A few more duck questions for Denver's ordinance

[Sundari]

Thanks to everyone for your help with my previous breed question. I'm currently working on a FAQ to answer questions about urban food-producing animals (chickens, ducks, and dwarf goats) and I have just a few more duck questions:

- How many eggs does the average duck lay per week? (I know that for chickens, you can get on average between 4-5/week per bird.)

- Chickens will generally stay put behind a 4 foot fence. What about ducks? Do you have to clip your wings if you want to keep them from flying away?

- What kind of shelter do ducks need at night?

- Do ducks have to have access to water for playing (like a kiddie swimming pool), or are they ok without it?

- How long do backyard ducks live, on average?

- About how long are ducks productive?


Thank you for your time and assistance -- it is very much appreciated!

 

[The Duck ABC's]

Here is a book you should read. At least the first couple chapters. You can do that online, but not the entire book is available for free reading:
http://books.google.com/books?id=oN...&resnum=10&ved=0CFsQ6AEwCQ#v=twopage&q&f=true

The egg number depends on breed. Anywhere from 25 to 340 eggs per hen per year. Most domestic ducks cannot fly and a 4 foot fence will do. In general the small breeds do fly, and Muscovy which are not related to the mallard derived domestic ducks. Clipping will do the trick on flying breeds. Ducks are best protected at night in a shelter, like a chicken coop. Ducks do not have to have swimming water. They do need a bucket of water deep enough to submerge their heads so they can clean their nostrils. A kiddie pool is great when available. Ducks live 6-10 years, but can get as old as 16 (does not happen that often). Their productive egg years are usually over when they hit 6 years of age.

 

[Dances with Ducks]

I thought I would jump in with some more specific answers to try to make your project a bit easier.
Quote:
Good luck with your urban food project!

 

[Sundari]

This is terrific -- thank you both for the information!!