➡I accidentally bought Balut eggs: 2 live ducks! Now a Chat Thread!

[Pennys Mama]

This is NOT helping my duckling fever.

 

[ShrekDawg]

View attachment 2001234

is this an argument for them?

Cause it’s working.

They’re so cute!!

 

[NanaKat]

Maybe everyone in here can help me with this question...

Can I use brown or black mulch in my chickens run? The run is 7000 sq ft I want to only put it around the coop and make a path... Even though I know the path will get spread out a bit because my chickens love kicking through stuff

For your paths, natural wood chip bark will give a better base. It will sink into the mud and eventually break down.
Mulch from compost has more humus that can get water logged and sticky when wet.
Your use of leaves will be slower to break down and the leaves will become flattened into layers. It will be helpful to leave small sticks in with the leaves to help give airspace in the layers. It will require a lot of leaves to build up your paths.

It's just muddy in a large area maybe 2000 sq ft of it and I thought mulch would look nice

Might try coarse sand with whatever you use to help with drainage.

 

[Pennys Mama]

is this an argument for them?

Cause it’s working.

They’re so cute!!

I love my ducks, but definitely shouldn't share a pen with chickens. They need their own "water" supply!

 

[ShrekDawg]

I love my ducks, but definitely shouldn't share a pen with chickens. They need their own "water" supply!

I would definitely house them separate if I got them.

I’ve read chickens can be annoyed at the mess they make/how they get everything wet

I have the perfect spot for them.

But I was also reading a thread about how extremely messy and nasty they are and it’s really making me second guess it.

I get annoyed enough that the shavings in the chicken’s coop have been somewhat damp lately and I can’t get them dry... Don’t think I could handle ducks.

 

[NanaKat]

clay here but I used to, until I needed bedding and garden mulch....
For a while a buddy that did landscaping was bringing me leaves and grass clippings I was composting... that was a bit of a chore. The bins I had were 4 pallets square. One for leaves, one for grass and 3 for various stages of compost. He retired the same time I did, so no more dump truck loads.

When we lived in the city we used to haul the horse trailer behind the truck gathering bags of leaves to take back home to our compost bins.
Had to watch out for grass clipping from highly manicured lawns...chemicals!

 

[BantyChooks]

I would definitely house them separate if I got them.

I’ve read chickens can be annoyed at the mess they make/how they get everything wet

I have the perfect spot for them.

But I was also reading a thread about how extremely messy and nasty they are and it’s really making me second guess it.

I get annoyed enough that the shavings in the chicken’s coop have been somewhat damp lately and I can’t get them dry... Don’t think I could handle ducks.

Ducks are a lot of work. They're incredibly messy, they dump water everywhere, they tear up any run they're in and convert it to a mud hole, and they don't even act regretful about it. They're little nightmares in winter. Granted, I love them anyway, and I would never get rid of them, but anyone above the mason-dixie line that owns them is certifiably bonkers.

 

[Conan]

Ducks are awesome. You totally shouldn't get them.

They eat TONS of food. Mine are the biggest pigs ever. They eat about 4-5 times what my chickens eat.
They are wet, and smelly. Put fresh straw in their house? Make it all cozy? That will last a few days, tops, even without food and water in their house. They crap non stop all night long.
If the moon is bright, they mutter in the night.
If they can even get to your chicken coop, they will find the water, and they will make it a smelly rancid mess. We built a mini wall that we, and the chickens, step/hop over to get into the chicken coop. It's the only way to keep them out.
They bury their eggs. Usually in piles of poopy, wet straw.
If it freezes where you live, have fun dealing with their water requirements in winter.
Highly sexual creatures. Even if there is no drake, doesn't matter. It'll be like an episode of Orange is the New Black all up in there.

Mine lay eggs like crazy. This is the second winter for the youngest group, and they never did stop this winter. No light added.
Their eggs are delicious, and people pay for them. I sell them for $6 a dozen.
They are hilarious to watch, and always keep an eye on the sky. They spot aerial predators way before the chickens, and flee to cover.
My chickens are far noisier with their eggnouncements than my ducks are, excluding the calls. They are non stop noise makers.
They are excellent weeders, and tend to the garden in winter better than anything I've ever seen. Dandelion removal skills are impressive.
Their poop is not "hot" so can be applied directly to gardens as fertilizer.
They are adorable, hardy creatures. I have yet to lose a duck to illness.

Ducks are amazing critters, but you really, really, REALLY need the proper setup to keep them happy and healthy. They will constantly frustrate you otherwise. Don't get them.

 

[BantyChooks]

Ducks are awesome. You totally shouldn't get them.

They eat TONS of food. Mine are the biggest pigs ever. They eat about 4-5 times what my chickens eat.
They are wet, and smelly. Put fresh straw in their house? Make it all cozy? That will last a few days, tops, even without food and water in their house. They crap non stop all night long.
If the moon is bright, they mutter in the night.
If they can even get to your chicken coop, they will find the water, and they will make it a smelly rancid mess. We built a mini wall that we, and the chickens, step/hop over to get into the chicken coop. It's the only way to keep them out.
They bury their eggs. Usually in piles of poopy, wet straw.
If it freezes where you live, have fun dealing with their water requirements in winter.
Highly sexual creatures. Even if there is no drake, doesn't matter. It'll be like an episode of Orange is the New Black all up in there.

Mine lay eggs like crazy. This is the second winter for the youngest group, and they never did stop this winter. No light added.
Their eggs are delicious, and people pay for them. I sell them for $6 a dozen.
They are hilarious to watch, and always keep an eye on the sky. They spot aerial predators way before the chickens, and flee to cover.
My chickens are far noisier with their eggnouncements than my ducks are, excluding the calls. They are non stop noise makers.
They are excellent weeders, and tend to the garden in winter better than anything I've ever seen. Dandelion removal skills are impressive.
Their poop is not "hot" so can be applied directly to gardens as fertilizer.
They are adorable, hardy creatures. I have yet to lose a duck to illness.

Ducks are amazing critters, but you really, really, REALLY need the proper setup to keep them happy and healthy. They will constantly frustrate you otherwise. Don't get them.

 

[Conan]

When we lived in the city we used to haul the horse trailer behind the truck gathering bags of leaves to take back home to our compost bins.
Had to watch out for grass clipping from highly manicured lawns...chemicals!

Leaves are just the best, aren't they? They smell so sweet when they are breaking down.