New to Ducks

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gabe3366

gabe3366

Hatching
7 Years
May 1, 2012
5
0
7
Hello everyone I am thinking of getting some ducks and possibly a few chickens but I have a few questions. I found a place in my area that sells Pekin and Khaki Campbell hatching eggs for sale. They also have Barred Rock and N.H Pullet hatching eggs.
So I'll start with some of my questions:

1. Does anyone know if ducks/chickens are legal in Toronto, Ontario?
2. I live in a urban area, are ducks/chickens going to be too loud? My neighbors are about 5ft away from the fence.
3. If I can't keep them in a urban area I could take them to my cottage where noise/space would not be a problem. The only thing is we only go up there on the weekends. I found a few diy feeders/waterers on the internet so food/water would not be a problem, plus my neighbors could check up on them. Would it be okay if they are left alone for the 5 days every week (on the weekend I would clean their cage and refill feeders)
4. What is a good size enclosure? I was thinking 4-6 ducks and 3-4 chickens. How about 12'x12' or 20'x12'. Space isn't really a problem but I don't want it to be huge.

Thanks
 
welcome-byc.gif


Glad to see your post!

I don't know about the legal restrictions in your area, but I congratulate you for thinking things through.

With chickens, the roosters are loud and hens are. . . well . . . not always as loud. With ducks, drakes are quiet and the ducks (girls) have the reputation for loudness.

With hatching eggs, you don't know how many boys and girls you will get. With ducks (don't know tons about chickens), the drake to duck ratio generally needs to be 1 to 3 or more. So if you end up with more drakes than ducks, you have a potentially big problem with drakes fighting and ducks being injured or worse from too much breeding.

So it would be good to have a plan for what to do to even out the mix, if necessary.

I am an overprotective duck mom, so I would probably break out in hives if I left my ducks alone five days a week. Perhaps your neighbors at the weekend place would be right there most of the time, so I cannot say, but I can say from experience that, even being really close to the ducks, they can get themselves into the most difficult, and sometimes frightening situations in the blink of an eye. Once, Einz got her lower mandible hung up on a metal clip that was attached to a folding pen. I was 20 feet away. Looked up, and there she was, screaming, hooked like a fish. We had a happy ending, by the way, but I was just about in shock during the whole rescue, and so was she.

Ducks need to be cleaned up after frequently or there is a greatly increased risk of illness, too.

All the above seems on the negative side, so let me just say that ducks are amazing animals, generally quite healthy and hardy, produce delicious eggs, fabulous fertilizer, and have a cuteness factor that is off the charts! They don't need a roost, and eat slugs, Japanese beetles, dandelions and chickweed.

Those are my thoughts.
 
Thanks, maybe I will reconsider getting ducks. Or I might get a few muscovies (I've heard they are pretty quiet) and keep them at home where I will be most of the week.
 
Welcome to BYC! I am brand new to both, though we had chickens while growing up. They are very rewarding. I don't have all the answers you need. But I suggest if you can have them where you are, that you have them with you so you can tend to them. They do need daily attention in order to thrive. And you will be happier spending daily time with them. They have really enriched my daily life.
 
I have found someone who sells muskovy ducklings for $15 each. Is that a fair price?
What is the minimum number of ducks you can keep?
 
gabe3366 said:
I have found someone who sells muskovy ducklings for $15 each. Is that a fair price?
What is the minimum number of ducks you can keep?
Click to expand...

It seems a little high to me, but I live in Florida where we have a HUGE overabundance of muscovies. They're domestic and also wild here. I usually see them around $5 for ducklings or $15-$20 for adults, but if there aren't as many where you live maybe $15 for a duckling is fair. I think with muscovies the price can depend on the color, too... Black and white ones cost a little less, and brown, blue, and fancy patterns are a little more.
 
gabe3366 said:
I have found someone who sells muskovy ducklings for $15 each. Is that a fair price?
What is the minimum number of ducks you can keep?
Click to expand...

Forgot to answer your other question! Most people say you should at least have 2. That's how many I have. They are very social and go everywhere together. One duck would be very lonely unless you keep it by your side 24/7.
 
Also does a duckling like this (photo below) grow up to be black/white or all black? Or do the colours change as they grow?
If I wanted a duck that is all white when fully grown I would choose a duckling that is all yellow....right?

 
gabe3366 said:
Also does a duckling like this (photo below) grow up to be black/white or all black? Or do the colours change as they grow?
If I wanted a duck that is all white when fully grown I would choose a duckling that is all yellow....right?

Click to expand...
This looks very simular to my Muscovy ducklings and right now they look to be blk and white, an all yellow duckling will be solid white.
 
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