How to Care for Black Swedish Ducks

Developed for the cold climate of what is now northern Germany, the Black Swedish will need cool, shady areas during summer months in warm areas. A backyard pond with shade structure or dense foliage is ideal. These hardy ducks will prefer nestling down in foliage for the night over roosting in a coop, but ducklings will need to be housed in a brooder and kept away from other adult ducks to avoid injury or death until they are fully feathered.

Black Swedish ducks are excellent foragers, hunting bugs and eating plant matter in their environment. Provide dry duck food in a pan with plenty of water, so they have basic nutrition available and can supplement with vegetation and bugs. You can sprinkle grass clippings, vegetable peels and other plant-based treats over their water during winter or when free-foraging is not readily available to them. Baby ducklings can eat chick starter for the first several weeks of life.

While Black Swedish ducks prefer to roam and forage, they are unable to fly because their bodies are too heavy for their wings. If your property is not fully fenced against predators and stray dogs, you will want to create a fenced enclosure for your ducks. Heavy foliage around your pond will also help ducks hide and evade detection. Another option is to let your ducks roam by day and lock them into a coop at night, although they could still be preyed upon during daylight hours.

If you have only one pair of mating ducks, you will not need to provide any special arrangements for your Black Swedish ducks, as they are excellent parents. If you have a number of ducks, you'll need to arrange a fenced, predator-proof nesting area so Mom can be alone while she is sitting on her eggs and rearing the ducklings. Ducklings should not be allowed in with the adult population until fully feathered, as adult ducks will usually peck them to death.