weeks of age. There should be some type of solid wall or partition around the pen to prevent drafts which can be deadly.

However as long as the chicks aren t crowded a regular white bulb should be fine. You can place a thermometer in there if you like to regulate the temperature but it is pretty easy to see if the temperature is right. You can put a heat lamp over the brooder at a corner. Are heat lamps really necessary for baby ducks.

It is also a good idea to place their feed under the heat lamp where the heat will dry it a bit. Ducklings and chicks need to be warm since they are not with their mother. And also the ideal temperature is at 95 farenheit the first week and then go down 5 degrees until you reach 70 this can be done by moving the lamp up higher which will make the temperature go. If home temperatures range around 75 degrees you won t need a heat lamp past week four.

Use a thermometer to register the heat in your brooder. Plastic may melt with the heat produced by a heat lamp. For very young ducklings this should create the right amount of heat. Try to get close to 90 f the first week then adjust it by 5 degrees each week until the temperature matches the outside temp.

You need to hang a heat lamp above the storage container or bed. The lamp will give sufficient heat even on the coldest days. I provide constant feed and water for ducklings.