Considering raising ducks...

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foothillsco said:
Pine shavings work really well. It depends on what your plan is to dispose of them. For me, with a city yard, I rake the shavings into the grass and the assimilate into the grass pretty quickly. Straw doesn't break down quickly so it wouldn't work for me. I think shavings are best.

On a related note, getting shavings for free is pretty easy. Any small manufacturer of a wood product pays to dump them rather than sell them. I go to a window shutter manufacturer and he fills my trashcan up with shavings from birch, bass, oak wood. Of course, never reuse anything made from walnut (due to the corrosive oil in the grains) but walnut is a pretty rare wood species today.

If there isn't a supply like this near you, I suppose that wood chips would work also and arborists (professional tree cutters) seem to be everywhere.
Click to expand...

Thanks so much, I get to pick them up tomorrow and just trying to get everything ready.
 
Do ducks like scratch?
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So glad to find this thread! We have bantam chickens (japanese black tailed whites). We live on a fair bit of acreage and have three ponds. The one closest to the house is the biggest. I have a hankering to put some ducks on it.

It is difficult to find out what I need for them though. Our (dh's ;) ) chickens are penned, covered, cooped, fenced, surrounded. Practically have little tiny chicken life alert necklaces for them ;)

However, I was sort of hoping to free range the ducks: let them have the run of the land, pond, etc. Of course feed them, but also let them eat bugs and such out and about in the yard. We have a dreadful tick problem in late spring, slugs in the strawberries, etc. There is a place around our barn that I just have a gut feeling the ducks would want to hide (if I was a duck, I would) for nighttime sleeping. We were thinking about putting some (one large? Few small?) boxes there so they can get out of the weather and/or away from predators. Whilst I know that predators can get the ducks, are they at all savvy or do they need to be coddled like the chickens?

If I do not let them totally free range, can I let them out during the day and have a very basic pen for them at night?

Thank you!
 
AtropineCaffein said:
So glad to find this thread!  We have bantam chickens (japanese black tailed whites).  We live on a fair bit of acreage and have three ponds.  The one closest to the house is the biggest.  I have a hankering to put some ducks on it.


It is difficult to find out what I need for them though.  Our (dh's ;) ) chickens are penned, covered, cooped, fenced, surrounded.  Practically have little tiny chicken life alert necklaces for them ;)


However, I was sort of hoping to free range the ducks:  let them have the run of the land, pond, etc.  Of course feed them, but also let them eat bugs and such out and about in the yard.  We have a dreadful tick problem in late spring, slugs in the strawberries, etc.  There is a place around our barn that I just have a gut feeling the ducks would want to hide (if I was a duck, I would) for nighttime sleeping.  We were thinking about putting some (one large?  Few small?) boxes there so they can get out of the weather and/or away from predators.  Whilst I know that predators can get the ducks, are they at all savvy or do they need to be coddled like the chickens? 


If I do not let them totally free range, can I let them out during the day and have a very basic pen for them at night? 


Thank you!


 
Click to expand...

They need to be treated like chickens in respect to predators. They can't fly so are even more likely to get eaten. You can free range them but you may have one heck of a time getting them off the pond at night. Most like to sleep on the water. Coons and weasels can and will swim out to eat them. They need a safe house at night and protection. There are risks with free ranging and if you are okay with those risks then you know what you are getting into. They should help solve some of your bug problems though! I know mine have taken care of all my slugs and snails along with all my crab grass. I free range mine in my fenced in back yard during the day. They have lots of trees, patio cover and a trampoline to hide under. Not to mention I know no neighborhood dogs will be coming into my backyard. They do get locked up every evening in their house that has 1/2 inch hardware cloth over all the openings. Ducks are pretty hardy when it comes to the weather though, more so than chickens.
 
I have a few ducks and just want to say that they can get pretty messing in winter
So what u do is I put them in a dirt floor with a few heat lamps and clean the floor ever other day
 

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