If you plan to add ducklings to your farm or homestead, you will need to set up a duckling brooder box before they arrive. A brooder box will not only keep your ducklings contained but will also house the essentials they need to survive: heat, water, and food.
While this setup could also work for chickens, I’ve specifically laid out these instructions with ducklings in mind, as they have a few unique needs – namely, a water source as they get bigger. There are lots of ways to set up your duckling brooder box, but here are my tips and tricks that I’ve learned along the way.
Brooder Checklist: What You’ll Need
Below is a list of everything you will need to set up a basic brooder box for your ducklings.
- Brooder container. As you’ll see in my step-by-step instructions below, I recommend making one big enough for juvenile ducks right from the get-go, but you could also start out with something smaller, such as a plastic storage container.
- Second temporary housing container. It’s best if you have a second container to put your ducklings in while you clean their main brooder. I used an old rabbit cage I had lying around, but anything similar will do.
- Food and water containers. I recommend starting with small plastic feeders and waterers that gradually dispense out of the bottom. Make sure the water tray is deep enough for your ducks to dunk their bills into, as ducks need to be able to clear their airways in water.
- Heat source. You have two main options: a heat lamp or a heating plate. I prefer the heating plate, as it comes with fewer fire risks and is adjustable as your ducklings grow.
- Bedding. Pine bedding works well for both ducklings and chicks. Finer shavings tend to absorb water better than thick flakes.
- Puppy pads. These work wonders at helping to manage the water mess ducklings make.
- Food and water. Start your ducklings off with crumbles specifically made for ducklings. Never feed ducklings medicated chick feed.
- Niacin supplement. While not all ducklings will need extra niacin, it is good to have some on hand in case you start to notice a duckling having trouble walking or developing.
3 Steps to Setting Up Your Brooder
In this section, I’ll walk you through your entire brooder setup and preparation, step by step.
1. Building Your Brooder
The first step is to decide what you want to build your brooder box out of. Many people use plastic storage containers with tall sides (look for extra-deep containers) as a starter box. However, your ducklings will quickly outgrow this, so if you do decide to start here, have a plan in mind for a bigger brooder.
From personal experience, I recommend starting with a bigger brooder from the get-go and simply dividing it into a smaller space while your ducklings are still small. Then, you can easily expand their box by moving the divider. My husband built our larger brooder box out of wood and we lined the bottom and sides with sheets of plastic wall panels for the bottom to keep water from causing the wood to mold.
Before building your brooder box, figure out where it is going to be placed so you can custom-fit it into your space. We located our brooder in our enclosed porch. The space you choose for your brooder should meet a few basic criteria:
- It will keep ducklings safe from predators, both outdoor and indoor. A garage can work if it is 100% sealed and predator-proof. If you are keeping your ducklings inside of your house, make sure it is completely out of reach from dogs or cats.
- It will keep ducklings warm. The ambient temperature of the room where you keep your brooder box should not drop below freezing and should ideally hover closer to room temperature for a smoother transition from the heater as your ducklings get bigger.
2. Preparing Your Brooder
Once you have your brooder location picked out and your brooder box built, it’s time to stock it with the essentials your ducklings will need as soon as they move in.
- Add bedding. I’ve found that placing a puppy pad directly underneath the water and food area helps to minimize the mess. Line the edges of the puppy pad with plenty of pine shavings so the ducklings don’t pull it up.
- Create a food and water station. I’ve seen many great ideas for this in books and on other blogs. You can use any kind of plastic tray, such as a boot mat or paint tray, to help contain the water. However, note that small ducklings can have trouble using ramps or even hopping over a small lip, so make sure your ducklings can easily access their food and water. I used the upside-down bottle feeders and waterers, placed directly on the puppy pads and found those were very easy to access.
- Test your heater. This is one of the most important steps when setting up your duckling brooder. Prior to their arrival, make sure your heater works and is able to reach up to 95 degrees. As mentioned earlier, I prefer heating plates to heat lamps, but either will work. For the first week, the brooder box will need to be 90 to 95 degrees. The temperature can decrease about 5 degrees each subsequent week until reaching around room temperature.
- Perform a safety check. Before bringing your ducklings home, double-check that your setup is free of any safety hazards. Water should not be deep enough for a duckling to be able to drown during the first few weeks of life. Make sure the brooder box will securely contain the ducklings, either with very tall sides or a top with ventilation. Finally, check that any electrical cords and other hazards are secured and out of reach.
3. Adding Your Ducklings
Once you bring your ducklings home, add each one one-by-one to the brooder by first gently dunking their bill into the water and then setting them down beside it. This will ensure they know where to find water.
If you’re going with a larger setup to start, I would recommend blocking off a smaller area when you first introduce your small ducklings. This will help them to feel safe and also to stay warm, as they will huddle up, and none of them can be “banished” or kicked out too far away from the heat.
Let your ducklings get acclimated to their new surroundings. It’s likely that they’ll be afraid of you for a while, and that’s okay. As you handle them with brooder cleanings, they should start to slowly warm up to you.
How Long Do Ducklings Stay in a Brooder Box?
Ducklings will need to stay in the brooder box until they are fully feathered, which is usually around 6 to 7 weeks, depending on the breed and your climate. However, before completely kicking your birds outside, you can gradually acclimate them by bringing them outside for supervised play/swim time in a safe enclosure. Even once they are fully feathered and ready to live in their outdoor coop permanently, they are still particularly vulnerable at this stage and should be in a covered area.
Bottom Line
Putting a little extra time and research into how to set up your brooder box before your ducklings or chicks arrive will help to minimize stress later, both on you and your new birds. This article intentionally focused on only the brooder box setup, as I know it can quickly become overwhelming to take in so much information about how to care for your ducklings all at once. Once you have your brooder successfully set up, take a look at my other articles on how to care for your ducklings and ducks as they get older!
