17 chicks and maybe 2 ducks. How messy are two ducks?

[BFen]

Hi All!

I recently purchased 17 (supposedly) female chicks in 3 different batches. I first bought 3 buff orpingtons and 2 easter eggers from Agway. They are 4 weeks old and are so big. The second batch is from Tractor Supply, which includes 2 black australorps, 2 black sex links, and 2 light brahmas. They are three weeks old. Since they are close in size to the first batch and have bonded really well with them, I want to move these gals out to the chicken coop with a heat lamp in the next week. They are just too big to be inside. The third batch are 6 lavender orpingtons, which are 2 weeks old, but seem SO much smaller than the others. They are in their own container. I ordered them from Cackle Hatchery. Out of these 17 chicks, I am assuming there are going to be 2, if not 3, roosters, which I will have to re-home. I am not allowed any roosters.

I've been thinking about getting two ducklings as well, but heard they are very messy. I know they will create mud from playing in the kiddie pool, but I'm not worried about that. I heard their poop is really messy and different from chickens. Do you think 2 ducks will be all that messy? Also, are they noisy? I do not want the neighbors to complain, which is why I am not getting a guard goose. I heard a goose can be as noisy as a rooster. I am not super close to my neighbors, they are 100 ft. away, but I don't want to ruffle any tail feathers, if you know what I mean!

Thanks,
Becky

 

[OneToManyChickens]

Ducks can be messy because they love to get in the water. Always. As long as you are ready to clean part of there cage that had become very wet about once a day the I would say there good. Only two is not hard to control. I’m not sure about the noise, as I have not had neighbors that close though.

 

[Madhouse Pullet]

I heard their poop is messy as well. I am also interested in 2 ducks but my husband is not interested in "walking over a bunch of shit in the backyard". Plus, we have a pool and a lot of cement

Hi All!

I recently purchased 17 (supposedly) female chicks in 3 different batches. I first bought 3 buff orpingtons and 2 easter eggers from Agway. They are 4 weeks old and are so big. The second batch is from Tractor Supply, which includes 2 black australorps, 2 black sex links, and 2 light brahmas. They are three weeks old. Since they are close in size to the first batch and have bonded really well with them, I want to move these gals out to the chicken coop with a heat lamp in the next week. They are just too big to be inside. The third batch are 6 lavender orpingtons, which are 2 weeks old, but seem SO much smaller than the others. They are in their own container. I ordered them from Cackle Hatchery. Out of these 17 chicks, I am assuming there are going to be 2, if not 3, roosters, which I will have to re-home. I am not allowed any roosters.

I've been thinking about getting two ducklings as well, but heard they are very messy. I know they will create mud from playing in the kiddie pool, but I'm not worried about that. I heard their poop is really messy and different from chickens. Do you think 2 ducks will be all that messy? Also, are they noisy? I do not want the neighbors to complain, which is why I am not getting a guard goose. I heard a goose can be as noisy as a rooster. I am not super close to my neighbors, they are 100 ft. away, but I don't want to ruffle any tail feathers, if you know what I mean!

Thanks,
Becky

Did you ever end up getting ducks?

 

[NomadMik]

Ducks are difficult. They are extremely messy. Their poop is like diarrhea. They are very noisy and panic quite a bit. Much harder to take care of.

 

[Madhouse Pullet]

I can appreciate the honesty!

 

[Flockincrazy]

Hi All!

I recently purchased 17 (supposedly) female chicks in 3 different batches. I first bought 3 buff orpingtons and 2 easter eggers from Agway. They are 4 weeks old and are so big. The second batch is from Tractor Supply, which includes 2 black australorps, 2 black sex links, and 2 light brahmas. They are three weeks old. Since they are close in size to the first batch and have bonded really well with them, I want to move these gals out to the chicken coop with a heat lamp in the next week. They are just too big to be inside. The third batch are 6 lavender orpingtons, which are 2 weeks old, but seem SO much smaller than the others. They are in their own container. I ordered them from Cackle Hatchery. Out of these 17 chicks, I am assuming there are going to be 2, if not 3, roosters, which I will have to re-home. I am not allowed any roosters.

I've been thinking about getting two ducklings as well, but heard they are very messy. I know they will create mud from playing in the kiddie pool, but I'm not worried about that. I heard their poop is really messy and different from chickens. Do you think 2 ducks will be all that messy? Also, are they noisy? I do not want the neighbors to complain, which is why I am not getting a guard goose. I heard a goose can be as noisy as a rooster. I am not super close to my neighbors, they are 100 ft. away, but I don't want to ruffle any tail feathers, if you know what I mean!

Thanks,
Becky

I have 8ducks they are no more messy than my 34 chickens and my 3 kids lol there poop is runny and a little stinky and they make water mess thats it

 

[Zan]

Ducklings in a brooder are super, super messy! They get water all over and they like to mix the feed and water together. They also grow very fast. My ducks were adult size at 8 weeks old. I currently have 5 ducklings that hatched on June 14, they have tripled in size in 12 days.

Adult ducks outside are not so messy. Their poo is much looser than chicken poo and kinda just melts away in the grass. They will make a mess anywhere there is water.

Adult females are noisy! My 2 female ducks make way more noise than my 2 roosters.

All that being said, I love my ducks! They are a hoot to watch. It's like duck TV, lol.

 

[free range possum]

Hi All!

I recently purchased 17 (supposedly) female chicks in 3 different batches. I first bought 3 buff orpingtons and 2 easter eggers from Agway. They are 4 weeks old and are so big. The second batch is from Tractor Supply, which includes 2 black australorps, 2 black sex links, and 2 light brahmas. They are three weeks old. Since they are close in size to the first batch and have bonded really well with them, I want to move these gals out to the chicken coop with a heat lamp in the next week. They are just too big to be inside. The third batch are 6 lavender orpingtons, which are 2 weeks old, but seem SO much smaller than the others. They are in their own container. I ordered them from Cackle Hatchery. Out of these 17 chicks, I am assuming there are going to be 2, if not 3, roosters, which I will have to re-home. I am not allowed any roosters.

I've been thinking about getting two ducklings as well, but heard they are very messy. I know they will create mud from playing in the kiddie pool, but I'm not worried about that. I heard their poop is really messy and different from chickens. Do you think 2 ducks will be all that messy? Also, are they noisy? I do not want the neighbors to complain, which is why I am not getting a guard goose. I heard a goose can be as noisy as a rooster. I am not super close to my neighbors, they are 100 ft. away, but I don't want to ruffle any tail feathers, if you know what I mean!

Thanks,
Becky

Hey!Ducks, specifically female ducks are VERY loud unless they are muscovies. I keep alesbury ducks and they are very large and fairly quiet, and good freindly layers but straight up, muscovies are the better deal. Eat tons of flies, skeeters and won't destroy your garden like chickens or geese and need enough water daily to immerse heads to clean nares. Ducks don't stop laying because of stress/heat etc. And seem to not get all the respiratory illnesses that chickens do. Muscovy ate excellent flock guardians and easily kept in yard if you pinion them or keep a Wong clipped. Where you can't have a rooster for fertile eggs, you would be a fool not to keep a muscovy drake for guardian, ducklings and they just are so much fun to watch them wah happy tails and how fast they learn their names and simple commands

 

[free range possum]

Hey!Ducks, specifically female ducks are VERY loud unless they are muscovies. I keep alesbury ducks and they are very large and fairly quiet, and good freindly layers but straight up, muscovies are the better deal. Eat tons of flies, skeeters and won't destroy your garden like chickens or geese and need enough water daily to immerse heads to clean nares. Ducks don't stop laying because of stress/heat etc. And seem to not get all the respiratory illnesses that chickens do. Muscovy ate excellent flock guardians and easily kept in yard if you pinion them or keep a Wong clipped. Where you can't have a rooster for fertile eggs, you would be a fool not to keep a muscovy drake for guardian, ducklings and they just are so much fun to watch them wah happy tails and how fast they learn their names and simple commands

I put the brooder waterer on a screen for getting excess paint off a roller and the screen is on a roller paint tray. They can splash all they want and it drops into paint tray. My adult ducks , I put a truck rubber bedliner I found on Craigslist on ground and smallest dollar general kiddie pool on that do they don't drag dirt into pool and when they get out it isn't a muddy wallow. I highly recommend for all birds some pvc line with the red chicken nipples space out or in a suspended 5 gal bucket, or the drinking cups in pvc pipe fed by a 5 gal bucket or a 55 gal drum. I think they would always have clean water to drink . Muscovy are fantastic mothers and hatch a coffee cup, or many extra eggs if you give them a chance. I prefer the muscovy to chickens. Muscovy don't cannibalise alive like chickens and males don't have epic battles. A coupke of females will lay in same nest, set together and raise all the babies together. Babies sell well so a female that hatches 30 of her own ducklings and 10 or so chicken eggs you put under her, kinda makes up for the little poop drops that fade into the dirty. Chicken crap stays mounded in all it s glory awaiting for you to step onto.

 

[BFen]

Did you ever end up getting ducks?

Yes! We got two "female" welsh harlequins. It is looking like one is definitely a male, raspy voice and yellow bill. The female quacks very loud and has a dark bill. They get along great with the chickens. Not sure what we will do if the male tries to over mate. Luckily the female is the dominant one, so I'm hoping they will do fine as a pair, and he won't hurt the chickens. The two ducks are so bonded, we wouldn't be able to get rid of him. We could always separate them from the chickens if need be.

They are 10 weeks old now. The poop is not an issue at all, but we keep them on grass/dirt/wood chips in a large space. The female is louder than I expected for a welsh, but maybe compared to other ducks breeds, she is quieter.

We love having them! They definitely aren't as easy as the chickens. They make a mess of the water, but that's really about it. They also seem so protective of our chickens. If one gets too far away while I am outside letting them free range, our female ducks quacks her head off till the chicken comes back. Silly creatures!