are pekins the right fit?

[duckdog]

I am thinking of getting pekins (only females) for both eggs and as pets. Although I have researched online (it seems like half of the sources are just reproductions of Stories), I would like to hear from experienced Pekin owners on some concerns I have:

• Will the cost of feeding them greatly outweigh their egg production (I will feed them with foraging, duck feed, greens and worms (which will be farmed by me)?
• Can they forge in the garden and not destroy it? I've read multiple post of people being successful with doing so with Pekins, but that goes against everything I researched up until that point.
• I originally had thought about getting Khakis, but their temperament seems to be too nervous for me. From what I've read it seems that Pekins are more sociable with their keepers, is that your experience? Also I have a 2 year old golden retriever who will share the fenced a backyard with them when they forage and are in their coop. I'm confident that with slow introduction she will take to the ducks, yet even though she is very friendly and playful, she is also gets like a bull in a China shop, so I need a duck that has some resilience so when my dog barks when she initially is introduced, or tries to play with them when they are grown they don't permanently turn into nervous wrecks around her. What has your experience been like?
• I've read that they get pretty loud, but how loud is loud? I live in the burbs, with a little over an acre lot. Will they be keeping the neighbors up, or is their noise level reasonable that it wouldn't both most neighbors (I will order 5 females)?
• Lastly how predator adverse are they? We have racoons, foxes and hawks, are they oblivious and just sit around when they see a shadow fly over them or are they alert?

I know that much of this is subjective, but I'd appreciate your point of view, thank you.

 

[BelovedBirds]

I am thinking of getting pekins (only females) for both eggs and as pets. Although I have researched online (it seems like half of the sources are just reproductions of Stories), I would like to hear from experienced Pekin owners on some concerns I have:

• Will the cost of feeding them greatly outweigh their egg production (I will feed them with foraging, duck feed, greens and worms (which will be farmed by me)?

I would say the routine cost of feed, and bedding, plus the initial start up cost of housing, more than outweighs what you'd save on egg prices- that said, it's definitely worth the cost of keeping them. To have your own fresh eggs that you know come from happy birds, and to have the joy of being around the ducks, that's worth it in my opinion.

• Can they forge in the garden and not destroy it? I've read multiple post of people being successful with doing so with Pekins, but that goes against everything I researched up until that point.

It depends a bit, the main damage they do is with their water, they will swim and splash and that creates mud which kills grass. I would have them fenced in an area with their pond, and then let them on the garden for a set period of time. There are things you can do to prevent too much mud, ways to keep it tidyish, but they do love playing in it, so I think its nice when contained.

• I originally had thought about getting Khakis, but their temperament seems to be too nervous for me. From what I've read it seems that Pekins are more sociable with their keepers, is that your experience?

Ive heard the same. It does depend a lot on the individuals too though, and how they're raised/how often they're handled. There are things you can do to bond with them, like sitting with them, talking to them, hand feeding etc.

• Also I have a 2 year old golden retriever who will share the fenced a backyard with them when they forage and are in their coop. I'm confident that with slow introduction she will take to the ducks, yet even though she is very friendly and playful, she is also gets like a bull in a China shop, so I need a duck that has some resilience so when my dog barks when she initially is introduced, or tries to play with them when they are grown they don't permanently turn into nervous wrecks around her. What has your experience been like?

Unless the dog is properly trained from a young age, it is my belief that they should not be left unsupervised. Playful dogs dont mean harm, but they can still hurt and terrify the ducks when they dont respect their space, regardless of their breed. I would have the ducks penned personally, and only allow them together supervised, once theyre used to one another. But that is up to you

• I've read that they get pretty loud, but how loud is loud? I live in the burbs, with a little over an acre lot. Will they be keeping the neighbors up, or is their noise level reasonable that it wouldn't both most neighbors (I will order 5 females)?

5 females will be a fairly chatty group Id imagine. I have two girls, right next to the neighbours- but because there are only two, they dont chatter constantly, and dont get too loud. I havent had an issue with the nieghbours. 5 may be okay, as that isnt a massive flock. Others may weigh in with their experience

• Lastly how predator adverse are they? We have racoons, foxes and hawks, are they oblivious and just sit around when they see a shadow fly over them or are they alert?

I know that much of this is subjective, but I'd appreciate your point of view, thank you.

Some ducks are pretty smart, others not so much. But all ducks left in the open can fall prey to predators- unless they're in a covered pen, you cant guarantee their safety. If you are comfortable with the risk, ensure they have bushes and sheltered areas to hide, that would help.

Having ducks is really rewarding, theyre so entertaining to watch and can make great pets.
Hope this helps!

 

[fluffycrow]

I don't know anything about ducks, sorry, but @Miss Lydia does! As for your golden retriever, since it's not an LGD, no matter how trained or not she is, prey drive can kick in at any minute, so don't ever leave her unsupervised with poultry

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

I am thinking of getting pekins (only females) for both eggs and as pets. Although I have researched online (it seems like half of the sources are just reproductions of Stories), I would like to hear from experienced Pekin owners on some concerns I have:

• Will the cost of feeding them greatly outweigh their egg production (I will feed them with foraging, duck feed, greens and worms (which will be farmed by me)?
• Can they forge in the garden and not destroy it? I've read multiple post of people being successful with doing so with Pekins, but that goes against everything I researched up until that point.
• I originally had thought about getting Khakis, but their temperament seems to be too nervous for me. From what I've read it seems that Pekins are more sociable with their keepers, is that your experience? Also I have a 2 year old golden retriever who will share the fenced a backyard with them when they forage and are in their coop. I'm confident that with slow introduction she will take to the ducks, yet even though she is very friendly and playful, she is also gets like a bull in a China shop, so I need a duck that has some resilience so when my dog barks when she initially is introduced, or tries to play with them when they are grown they don't permanently turn into nervous wrecks around her. What has your experience been like?
• I've read that they get pretty loud, but how loud is loud? I live in the burbs, with a little over an acre lot. Will they be keeping the neighbors up, or is their noise level reasonable that it wouldn't both most neighbors (I will order 5 females)?
• Lastly how predator adverse are they? We have racoons, foxes and hawks, are they oblivious and just sit around when they see a shadow fly over them or are they alert?

I know that much of this is subjective, but I'd appreciate your point of view, thank you.

I have a pekin hen and a khaki drake and a bunch of their offspring
My bird with the highest anxiety is my pekin
But I got her at a few weeks old so she hadn’t been handled before that. She was also my first duck and didn’t want to bug them ti much ( my mistake )
She is quiet for the most part as are her first batch of offspring
But her second batch are loud
It all depends on the bird itself and how much time you take with them when young
None of Her offspring Are nervous birds but I hatched them and was hands on from day 1
My pekin is on the smaller side and I don’t feel like she eats more then the others
She is a great layer as are her mixed breed babies
I haven’t let them in a garden yet but they sure took care of my ant issue I had before getting them
If the dog is introduced at a young age see but not touch they should grow up not afraid of it
My husky is in the yard with my birds all day
She guards them and watches over them
The birds are not afraid of her and not phased by her at all
But the neighbours had a dog over to visit and my birds all flew to me scared of the dog in the next yard
All of my birds are good at spotting hawks
But with as much predators as you have I would make sure they have a secure night coop
I also have an area in my yard with netting over so if hawks are to much I can keep my birds in safety

 

[duckdog]

Thank you

 

[duckdog]

I would say the routine cost of feed, and bedding, plus the initial start up cost of housing, more than outweighs what you'd save on egg prices- that said, it's definitely worth the cost of keeping them. To have your own fresh eggs that you know come from happy birds, and to have the joy of being around the ducks, that's worth it in my opinion.

It depends a bit, the main damage they do is with their water, they will swim and splash and that creates mud which kills grass. I would have them fenced in an area with their pond, and then let them on the garden for a set period of time. There are things you can do to prevent too much mud, ways to keep it tidyish, but they do love playing in it, so I think its nice when contained.

Ive heard the same. It does depend a lot on the individuals too though, and how they're raised/how often they're handled. There are things you can do to bond with them, like sitting with them, talking to them, hand feeding etc.

Unless the dog is properly trained from a young age, it is my belief that they should not be left unsupervised. Playful dogs dont mean harm, but they can still hurt and terrify the ducks when they dont respect their space, regardless of their breed. I would have the ducks penned personally, and only allow them together supervised, once theyre used to one another. But that is up to you

5 females will be a fairly chatty group Id imagine. I have two girls, right next to the neighbours- but because there are only two, they dont chatter constantly, and dont get too loud. I havent had an issue with the nieghbours. 5 may be okay, as that isnt a massive flock. Others may weigh in with their experience

Some ducks are pretty smart, others not so much. But all ducks left in the open can fall prey to predators- unless they're in a covered pen, you cant guarantee their safety. If you are comfortable with the risk, ensure they have bushes and sheltered areas to hide, that would help.

Having ducks is really rewarding, theyre so entertaining to watch and can make great pets.
Hope this helps!

Thank you, I know there will be a learning curve, but less of an angle the better.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I love my Pekin, but have you considered Saxony? My Pekin is the loudest loud thing since loud came to Loud Town. She's louder than my geese and my rooster! I've been pleasantly surprised by my Saxony, in particular. She's gorgeous and very mellow. She's a pretty good layer, too.

Another option is a hybrid, like the Golden 300. There are others depending upon the hatchery. I have no personal experience, but I've heard a lot of positives, and they lay more eggs than other breeds.

 

[ruthhope]

I am thinking of getting pekins (only females) for both eggs and as pets. Although I have researched online (it seems like half of the sources are just reproductions of Stories), I would like to hear from experienced Pekin owners on some concerns I have:

• Will the cost of feeding them greatly outweigh their egg production (I will feed them with foraging, duck feed, greens and worms (which will be farmed by me)?
• Can they forge in the garden and not destroy it? I've read multiple post of people being successful with doing so with Pekins, but that goes against everything I researched up until that point.
• I originally had thought about getting Khakis, but their temperament seems to be too nervous for me. From what I've read it seems that Pekins are more sociable with their keepers, is that your experience? Also I have a 2 year old golden retriever who will share the fenced a backyard with them when they forage and are in their coop. I'm confident that with slow introduction she will take to the ducks, yet even though she is very friendly and playful, she is also gets like a bull in a China shop, so I need a duck that has some resilience so when my dog barks when she initially is introduced, or tries to play with them when they are grown they don't permanently turn into nervous wrecks around her. What has your experience been like?
• I've read that they get pretty loud, but how loud is loud? I live in the burbs, with a little over an acre lot. Will they be keeping the neighbors up, or is their noise level reasonable that it wouldn't both most neighbors (I will order 5 females)?
• Lastly how predator adverse are they? We have racoons, foxes and hawks, are they oblivious and just sit around when they see a shadow fly over them or are they alert?

I know that much of this is subjective, but I'd appreciate your point of view, thank you.

I agree with every point that BelovedBirds made above.

My son has pekins -- a drake and two females -- I have an all drake flock that includes 1 pekin and 3 muscovy.

Where are you and what is your soil like? Our ducks are in NE Florida on very sandy soil and we dont get mud. I am currently on an extended stay with my ducks in Northern Virginia on clay. I can see that the duck trail to and from their shed here is going to get muddy when the ground thaws, and the grass is getting worn away. I intend to put down wood chip mulch where they walk frequently and trample the grass. In Florida, where the ducks have less space for free ranging, they quickly trampled the grass and weeds to oblivion. There I use oak leaves as mulch as I can collect sacksful of leaves from round my neighborhood in March when our live oaks and laurel oaks drop their leaves. The leaves are small and rubbery, and make very good mulch. I save oak leaves in trash cans with lids, and renew the areas that get tramples about once every 3 months. The leaves look good, are good for the sandy soil underneath and best of all free!

My son doesn't have problems with his ducks trampling the grass -- maybe because his grass is in shade and quite lush.

As for destroying plants: ducks will eat plants within reach and my naughty boys jumped up on my raised beds and ate my veggies. So I now have fencing round the raised beds. My son only has well established shrubs within reach of his ducks and, yes, they like azelea flowers, but the shrubs survive.

My ducks help me keep and invasive sword fern in check -- they don't eat the leaves, but when I pull the ferns up by the roots, the ducks eat the small round potato like swellings that would regrow into more sword ferns

Pekin ducks are noisy -- my pekin drake and one of my son's females in particular are very noisy ducks and it's non-stop all day. His female sometimes wakens at night and shouts laudly for 10 or 15 minutes too. We are fortunate in having neighbors who don't mind -- they only hear the ducks when they are in their gardens not from inside their homes. But if you should be in a neighborhood that doesn't permit duck keeping [many of us keep ducks "under the radar', as it were] Don't get pekins or other mallard dervide ducks. Certainly not call ducks!!! Get yourself muscovy.

My pekin drake is friendly and I can pick him up and cuddle him [which I do most days] although he only tolerates being picked up, he doesn't like it. My son's very noisy little pekin is very friendly and when I was going round there daily and giving her attention, she liked being petted. I could also pick her up, but as with my boy, she tolerated it but didn't like it per se. I don't get to see her that often now and my son doesn't spend the amount of time needed to keep his ducks petable, but they all come running up when he is in the garden and hang around his feet if he is sitting in a garden chair. One of my muscovy comes up and demands attention: he bites my ankles until I stop and pet him. He comes out of the coop or shed in the morning shouting in muscovy huffing way of shouting, and straight up to me demanding petting. But he was a rescue hand raised by me from 2 or 3 days old, and tightly bonded with me. He was quite put out when he was introduced to two other ducklings at 8 weeks old, and at 12 weeks all were moved out into the duck coup. He thinks he should be a house duck and tries to sneak in at any opportunity. So if you want friendly ducks that you can pet, get them as small ducklings and spend time with them everyday, including hold the ducklings and letting them run all over your hands and arms -- even letting them snuggle into a hoodie by your face.

As for recouping the expense of food and bedding -- no way. That will not happen. Pekins will each eat 2 cupsful of duck pellets a day when grown. I feed mine morning and late afternoon one cupful each. Female pekins will need supplementing with niacin throughout their egg laying lives. Brewer's yeast is expensive, and nutritional yeast even more so. But ducks will give you so much pleasure, that they are worth the expensive. View the eggs as a bonus!

 

[Stoney Meadow Maple]

I will never have another Pekin, i have 3 in my 10 duck flock, 95 percent of the health issues i have had are with the Pekins. They are too big for their own good, constantly leg injuries, foot injuries, etc. i currently have 2 riding out the winter in my basement.
My Rouens, Welsh Harlequin and Runners with good food and clean water do just fine, with very little drama, my Welshies are the quietest barely make a sound, the runners chatter but really aren’t very voluminous.
I turn them loose in the garden only before planting and after harvest because they trample everything.
Ducks left free range will get eaten by predators, period, they cant fly to get away, they have no means of defense.
My feed bill runs on average 60-65/month, i was probably 2500 in getting set up initially.
Is it worth it for eggs? No! Is it worth it for the enjoyment of Ducks? Absolutely. Would I do it again? Yes, but no Pekin this time, probably just runners next time, maybe KC’s

 

[Aunt Angus]

I will never have another Pekin, i have 3 in my 10 duck flock, 95 percent of the health issues i have had are with the Pekins. They are too big for their own good, constantly leg injuries, foot injuries, etc. i currently have 2 riding out the winter in my basement.
My Rouens, Welsh Harlequin and Runners with good food and clean water do just fine, with very little drama, my Welshies are the quietest barely make a sound, the runners chatter but really aren’t very voluminous.
I turn them loose in the garden only before planting and after harvest because they trample everything.
Ducks left free range will get eaten by predators, period, they cant fly to get away, they have no means of defense.
My feed bill runs on average 60-65/month, i was probably 2500 in getting set up initially.
Is it worth it for eggs? No! Is it worth it for the enjoyment of Ducks? Absolutely. Would I do it again? Yes, but no Pekin this time, probably just runners next time, maybe KC’s

Sorry you're having so many issues with your Pekin. I haven't had any so far, but it is true that Pekins are prone to problems. I have been very lucky.