Breed recommendations and living quarters.........

[emjay]

seems like an easy basic concept for ducks. not as high maintenance as chickens then, whew.

how about in the winter, do you have heat lamps, insulated quarters.

our winters don't get too cold, but, very damp, so feels colder then what the thermometer says.

 

[duckboatprincess]

We have our ducks in a four panel dog pen. I have four adults (2 cayugas, a pekin, and a rouen) and two ducklings in there. The ducklings are in a smaller wire dog cage until they're big enough to run with the others. Their cage is also in with the ducks. The big ducks free range all day and only get penned at night. The little kids are let into the bigger pen during the day and then put into the smaller cage at night. Since they're only in there for a few hours a day, they don't need a lot of room. I do have their water and food in there because it keeps wild animals out of it and allows access to the babies during the day. The big ducks don't get fed until they go in at night. I also have a kiddy pool for them, but it is outside the pen, so the big ducks have access to water 24/7. We have a pond/marsh in our woods, so the adults like to go out there but they love the clean kiddy pool more!

In the winter, you can tarp three sides and then surround the outside with straw bales. This is what I plan on doing for them. I keep a heat lamp hooked up in the pen for the ducklings because we've had some chilly days lately and they are just starting to feather.

 

[Wifezilla]

how about in the winter, do you have heat lamps, insulated quarters

I used to worry about the ducks when we had blizzards until hubby reminded me of something...

"Honey...you DO realize ducks are made out of DOWN...right?"

 

[emjay]

wifezilla, your hubby made a very good point, that's a good one, and such the obvious, thus why most probably don't think of that, haha.


we have a marsh too, but, hopefully they like it, if not, kiddiepool it is.

 

[Sweetfolly]

I LOVE sharing pics of my big duck pen, which is basically just a glorified 4x8 plywood box. With a nice, thick layer of pine shavings and straw on the floor, they do just fine in Wisconsin's frigid winters without any insulation or artificial heat.

This is the interior of my new (unfinished) drake pen (I put their food and water on the plastic tote lid, to help contain the mess):

And this is their little "duckie door" that will lead to their outside run (once I get around to building it

)

As far as breed reccommendations - I've learned while reading this forum that Wifezilla fully endorses Welsh Harlequins, Cetawin swears by Anconas, but I personally think you can't go wrong with a Dutch Hookbill - they're old, rare, unique, and deserve a greater following!

Here's my rotten bunch of ten ducklings I raised this year - my Hookbill Drake (Denny) is the handsome guy at the far left, whose bill is obscuring that of my Hookbill duck (Eve). The rest of the stinkers are Dark Campbells, along with a Buff Runner and a White Runner.

 

[Wifezilla]

Hard to go wrong with either of those three breeds!

You forgot to mention Goat Walker and her love of mutt ducks. Have to admit, my buff/khaki mutt is a riot

 

[duckboatprincess]

And I'm for cayugas and pekins lol! Although, as Wifezilla knows, I just might become a WH enthusiast myself lol!

 

[Duck Keeper]

Quote:
If you tarp that dog kennel MAKE SURE TO TETHER IT DOWN!!

Ours rolled over so many times we actually lost a mallard female. I think she just flew off one day after it rolled. It's all dinged up and busted.

We just used a bunch of cinder blocks stacked up and then tied on with (I want to say bungie cords, but I know that's not what they're called) tie downs (like if you wanted to secure something in the back of a truck)... They had a winch type thing to tighten them.

Oh, and you're going to have to shovel snow a lot, unless you put a tarp on top too, but make sure to have that well-braced/supported, or it'll collapse if you don't clean it off frequently. Also, get some rubber bowls! THOSE are a life saver when waterers start to freeze. Just flip them over and kick the ice out.



Edit: I'm all for Silver Appleyards!

Rare, big and fat, BEAUTIFUL coloring... But just try a BUNCH of breeds, you'll figure out what you like the most. Most ducks all have about the same personality (obviously not the rule) and the only difference is their breed/color.
Mutts can be wonderful ducks, mine are such cute crosses.

Ducks only need a shelter with three sides and a top, and if you make a three sided shelter out of bales of hay just put some plywood up there with a cinder block on top to keep it from blowing away. Can you tell I have a lot of wind up here?

Of course, I just used a large plastic dog house with a block on top to keep it from rolling over. They prefer to lay in there if you put a golf ball in where they can see it.

 

[Wifezilla]

Ducks only need a shelter with three sides and a top

This will be their first winter with the x-large dog igloo. Since the pen is also covered, I am not going to bother installing the door flap.​

 

[Duck Keeper]

Quote:
This will be their first winter with the x-large dog igloo. Since the pen is also covered, I am not going to bother installing the door flap.

My ducks don't like the flap. We had to cut one side shorter than the other (it's split down the middle) just for them to use it.