Beginner ducks?

[ShrekDawg]

Hi. I was wondering what the best breed of duck for a beginner would be? One that is friendly/sweet, lovable, relatively small-ish, relatively easy to care for, one that is easy to handle (relatively), good for beginners, etc. does this duck exist? thanks. also what are the requirments and stuff for ducks in terms of care, feeding, housing, etc? Also what do they eat and are they similar to chickens care or what? Are they loud/noisy and/or smelly? Do they too require a coop/duck house and if so can it be raised up and can they waddle/walk up a ramp to it? Is an area big enough for chickens big enough for them and like how much space do they need and stuff? And they need a pool/pond right? if I have a raised up coop can I put the pond under the coop so they have maximum run space? Male or female? Is like 2 ducks enough or should I get like 3? Can/will they have baby duckies? Should I get a male and a female (or 2 if I decide to get 3 ducks)? Do ducks lay eggs?, sorry dumb question I know I kind of meant can they lay with out a male? My mom go a pretty big kiddie pool at the dump will this be big enough? Sorry I know a lot of questions I just have never had ducks before. Thanks.

 

[amarook]

This was my first year with ducks. I got a pair of Runner ducks, and I love them.

 

[FenDruadin]

Hi Kdog. Welcome to BYC!

This is a GREAT place to get good duck information. I would also highly recommend a good duck book. The best one I know of is Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks by Dave Holderread. It will answer ALL your questions very well. The book is not expensive, but even cheaper is some time spent googling and reading all the awesome information out there on the free WWW.

In the mean time, here are some brief starter answers to your questions:

You will need a protected space with shelter. Ducks prefer to be firmly on the ground or in the water, so a raised coop is not the best option for them. They *can* go up a ramp, and can be kept in raised pens, but it's not their favorite. A kiddie pool, however, is quite fine for them for swimming, bathing, and drinking. It is what most of us use. Their pen, however, needs to be completely predator-proof, as they are very susceptible to predators. They need slightly more space than chickens, because they are slightly larger, but still they don't need tons. If you have a fenced yard, you can let them into the yard during the day and only close them up at night, and this way their pen/enclosure doesn't have to be as large.

Many breeds of duck will lay lots of eggs (more than chickens even), with or without a male present (but, obviously, not if there's no female, lol!). If you want babies, you need a male and to choose a breed that makes good mothers (or, get an incubator and hand raise the ducklings).

They quack. Not tons, not as loud as a rooster crowing (or a dog barking), but noticeable to, say, next door neighbors. Most people don't mind it though--I mean, they're ducks, people go out of their way to see ducks, so they usually don't mind a little quacking. They're not smelly if you practice basic good management. They ARE messy though. Yes, they will make messes. They will poop everywhere, voluminous quantities of wet gooey poo. It will attract flies if you don't manage it well (it's not hard to manage, you just have to do it--management practices will depend on your set-up). They will dig muddy holes anywhere they find a bit of water to loosen the soil. You will discover water in your yard in places you never knew water existed. It will appear as a large muddy spot in the middle of a formerly luscious green lawn. They will also eat all your favorite flowers, fruits, and herbs. HOWEVER, they will also eat all your worst bug enemies--you will not have slug, japanese beetle, or snail problems if you invite ducks into your yard and let them range about a bit.

They will eat regular chicken feed as long as it's not medicated, and as long as they also get bugs and greens (which they will harvest for themselves if allowed to range) or supplemented with niacin.

Breed of duck is a personal decision. Sounds like you might like call ducks, although they are noisy. Welsh Harlequins are popular. Pekins make nice pets and pretty, but are not good layers. Muscovys are very nice but not small. Hmm... Runners are great ducks, and smallish, but pretty high strung for a first duck if you are looking for calm/sweet. Someone else will have to give you advice on that score I'm afraid.

Good luck.

Edited for spelling.

 

[pirtykitty]

I love my welsh harlequins and cayugas...

 

[kcardella]

I think iamcuriositycat summed it up quite nicely!

Keep in mind that smaller ducks like Calls and Mallards can fly, and will need to have their wings clipped if they are not in a pen.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Thank you to everyone. and also would I need to heat their area and/or pool in the winter to keep it from getting too cold and freezing? And curiosity cat how big are Muscovies, I guess their size doesn't really matter too too much I just thought smaller ducks might be easier to handle/better for a beginner but maybe not which is why I said smallish. Also they probably require more room if they are bigger but that shouldn't be a problem. And I guess I will just put the duck house/coop part where the pool was gonna go, add wings, put the pool in the wing, and use the raised part for food or storage or something or just nothing. And yeah I will make it real predator proof since ducks are natural prey/food to the predators (we have ducks around here I think they are mostly mallards and stuff, also the noise shouldn't be too bad since we do have ducks in the area). thanks. Also can all ducks fly? Thanks.

 

[hendrix25]

I have Cayugas and they are pretty easy. Ducks love routines, so as long as you can form one with them, you shouldn't have too much of a problems with them. Some people on here compare ducks to cats. My ducks aren't loud at all, granted they are all boys. I've read that the females are louder in every breed. I'm looking to expand my flock next year, and my picks are welsh harlequins and runners.

 

[FenDruadin]

No problem.

Ducks are practically weather proof. A waterproof down coat does that for a critter.

However, they don't like drafts, so just make sure they have a shelter for the worst weather (some folks use a large dog igloo, some build a small wood shelter, others simply stack straw bales into a shelter--anything will do as long as it is well ventilated, sheltered from the wind, and within a predator-proof area if it's not already predator-proof). It rarely freezes where I live, but when it does I just break up the ice and add fresh unfrozen water once a day. In colder regions, you may need to change water twice daily or add a water heater to keep it from freezing.

Muscovies are the largest breed of duck. They are about the size of a goose, but shorter (depending on the goose breed, I guess--I'm thinking of Canada geese). They are also, supposedly, very very sweet. They are certainly quiet, and also very good mothers, capable of raising two broods of 12-25 ducklings every year. They are not great layers, as they tend to go broody a lot. Also, many people find them unattractive thanks to the red, bumpy "masks" they wear. Some people find that trait endearing though.

The muscovies that live on our lake (from before our time--I don't know where they came from originally) are friendlier than the ducks I've hand-raised, so I do not find it difficult to believe that they are the friendliest breed.

Most domesticated ducks do not fly much. Mallards, call ducks, and maybe a few others are good flyers. But most will not even easily clear a 3-foot fence (mine can, but only if they get a sudden scare and a good, running start, and only if they already know the fence is there).

 

[txredneckmedic]

I have 4 pekins...great for intruders...let me know if someone weirds around. not the most friendly

 

[ShrekDawg]

I don't know if I really want a duck that big plus they have the red bumps on face (muscovies) although they are friendly. welsh harlequins are cute.