When can ducklings start swimming and what affects their bathing age
Ducks are waterfowl. It seems that they should swim from birth. However, this approach will harm the health of the bird or destroy it. Novice poultry farmers should know exactly when ducklings can be allowed to bathe. Birds will feel better if they take water treatments. Therefore, you need to responsibly approach the first bath.
At what age can ducklings be bathed?
Ducklings are ready to "take a bath" from the first days of life. But, if you allow them to swim in the early stages, then they can get hypothermic and get sick. The protection of adult birds consists of feathers and fat. Fat lubricates the body of the duck, so it does not overcool in water and does not get wet from the inside.
Until 3-4 weeks, the duck has no lubrication, since the gland begins to produce fat on the 20-25 day. Replacing down with feathers starts from the ninth week and can last 3 weeks. Therefore, the minimum age from which ducklings can swim in the open water is 3-4 weeks.
Before that, you need to teach the chicks to swim. Make a small pool from a suitable container, such as a basin. So you can watch the chick and help him. It is necessary to let the young animals into the pool for 30-60 minutes. They should not swim for a long time, as they can freeze. After the specified period, take out the ducklings, wipe them and put them in a warm place to warm them. A heating pad can be used as a heater.
Upon reaching 20-25 days, the brood can be sent to the open water. It is advisable to use ponds up to 1 m deep for swimming, with a large amount of fish. The more birds, the more diverse plankton appears in the water. The availability of food raises the fish population.
Getting ducklings out of a pond isn't easy. To teach them to leave the pond on their own, you need to use a little trick. From birth, before feeding, give a conditioned sound signal. For example, hitting a metal object. Over time, the ducklings will develop a conditioned reflex and, upon hearing a familiar sound, they will run to feed.
Chicks do not need to be fed before launching. Then you should give them some food at 10-11 hours. After that, in the evening, before leaving, reproduce the conditioned signal, and the ducklings will come out of the water to feed.
What can affect the timing?
The timing of the admission of birds to bathing can be affected by their physical condition. If they are sick, inactive, underdeveloped, then they should not be released.
An additional load in the form of hypothermia can worsen the health of the young.
Also, the timing can be affected by cold weather. If the water temperature is below 14 ° C, then the chicks are not allowed to swim. Usually, in the south of Russia, birds begin to swim at the end of April, and in the north at the end of May.
