What to Feed a Baby Duck: Food Chart, Starter Feed and Schedule

Short answer: feed a baby duck an unmedicated duck or waterfowl starter with about 20% protein and added niacin, free choice, with water always right beside it. Ducklings need that water to swallow their food and rinse their nostrils. Switch to a grower feed of about 16% protein at 2 weeks. Never feed bread, medicated chick starter or layer feed. Treats such as peas and chopped greens can start at about 2 weeks and stay under 10% of the diet.

The chart below sorts common foods into safe staples, small amounts only and never feed. Search any food to see where it falls. Under the chart are the feed choices, how to set up feed and water, a schedule by age and a printable cheat sheet. This guide covers domestic ducklings from a hatchery or feed store. A sick duckling needs a vet who treats poultry. If you found a wild duckling, start with the box.

Setting up a feeding routine for ducklings

Ducklings eat and drink from the day they hatch, and they do it together: a duckling fills its bill with feed, then dips it in water to wash the food down. Get the brooder right before they arrive and feeding mostly runs itself.

1. Put feed and water side by side

Purina’s duck guide says water helps ducklings get food down, cleans their bills and keeps their nasal passages moist. So the waterer goes next to the feeder, never across the brooder. Both stay full at all times. NC State Extension says growing ducks should have free access to feed and water around the clock.

2. Use a waterer they can dunk in but not climb into

Murray McMurray Hatchery says the water must be deep enough for a duckling to dunk its whole head. A dish ducklings can climb into is the problem: they get soaked and chilled. Use a narrow poultry waterer, and set it on a wire platform over a tray, as Metzer Farms suggests, so the bedding stays dry. A duckling drinks about half a gallon a week in its first weeks, roughly three times what a chick drinks.

3. Keep the brooder warm

A cold duckling eats less. Start at about 90 °F at floor level under the heat, then lower it about 5 °F a week. Ducklings piled under the heat are cold. Ducklings pressed against the walls are too hot.

4. Hold off on treats for 2 weeks

For the first 2 weeks, starter and water are the whole diet, with finely chopped greens floated in the water if you like. Treats come later and in small amounts.

What to feed a baby duck: starter feed

The best food for a duckling is a commercial duck or waterfowl starter. PetMD calls commercial duck feed “by far the best choice.” Look for three things on the label:

• About 20% protein for the first 2 weeks. NC State, Kentucky and Wisconsin extension all use 20%.
• Added niacin. Ducklings need far more niacin (vitamin B3) than chicks. Purina’s Duck Feed and Flock Raiser each carry at least 60 ppm, above the 55 ppm the Merck Veterinary Manual lists for Pekin ducks.
• Unmedicated. Purina says ducklings should not get a medicated starter. Its amprolium is not approved for ducks, and Wisconsin Extension says ducklings don’t need it.

Feed crumbles or mini pellets. My Pet Chicken warns that powdered feed can make ducklings choke. Purina Duck Feed, Purina Flock Raiser, Mazuri Waterfowl Starter and Manna Pro Duckling and Gosling Starter Grower are the feeds most often named. Check the bag for protein, niacin and “non-medicated” before you buy.

If you only have chick starter

Unmedicated chick starter works as a fallback if you add niacin. The University of Kentucky says chick feeds are made for egg-type chicks and fall short on niacin for ducklings. Add about 100 to 125 mg of niacin per gallon of drinking water. One 500 mg niacin tablet dissolved in 4 gallons gives 125 mg per gallon, the figure Metzer Farms uses when about half the water gets spilled.

Brewer’s yeast is the usual home fix, but it is a weak niacin source. Metzer’s numbers put human-grade brewer’s yeast at about 5 mg of niacin per tablespoon, so a growing duck would need nearly 2 tablespoons a day. A niacin-fortified duck feed or niacin in the water is more reliable.

Foods that harm ducklings

• Bread, crackers and chips. The Merck Veterinary Manual says bread has no nutritional value for waterfowl. The Central Park Conservancy links bread-heavy diets to angel wing, a wing deformity that is mostly permanent. Salty snacks add dehydration and kidney damage.
• Medicated chick starter. Not approved for ducks and not needed.
• Layer feed and oyster shell. Layer feed has four to five times the calcium a growing duck needs. Save it for laying ducks.
• Milk and dairy. Ducks are lactose intolerant, so milk, cheese and yogurt upset their digestion.
• Avocado. Merck lists persin in avocado as a cause of heart damage and sudden death in birds.
• Onion, garlic, chocolate and caffeine. Onion and garlic damage red blood cells. Theobromine and caffeine cause seizures and death in poultry.
• Raw potato peels and green tomatoes. Both carry solanine, as do tomato leaves and vines.
• Citrus. Metzer Farms says it interferes with calcium absorption, which growing bones need.

How much and how often to feed ducklings

Ducklings are not portion-fed. They eat free choice, and the job is keeping feed and water in front of them.

1. Fill the feeder so it never runs empty. Purina’s guide says not to let feeders run dry. Use a weighted bowl or a gravity feeder they can’t tip.
2. Refill the water at least twice a day. Ducklings fill it with feed and bedding fast. McMurray refills twice daily.
3. Feed starter before any treat. Purina’s rule is 90% complete feed, 10% treats at most: up to 2 tablespoons of treats per half cup of feed.
4. Chop everything small. Greens, grapes and berries go in bite-sized pieces, and grapes are quartered so a duckling can’t choke on one.
5. Add grit when treats start. Grit (chick grit or coarse sand) grinds greens and seeds. A duckling on starter alone doesn’t need it. Never use oyster shell as grit.
6. Watch the legs. A duckling that limps, won’t walk or has swollen hocks may be short on niacin. Metzer Farms says ducklings usually recover within a few days if niacin starts within 24 hours of the first sign.

Baby duck feeding schedule by age

The schedule follows fast-growing breeds such as Pekins. Sources split on when to drop protein, from 2 to 3 weeks. The table switches at 2 weeks to a feed of about 16% protein, the figure Kentucky extension and the Merck Pekin table use, because extra protein after that point adds nothing and is linked to wing problems. A starter-grower feed labeled for ducks from hatch is fine if you follow the bag.

Fast growth is normal: most breeds reach adult size by 8 to 12 weeks, according to Purina. The weeks of fastest growth, about 2 to 7, are when Metzer Farms sees niacin shortages most, so watch legs and gait closely then. A duckling that falls behind its brood-mates needs a closer look.

Treats and diet changes as ducklings grow

• Greens from the start. Toronto Wildlife Centre and Fresh Eggs Daily float finely chopped dandelion, clover, grass or romaine in water. Skip spinach, which Metzer says can block calcium.
• Other treats from about 2 weeks. Peas, chopped fruit, mealworms and cooked egg, a little at a time. Purina’s own line is stricter (no treats until adult size), so go light.
• Duckweed. A natural duck food. In a feeding trial published in Livestock Research for Rural Development, fresh duckweed replaced soybean meal in duck diets without slowing growth.
• Grower feed from 2 weeks, then maintenance pellets once they reach adult size at 8 to 12 weeks.
• Layer feed only at the first egg, usually between 18 and 26 weeks depending on breed. Drakes and non-laying ducks stay on maintenance feed.
• Swimming from about 3 weeks, short and supervised in warm, shallow water, then dry and warm the duckling. Ducklings make no waterproofing oil until about 4 weeks. A pond is not required: Wisconsin Extension calls swimming good exercise but not essential.

Can baby ducks eat bread, rice or fruit?

Bread, no. It fills a duckling with calories and almost no protein or vitamins, and bread-heavy diets are linked to angel wing. Rice is fine as a plain cooked treat after 2 weeks. The story that raw rice swells and bursts a bird’s stomach is a myth. Fruit such as banana, strawberries, blueberries and quartered grapes is a small treat from about 2 weeks. Citrus is the exception and stays off the menu.

Signs something is wrong

• Limping, bowed legs, swollen hocks or a duckling that won’t walk: a common sign of niacin deficiency, most likely between 2 and 7 weeks. Add niacin to the water now and call a vet if it does not improve in a few days.
• Wing tips that twist outward as the feathers come in: angel wing, linked to too much protein and to bread. Cut protein to a grower feed and stop all bread.
• Choking or gasping at the feeder: it has no water nearby or the feed is powdered. Put water right beside the feed and switch to crumbles.
• Huddling, shivering or crusted eyes: too cold or no water deep enough to rinse its eyes. Check the brooder temperature and the waterer depth.
• A duckling that stops eating, sits apart or can’t stand: see a vet who treats poultry. Purina notes that a duckling that can’t stand may be short on nutrients, but illness looks the same.

Printable baby duck feeding chart

The cheat sheet fits on one page. It has the safe, small amounts only and never food lists, the schedule by age and the wild duckling steps. Print it in color or black and white and tape it near the brooder.

Supplies for feeding ducklings

These are the items hatchery and extension guides name. Before the ducklings arrive you need a duck starter, a waterer and feeder, a heat source and a thermometer. Grit can wait until treats start at 2 weeks.

Manna Pro Duckling and Gosling Starter Grower Crumble, 8 lbUnmedicated waterfowl starter crumble with added niacin and 22% protein, made for ducklings from hatch.Check on Amazon

Niacin 500 mg Tablets (Major, 100 ct)Plain niacin for a chick-starter fallback: one 500 mg tablet per 4 gallons of water gives 125 mg per gallon.Check on Amazon

Lixit Baby Chick Waterer, 32 ozA narrow trough a duckling can dunk its bill in without climbing in and soaking itself.Check on Amazon

Brinsea EcoGlow Safety 600 Brooder Heat PlateA radiant heat plate for ducklings. Adjust its height as you lower the brooder about 5 °F a week.Check on Amazon

TempPro TP49 Digital Thermometer (2 pack)Set one at floor level under the heat to confirm the brooder starts at about 90 °F.Check on Amazon

Manna Pro Chick Grit, 5 lbChick-size granite grit for when greens and treats start at about 2 weeks. Never oyster shell.Check on Amazon

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More about ducks and waterfowl

See what makes a duck a duck in the characteristics of waterfowl, where the mallard fits among the most important wetland birds and what it eats in the wild in wetland omnivores. Wood duck ducklings jump from tree cavities on their first day, one of the stories in our wetland birds guide. For other young animals, see what to feed a baby pigeon and what to feed a baby squirrel. All our bird articles are in the birds section.

Frequently asked questions

What do baby ducks eat?

Domestic ducklings eat an unmedicated duck or waterfowl starter with about 20% protein and added niacin, free choice, with water always beside it. At 2 weeks they move to a grower feed of about 16% protein, with chopped greens and small treats. Wild ducklings eat insects, seeds and water plants their mother leads them to.

Can baby ducks eat chick starter?

Only unmedicated chick starter, and only with extra niacin. Chick feed is made for chicks and is short on the niacin ducklings need for strong legs. Add about 100 to 125 mg of niacin per gallon of drinking water, or use a duck starter that already has it.

Is medicated chick starter bad for ducklings?

Skip it. Purina says ducklings should not get a medicated starter, because its amprolium is not approved for ducks, and Wisconsin Extension says ducklings don't need it. Some keepers report no problems, but no extension or veterinary source recommends it.

How much niacin do ducklings need?

Duck feeds should carry about 55 ppm niacin, the requirement in the Merck Veterinary Manual. If you feed chick starter, add about 100 to 125 mg of niacin per gallon of drinking water. One 500 mg tablet in 4 gallons gives 125 mg per gallon.

Can baby ducks eat bread?

No. Bread has almost no protein or vitamins for a growing duck, and bread-heavy diets are linked to angel wing, a wing deformity that is mostly permanent. Thawed peas or chopped greens make a better treat for ducklings and park ducks alike.

Do ducklings need water when they eat?

Yes, always. Ducklings fill their bills with feed and dip them in water to swallow it, and they use the water to rinse their eyes and nostrils. Put the waterer right beside the feeder and make it deep enough to dunk the bill but too narrow to climb into.

When can ducklings have treats?

Finely chopped greens floated in water are fine from the start. Other treats such as peas, chopped fruit, mealworms and cooked egg can begin at about 2 weeks. Keep all treats under 10% of the diet, about 2 tablespoons per half cup of feed, and add grit once they start.

Can baby ducks eat grapes, bananas or strawberries?

Yes, as small treats from about 2 weeks. Quarter grapes so a duckling can't choke on one, and cut banana and strawberries into bite-sized pieces. Citrus fruit is the exception; Metzer Farms says it interferes with calcium absorption.

Can ducklings eat rice?

Plain cooked rice is a fine small treat from about 2 weeks. The story that uncooked rice swells and bursts a bird's stomach is a myth. Rice still counts toward the 10% treat share, because it has little protein.

When do ducklings switch from starter to grower feed?

At about 2 weeks, to a grower feed of about 16% protein. Extra protein after that point adds nothing to growth and is linked to wing and leg problems. Some feeds are labeled starter-grower for ducks from hatch; follow the bag if you use one.

When can ducklings eat layer feed?

Only once the first egg appears, usually between 18 and 26 weeks depending on breed. Layer feed carries four to five times the calcium a growing duck needs. Drakes and ducks that aren't laying stay on maintenance feed.

What should I do if I find a wild duckling?

Look for the hen and brood first and help the duckling rejoin them if they are close. If there is no family, box it with a soft towel and gentle heat, keep it dry and out of water, and call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Mallards and most native ducks are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, so keeping one needs a permit.

Sources

• Feeding Ducks, NC State Extension
• Feeding Ducks Intended for Consumption, University of Kentucky Poultry Extension
• Care of Ducks, University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension
• Nutrient Requirements of Pekin Ducks and Nutrition in Waterfowl, Merck Veterinary Manual
• Raising Backyard Ducks, Purina Animal Nutrition
• Supplementing Your Ducks’ Diet with Niacin and Foods Ducks Should Never Eat, Metzer Farms
• What Do Ducklings Eat?, Murray McMurray Hatchery
• What To Feed Ducks (Instead of Bread), PetMD
• The Hazards of Feeding Wild Animals, Central Park Conservancy
• I found a baby duck or goose, Toronto Wildlife Centre