Duck Farming in Ghana: Ducklings, Water, Meat and Eggs

Why ducks are not just chickens with webbed feet

Ducks want water all the time. They drink, they dip their heads, they wash their nostrils and their eyes, and they use water to keep their feathers in order. A chicken farmer who sets up a duck run with a small dish in the middle of the yard will end up with dusty eyes, sour litter and a flock that is never quite right.

Water is also the main risk. A duck is a strong swimmer as an adult, but a duckling cannot yet keep its feathers dry or lift its head clear of deep water, and a duckling that falls into a bucket or a pond can drown. Everything about a duck house comes from that one fact: water should be there, and it should be shallow.

Ducklings in the first week

Ducklings need a brooder with warmth, dry litter and shallow water, just as chicks do. Most farmers keep the first week warm and reduce the heat slowly. Rather than trusting a single number, watch the ducklings. A tight pile in the corner means they are cold. Spread out to the edges and panting means they are too hot.

Dry bedding matters more for ducklings than for chicks. Wet litter around the drinkers can soak a duckling's feathers, and a wet duckling chills quickly even in a warm house. Use a deep, dry litter, and move the drinkers so they sit on a dry floor rather than in the middle of the bedding.

Setting up water that keeps ducklings alive

A drinker for ducklings should be shallow enough that a duckling can dip its bill and lift its head without going underwater. A flat dish with a few centimetres of water and a wide base is a practical choice for the first weeks. Put smooth stones or marbles in the dish if you use a dish that is deeper than the duckling's neck, so the chick cannot climb into it and get stuck.

Empty and refill the drinkers twice a day in the early weeks, because ducklings splash and tip water across the bedding. Clean the dish every day. Adult ducks need a bigger bath or a shallow pond they can dip into, and that water needs to be drained and refilled regularly, not left to stagnate in the heat.

Feed for ducklings and why niacin matters

Ducklings need a starter feed made for ducks, or a feed that is clearly labelled as suitable for them. Ducklings grow quickly, and their legs and bones need the right nutrients, including niacin, which is a B vitamin. A chicken starter may not carry enough niacin for a fast-growing duckling, and leg problems in ducks often trace back to that gap.

Some chicken feeds also carry additives that were designed for chickens, and not every additive is safe for ducks. Do not give a chicken feed to ducklings unless your vet or the feed supplier has checked the label and confirmed it is suitable. Feed in shallow trays for the first days so the ducklings can find it easily, then move to a feeder that stops them wasting feed in the water.

Choosing a breed for meat, eggs or both

Pick the breed for the job, and our breeds page shows the same logic for chickens. A meat duck grows fast and puts on weight. An egg duck is lighter, lays more often and needs more care in the feed. A dual-purpose duck does a bit of both and suits a small farm that wants flexibility. The table below gives a practical starting point, and your supplier can tell you what is available in your area.

We are describing the general behaviour of these breeds, not a promise about the birds you buy. Check the breed with your supplier and ask what size and laying figures they see on their own stock.

Housing, shelter and predators

Ducks need a dry shelter at night, with a floor that does not stay wet and walls that keep out the wind. An open-sided shed with a raised floor, a solid roof and a clean bed works well in Ghana's heat, but it has to be closed at night against dogs, rats and snakes, which are all common in the Central Region.

Plan the run around the water. Keep the wet area in a corner of the run, with a gravel or hard base that drains, and keep the dry sleeping area away from it. Ducks churn wet ground quickly, and a run that turns to mud in the rainy season smells and breeds worms and flies before the end of the month.

Keeping ducks and chickens apart

Ducks can carry avian influenza without looking sick. A duck that is shedding virus can pass it to chickens through shared water, feed, boots or tools, and the first sign in a chicken house is often a sudden drop in eggs or a run of deaths. Keep the two flocks in separate runs and separate sheds if you can. Do not share drinkers, feeders or the same bucket.

Watch the wild birds too. Ducks and chickens both attract wild birds to a yard, especially near a pond or drain. Keep feed covered, cover the drinkers, and call your vet at once if you see a sudden, unexplained death in either flock. Your vet can tell you who to contact for an outbreak.

When ducks start laying and how to collect eggs

Ducks usually start laying around five to six months, depending on the breed and the feed. Some ducks lay early in the morning, and others lay in the late afternoon or evening. Collect the eggs as early as you can, and at least once a day. A duck that lays on the ground in the mud gives you dirty eggs, and an egg left out in the heat spoils faster.

Give the laying ducks a nest box with clean straw or shavings, and a quiet corner they can use. Ducks are less fussy than hens about the nest, but they do need somewhere private, and a nest in the open run will be laid in by the flock. Keep the eggs cool and clean, and write the count in the daily record.

Finding buyers for duck meat and eggs

Duck is not as common on the Ghanaian table as chicken, so you need buyers who already want it. Start with people who ask for duck already, such as restaurants that cook specialist dishes, families who keep ducks or buy them for special meals, and traders who supply those kitchens. Do not assume the market will come to you. Our guide to selling poultry covers how to find buyers before the flock is in the house.

Find out the price before you raise the flock. Ask two or three buyers what they pay for a dressed duck and what they would pay for a dozen duck eggs. Write their answers down. A duck flock that you cannot sell is the most expensive flock on the farm, because the feed keeps going out every day whether the sale does or not.

Mistakes that sink a duck flock

Most duck problems start with a small mistake that looks harmless at first.

• Giving ducklings a deep water dish with no way out.
• Feeding chicken starter without checking the niacin or the additives.
• Letting the drinkers sit in the middle of wet litter for days.
• Keeping ducks and chickens on the same ground or at the same water.
• Choosing a meat breed when the plan was eggs, or the other way round.
• Starting the flock before there is a buyer for the meat or the eggs.

What we can and cannot tell you about ducklings

Ducklings are not on our current price list, so we are not the right place to plan a duck flock around for now. If you want ducklings from a source we know, ask us on WhatsApp at +233 24 915 1503 and we will tell you what we can offer and when. Do not place an order on the basis of an old price or a friend's advice until you have a written confirmation. Delivery terms are on our delivery page, and the cost is confirmed before you pay.

For chicks, see our day-old chick prices page, and for other birds that fit a small farm, our turkey and quail articles cover different plans. Farm visits are by appointment, so if you are thinking about ducks, come and see the water and housing set up before you spend on the house.

A checklist before the ducklings arrive

Use this list before any duckling arrives, and keep a copy by the house door.

1. Brooder ready with a warm zone and dry, deep litter.
2. Shallow drinkers set on a dry floor, with stones or a dish that stops the ducklings getting stuck.
3. Duck starter feed on hand, with the niacin level checked against the label.
4. Shelter closed at night against dogs, rats and snakes.
5. Separate run and water for the ducks, away from the chickens.
6. A nest box ready for the first eggs, when the time comes.
7. A vet who knows ducks, and a plan for any sudden deaths.

Questions farmers ask