Many people like to think that their ducklings can just be put near the creek or in the bathtub and will just swim and swim… like you see in the wild.
Mother ducks have an oil gland at the base of their tail, that they use to grease their feathers to make them water proof. She will also do this to her ducklings. The ducklings oil gland is not developed yet.
I have read recently that this is not true and that ducklings can take care of their own oil on their down.
However, the most frequent cause of duckling deaths is chilling after becoming wet. And although they can swim, they also tire very easily. This causes me to be more cautious and not allow the ducklings to swim until they have mot of their adult feathers.
If you want your baby to swim, provide a small pan with warm water, and an easy way for them to get in and out and quickly under a heat lamp.
By doing this, their oil gland will develop and they should be swimming by the time they are 6 – 7 weeks old!
If the duckling gets water logged, you may have to dry it with a hair dryer, or it could easily get chilled, and possibly die.
Surprisingly, ducks do not have to have a pond to swim in. They do well with a baby pool, trough or even a mud puddle after a rain. Muscovys seem to be the least interested in swimming.
We raise an assortment of ducks here and do not have a pond. They will splash and play in their baby pool and then hop out and go about their business.