The khaki-Campbell duck Thread !!!!!!!!

[caesargirl]

I don't know what the expense ratios are, but for both meat and eggs, my ducks win every time. I have a feeling that the ducks eat more and I know that they are a heck of a lot messier! I find the ducks hardier, tastier and I love the eggs. Plus the eggs I sell are double the value of chicken eggs.

 

[AxolotlLove]

Duck eggs are more expensive, people with egg allergies can eat them. KC eat more than chickens. Does anybody know how much a purebreed KC would cost? I have 3 and a khaki pekin mix but I forgot how much they cost.

 

[LeannS]

So what am I missing here? I have always thought of chickens as egg producers but in reading these posts it sounds like the duck eggs are more nutritious, alkaline and they lay more and on and on. So why don't most people raise ducks for eggs and leave the chicken to the soup pot? I must be missing something or there is some drawbacks or something.

At this point I am considering raising chickens for meat and the reduced egg production seen by the meat breeds and raise ducks for eggs, especially being the KC is basically the size of a chicken so the feed should maybe be close to the same? Maybe someone can advise on feed to egg ratios and in general maintaining good health how much feed is needed to maintain a KC compared to a heritage bred chicken.

I am so glad that you asked that question.,I wish more people would want to know.
I am allergic to chicken eggs. Three months ago ,I found out that people that are allergic to chicken eggs, Can eat the Duck egg with out the allergy`s., I was able to fine a dozen duck eggs on Craig`s List. but soon that duck egg source was not available. I could not find duck eggs close to my area so I decided , since I had the country setting and time, I would just get my own Ducks.
I love ducks and chickens and both have their drawbacks. Friends have had ducks and geese but soon went back to chickens because of the water mess..

Ducks need more water to be happy and healthy, they are a pig with feathers. I only have 6 ducks and can not imagine having a big flock .Ducks want to be clean, all the time. Even if it is in the drinking water.

unless there was a pond for them. I have only had them for less then 3 months but it seems much longer. I am really enjoying their duck personality but I feel I have been giving them room service.
I feel sorry for the chicken that has to drink out of a duck`s watering bowl. Ducks wash their nose and eyes in it after they gargle with their mouth.
.Now that our weather is getting better, I have them out during the day, in their day pen where they can make a water mess with their water tub, and I can hose the poop out. Now we are working an a secure pasture run.
This is what the BYC site is all about and so glad that we all can learn from it. I have learned so much with this crash course of 2 months.

 

[LeannS]

So what am I missing here? I have always thought of chickens as egg producers but in reading these posts it sounds like the duck eggs are more nutritious, alkaline and they lay more and on and on. So why don't most people raise ducks for eggs and leave the chicken to the soup pot? I must be missing something or there is some drawbacks or something.

At this point I am considering raising chickens for meat and the reduced egg production seen by the meat breeds and raise ducks for eggs, especially being the KC is basically the size of a chicken so the feed should maybe be close to the same? Maybe someone can advise on feed to egg ratios and in general maintaining good health how much feed is needed to maintain a KC compared to a heritage bred chicken.

 

[nchvac]

I am so glad that you asked that question.,I wish more people would want to know.
I am allergic to chicken eggs. Three months ago ,I found out that people that are allergic to chicken eggs, Can eat the Duck egg with out the allergy`s., I was able to fine a dozen duck eggs on Craig`s List. but soon that duck egg source was not available. I could not find duck eggs close to my area so I decided , since I had the country setting and time, I would just get my own Ducks.
I love ducks and chickens and both have their drawbacks. Friends have had ducks and geese but soon went back to chickens because of the water mess..

Ducks need more water to be happy and healthy, they are a pig with feathers. I only have 6 ducks and can not imagine having a big flock .Ducks want to be clean, all the time. Even if it is in the drinking water.

unless there was a pond for them. I have only had them for less then 3 months but it seems much longer. I am really enjoying their duck personality but I feel I have been giving them room service.
I feel sorry for the chicken that has to drink out of a duck`s watering bowl. Ducks wash their nose and eyes in it after they gargle with their mouth.
.Now that our weather is getting better, I have them out during the day, in their day pen where they can make a water mess with their water tub, and I can hose the poop out. Now we are working an a secure pasture run.
This is what the BYC site is all about and so glad that we all can learn from it. I have learned so much with this crash course of 2 months.

 

[Bert2368]

My Leghorns poop in their water every time I replace it so I am kind of used to that kind of a mess. I have no idea why they do that- at least the ducks are swimming when they crap their water.

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GET CHICKEN NIPPLES!!!

Seriously. Best thing ever for easying up watering chores, I have about 60 chickens right now, and only need to bring them 5 gallons of water every 3-4 days in winter, a bit more in summer. And I spend virtually NO TIME WASHING OUT THEIR WATER CONTAINERS!

I have two 5 gallon buckets, each with 6 chicken nipples screwed into their bottoms hung by the feeder. I have wrapped about 20 feet of Self regulating heat tape around each bucket, and put a layer of fiberglass water heater insulation over the whole setup- Also covered the insulation with 200 mph duct tape to keep the chickens from tearing it up.

 

[Robeenop]

I paid 4.95 each for my ducklings. I bought at my local feed store.

 

[Robeenop]

I have the brite tap waterers, not cheap, but excellent! Bought just the waterer, bought my own coolers. Bought 2 gal igloos where I work at Lowe's for ten bucks. A friend bought a 10 gal igloo and broke the tap. I took it off his hands for 10 bucks. I had too many issues with dripping nipples, and heavy to carry. I can fill the big one with hose, and the 2 gals are a breeze. FRESH CLEAN water, all the time. Stays cool in summer too. My ducks drink from the waterers. I have a kiddy pool and cement mixing tub for their daily baths. They love it!

 

[nchvac]

I have the brite tap waterers, not cheap, but excellent! Bought just the waterer, bought my own coolers. Bought 2 gal igloos where I work at Lowe's for ten bucks. A friend bought a 10 gal igloo and broke the tap. I took it off his hands for 10 bucks. I had too many issues with dripping nipples, and heavy to carry. I can fill the big one with hose, and the 2 gals are a breeze. FRESH CLEAN water, all the time. Stays cool in summer too. My ducks drink from the waterers. I have a kiddy pool and cement mixing tub for their daily baths. They love it!

Back when I raised rabbits in the same hutch (hutch was originally set up for rabbits but I have built a roosting/nesting box on the back for the chickens and have them separated into 4 pens) I had a setup where I had a 5 gallon bucket on top of the hutch and plumbed PVC to each pen and had a Brass Nipple that is the same shape as these you posted which appear to be made of plastic. I wonder the chickens can use the brass nipple. Don't know if it has more resistance or not. They were nice except during the winter when the system froze. I still have the nipples but I tore out the plumbing when I modified the coop. Using these would free up about a square foot of space in each pen where the water bowls are. The system was nice and easy to use.

 

[nchvac]

So lets talk kitchen scrapes. At my house we eat ALOT of fruit and vegetables and I take out about a 1/2 gallon to a Gallon of scraps to the composter each day. I have 3 chickens that aren't premadonas and will actually eat scraps (my 2 RIR won't even eat a worm and they are the ones I let free range, but they will eat snakes so go figure). I am getting some dark Cornish this spring and they will eat the scraps. I am thinking KC ducks for most of our eggs and Dark Cornish Chickens for the Meat, though I have been advised to some dual purpose ducks with decent egg production, but I really want/need eggs every single day so maybe the KC is the best option, plus them being lighter will work better on my wire floor hutch until I can get things setup for them to be on the ground.

But what I am thinking is feeding the scrapes to the ducks and here is why- I only want one kitchen scrape compost material holding bucket in the kitchen as they tend to attract Knats. Now if someone knows of a good holder for this type of material let me know, but what we use is a stainless steel type small trash can with the lid that lifts when the pedal is mashed down. It works well and keeps hands sanitary while dealing with something quick like droping in a banana peel after peeling it. But the top doesn't seal well so thus it attracts knats. So anyway we eat eggs every morning and the shells go in the compost. Well I can't feed egg shells in their whole form to the chickens as it will show them that eggs are good and we know what that leads to. I could crush them up by hand but I will miss one eventually and that is all it takes. So instead of digging through compost to get egg shells out, I put the compost in the composter outside and I have filled up two large Garbage Cans this winter because composting slows with the cooler temps.
So what I am thinking, and please advise me here, is that I suspect the ducks have a way harder time getting into their own eggs compared to a chicken due to the shape of the beaks and the duck egg is harder and given the large surface area of their beak I would suspect that ducks can't normally eat their eggs (normally meaning they have enough calcium which in this case they would get plenty by eating the egg shells and they shouldn't need supplements for calcium as well). So in that case I could feed the kitchen scrapes to the ducks and let them compost what they care to and give the leftovers to the composter.

Sounds good, so now tell me the reality.