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Do Ducks Need Heat Lamps? How Long Do They Need Heat Lamps?

Various waterfowl species are commonly known as ducks. Ducks are originated from the Anatidae family. In many duck farms, an artificial heating system is established in order to warm the ducks.

This article will provide an in-depth answer and offer you deep insights into heat lamps and heating systems for the ducks – whether ducks need heat lamps or not.

Do Ducks Need Heat Lamps?

Ducks don’t need heat lamps. Heat lamps are used in order to keep the room temperature around the duck warm. But ducks have developed feathers to stay warm in cold climates. But ducklings need heat lamps to stay warm as they don’t develop feathers so early after their birth.

Ducks don’t need heat lamps to stay warm. Ducks are avian species. Like other avians, ducks also develop protective feathers covering their body. Feather is an evolutionary product of ducks that helps the ducks to stay warm in the cold temperature.

Ducks are warm-blooded animals, they are also required to stay warm in cold climates. Otherwise, too cold can damage their body tissues and cells, eventually, that leads to life loss. That’s why ducks have developed feathers to keep their body warm in cold.

In the cold winter, ducks stay in a congested way. This protects them from the cold and makes their body warm. Besides, the feathers of ducks work as a great insulator. Feathers trap the body heat inside and the duck’s body remains warmer in the cold.

For this reason, ducks don’t need heat lamps as their feathers work as protective shields against cold temperatures. But ducklings are vulnerable to cold temperatures. Ducklings don’t develop feathers at that early age.

The development of feathers requires some periods after the birth of a duckling.

During that period, ducklings need heat lamps to keep their body warm. Then the ducklings feel cold, you have to bring them near the heat lamp. It will warm their body. But make sure to move them away from the heating lamp as the lamp can get too hot for the ducklings.

You have to remain conscious while keeping your ducklings under the heating lamp. Electricity flows through the heating lamp. This can be dangerous as the lamp remains right above the duckling. Besides, conflagration can emerge from the heating lamp and it can destroy the farm.

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How long do ducklings need heat lamps?

Two to six weeks old ducklings require heat lamps to keep their body warm. It is necessary to provide heat lamps for ducklings in order to protect them from cold. Ducklings are vulnerable to cold climates. If you don’t keep them in warm conditions then you might lose your ducklings.

Ducklings are prone to cold climates. As ducklings don’t develop feathers, they are more likely to lose life in cold rather than the ducks. That’s why proper precautions should be maintained to save the ducklings from cold.

Ducklings are little delicate babies. Feather development in the ducklings takes time. Ducklings develop full feathers after they are seven to nine weeks old. As ducklings don’t develop feathers during that time, they are highly prone to cold temperatures.

Ducklings can’t protect themselves from the cold harsh environment.

For this reason, ducklings require heat lamps. The delicate duckling babies need a heat lamp between two to six weeks as the ducklings don’t develop feathers during that period of time.

You have to put the ducklings near the heat lamps and they will receive the heat from the light of the lamp. But be careful while placing the ducklings next to the lamp as it can get too hot for the ducklings.

Do ducklings need a heat lamp only at night or all the time?

Ducklings don’t need a heat lamp at night or all the time. Most heat lamp emits a glow while providing a warm temperature throughout the room. But the timid glow can disrupt the day/night cycle of the ducklings.

But you can run the heat lamp if the ducklings feel cold at night.

Besides running a heat lamp all the time will cost most electricity. It is not efficient either. And heat lamps can be too hot for the ducklings. Similarly, like cold weather, high temperature is also not suitable for the ducklings.

So, make sure you maintain an optimum heat temperature in the brooder.

Do baby ducks need heat lamps in the winter and summer?

Baby ducks need heat lamps both in the winter and summer. It may sound crazy but your newly hatched ducklings require heat lamps in the summer and winter periods as they can’t withstand a slight fall in the temperature.

Newly hatched ducklings are vastly prone to the change of temperature, especially cold climate. Their body can’t withstand cold weather as they don’t develop feathers at that early age.

For this reason, an external heat source is necessary to protect the baby ducklings from the cold even in the summer. For this reason, a heat lamp is required for the baby ducklings not only in the winter but in the summer season also.

Do ducklings need a heat lamp indoors?

Ducklings need a heat lamp indoors. Ducklings are especially prone to cold climates. For this reason, you have to set a heat lamp indoors in the brooder to keep your ducklings warm. You can lose your delicate ducklings to cold temperatures.

A heat lamp is needed to set indoors for the ducklings in the summer season also. Ducklings are prone to temperature changes as they don’t develop feathers. Feather development for the ducklings requires two to nine weeks.

During feather development, you have to manage artificial heat for the ducklings.

How long do ducklings need a heat lamp indoors?

Ducklings need a heat lamp indoors for two to nine weeks. The time depends on the development of feathers in the ducklings also. A heat lamp is no longer required for the ducklings when they develop intricate feathers around their body.

But prior to this, the ducklings need a heat lamp to warm their body indoors.

Ducklings are susceptible to cold climates and temperature changes. Lacking feathers also make them vulnerable to cold temperature. The ducklings can’t trap the heat inside their body and the body easily loses temperature.

For this reason, the ducklings need an external heat source to warm their body.

What wattage heat lamp for ducklings?

Two 60 or 100-watt bulb is enough in order to provide heat up to 40 ducklings. Those sixty or hundred-watt bulbs are easily available in the market and are cheap in price. All you have to do is to buy a bulb from the market and set the bulb in a preferable location in the brooder.

An alternative to the bulb is a tube heater, which is also available in the market or you can purchase it online. A tube heater will be sufficient to warm 30 to 40 ducklings. Moreover, a 250-watt heat lamp can warm up to 30 ducklings.

How to keep ducklings warm without a lamp?

You can keep your ducklings warm without a lamp also. Some techniques to keep the ducklings warm without a lamp are mentioned hereafter –

Feather duster:

You can use a feather duster to nestle the ducklings together and in such a way, you can keep the ducklings warm.

Number of ducklings:

As ducks are warmblood, more ducklings in the brooder will produce more body heat. In this way, a flock of ducklings will keep them warm even in a cold climate.

Hot water bottle:

You can easily purchase hot water bottles in the market. Putting a few hot water bottles in the brooder will keep the temperature warm and protect the ducklings from cold.

Straw bedding:

Straw works as an excellent insulator. Bedding of straw below the ducklings will protect them from cold and keep them warm.

How cold can baby ducks tolerate?

Baby ducks can tolerate cold temperatures up to minus 6°C. Lower the temperature level can cause frostbite in the feet and leg and it can lead to arm amputation of ducklings. Your delicate ducklings can lose life of cold.

You have to maintain the optimum temperature in the brooder to keep your ducklings warm. Ducklings are highly susceptible to cold weather. And as temperature drops, the chances of frostbite increase.

What temperature do ducklings need? 

The ideal lamp temperature for the ducklings is 90 degrees Celsius. You have to make sure that the temperature doesn’t exceed above 90. And brooder temperature within a few degrees below 90 is fine but make sure to maintain optimum temperature.

In a moderate room, two lamps will be enough to provide heat to a flock of ducklings. Place two lamps above the brooder ground level to make sure the equal transfer of heat.

Final thoughts

Ducks don’t need heat lamps as they grow feathers around their body. Feathers protect the ducks from cold temperatures and keep their body warm. But ducklings are susceptible to cold and they need heat lamps. Two to six weeks old ducklings require heat lamps to stay warm.