Are the duckies pricey??

[Tivona]

To a certain extent the cost will depend on you and how pretty you want it and what you already have on hand or can get cheap in your area. The coop is important to have secure but sometimes you can find 2nd hand materials or make one from some of what you already have.
I use tall grassy weeds pulled from my garden for some of the bedding in the spring to cut down on cost. During the winter I have rain barrels collect the pond water (clean garbage cans sitting under the drip line). My ducks can free range during the day to eat bugs/dandelions and what not. I have layer ducks and they lay beautiful large eggs almost every day of the year. I also sell a few duck eggs to a friend with allergies. I do tons of baking with the eggs I do keep. For me I would say I am saving money having the ducks (eggs) but I did have a lot available cheap or free to start my coop/ yard. Also my coop is not really the prettiest, something I continue to work at slowly improving the set up. I will say that chickens I have had in the past were cheaper on a day to day cost. Nontheless I love my messy, mud making, food gobbling ducks better!

 

[OrangeNational]

5 bucks a duckling seems to be the average price. But you can probably get them for less. Added money does go into sexing at the hatchery, you want an ideal ratio unless you plan on culling the extra males.

 

[newbyduckmom]

Set up (housing, pen, food dishes, bedding) upfront is the biggest expense....but then there is the recurring cost of getting more ducks once you are hooked!

And cost of food, bedding, electricity to heat/light/keep water melted in winter the house if needed.

The ducks themselves are inexpensive - especially if you get them from a local feed store. I have seen them from $4.99 to $7.99 a piece depending on whether they are sexed or not.

 

[DuckiesPLZ]

Quote:
What is culling? :0

 

[StevenW.]

Quote:
If your harlequins are only 4lbs...you are not feeding them enough....ducks should weigh at least 4 1/2 lbs... drakes at least 5 1/2 lbs. Mine have access to food 24/7 and they do not gorge themselves...they eat what they want and then go about to the business of play. My Ancona ducks are the same way but they are a larger breed still they do not gorge either.

Ducks can be expensive...they need a secure enclosure, a clean dry draft-free place to sleep, a pool and/or constant water and they are much messier than chickens so you will go through a higher bedding expense. In the summer they need a pool and shade.

Research raising ducks before you buy them so you are fully prepared....if you are not willing to work your tail off in order to provide for them and care for them, then they may not be the best choice for you....they need care and your time, they have different nutritional needs than chickens as well.

But just remamber ducks will eat until they are bloated, so give them a ration.

Wrong. My ducks have food 24/7. My females weigh around 5 pounds and males about 6- 6 1/2 pounds.

Animals are expensive. Period.​

 

[njduck]

culling is getting rid of the unwanted drakes or hens. AKA dinner

 

[fisharescary]

Quote:
All costs will depend on how many you keep. Let's say you keep 3 (which I feel is the minimum amount due to their very social nature). Since they're ground nesters an inexpensive but solid doghouse would be perfect. Make sure it has good ventilation - not a dogloo. I have several different houses for my breeding yards - one is an old doghouse someone was giving away so it was free. I drilled 1 inch holes all around just below the roofline about 3 inches apart. The door is an old heavy duty louvered window shutter I got on freecycle (with hinges still attached). The latch is a simple screen door latch with that little springy closure piece on the hook because raccoons are crazy smart. Then I lined the floor with an old scrap piece of tarp to protect the wood from dampness the ducks create in the straw bedding. That's more than enough ventilation but also draft free, totally solid and predator proof and cost me about $2.

For 3 ducks (which is what I kept in there) I added a new layer of straw about once a week and cleaned the whole thing out to the compost pile about every 3 or 4 months, your mileage may vary. In winter I allow the straw to compost down all winter which provides additional heat for the ducks.

Here a bale of good straw goes for $5 and one bale would last me about 3 months for 3 ducks... but on wet days I sprinkle some in the yard to keep their duck feet out of the mud. One 50 lbs bag of feed is just under $14 here at the local co-op and for 3 ducks I estimate that I could get about 2 months or longer out of that bag... how much they eat depends on the temperature and how hard their bodies work to stay cool or warm. So I estimate that your monthly cost of keeping 3 ducks would be less than $9. But you'll get about one egg per day from your 3 girls and you can subtract the cost of eggs for the month off the top of that number. Extras can be sold for an average cost of $3/doz - regional amounts vary quite a bit.

I'd venture to say you could add 3 ducks more for an extra $4 per month. They'll need a very large doghouse if you have 6 and that may require you to locate 2 free or cheap doghouses and link them together.

Of course, mine get treats and extra stuff that are impossible to put a price on because they just enjoy them too much

But yours will be equally happy with frozen peas, or left over watermelon.

I hope this helps.

Additional thanks, this helped me too.

 

[FarmrGirl]

Quote:
All costs will depend on how many you keep. Let's say you keep 3 (which I feel is the minimum amount due to their very social nature). Since they're ground nesters an inexpensive but solid doghouse would be perfect. Make sure it has good ventilation - not a dogloo. I have several different houses for my breeding yards - one is an old doghouse someone was giving away so it was free. I drilled 1 inch holes all around just below the roofline about 3 inches apart. The door is an old heavy duty louvered window shutter I got on freecycle (with hinges still attached). The latch is a simple screen door latch with that little springy closure piece on the hook because raccoons are crazy smart. Then I lined the floor with an old scrap piece of tarp to protect the wood from dampness the ducks create in the straw bedding. That's more than enough ventilation but also draft free, totally solid and predator proof and cost me about $2.

For 3 ducks (which is what I kept in there) I added a new layer of straw about once a week and cleaned the whole thing out to the compost pile about every 3 or 4 months, your mileage may vary. In winter I allow the straw to compost down all winter which provides additional heat for the ducks.

Here a bale of good straw goes for $5 and one bale would last me about 3 months for 3 ducks... but on wet days I sprinkle some in the yard to keep their duck feet out of the mud. One 50 lbs bag of feed is just under $14 here at the local co-op and for 3 ducks I estimate that I could get about 2 months or longer out of that bag... how much they eat depends on the temperature and how hard their bodies work to stay cool or warm. So I estimate that your monthly cost of keeping 3 ducks would be less than $9. But you'll get about one egg per day from your 3 girls and you can subtract the cost of eggs for the month off the top of that number. Extras can be sold for an average cost of $3/doz - regional amounts vary quite a bit.

I'd venture to say you could add 3 ducks more for an extra $4 per month. They'll need a very large doghouse if you have 6 and that may require you to locate 2 free or cheap doghouses and link them together.

Of course, mine get treats and extra stuff that are impossible to put a price on because they just enjoy them too much

But yours will be equally happy with frozen peas, or left over watermelon.

I hope this helps.

Additional thanks, this helped me too.

Awesome!

I mean if you're really watching your cost and counting your pennies here, we can do a little "best case math". Because the start-up cost can vary a bunch depending on how resourceful you are, what breeds you purchase, and where you purchase them we'll just start from the above example monthly maintenance as a cost point (rounded up): My 3 example ducks are costing you about $10 per month to cheerfully maintain.

Now assuming you decide to raise ducks that are good year round layers, as opposed to seasonal, you can count on an egg almost every day from each girl as long as you take good care of them. Let's just say you have 3 Runners, Campbells, or Welsh Harlequins (or one of each!) you'll be getting 3 eggs almost every day:

3 x 30 = 90 (when it's really hot or cold they don't lay as well, but it varies individually and they don't lay when they molt)... that's 7.5 dozen eggs per month on a crazy good month. Ok... that's a lot - you'll get more like an average of 5.5 dozen per month - some months more some months less.

Then let's say that you can get $3 per dozen if you sell your eggs (that's what I charge here but I've seen them at the market for $5/doz), that's $16.50 per month in Ducky Rent. I know you'll be eating the eggs but you have to allow that you're buying eggs from yourself (or basically from your girls

). So if you only eat 2 dozen per month like I do, you're actually getting $10.50 per month cash on the barrel-head.

I'd say that even if you don't allot for the entertainment value of your little quackers, they're certainly paying their own way!

Here's the reality: You'll reinvest all that money (and more!) in additional ducks once you get hooked! LOL!