Chickens or Ducks

[ChookieG]

I've been raising 4 chooks I bought 3 months ago for eggs and one has been laying for a month now and another hopefully in the next week or so. I'm planning to eventually breed my own small flock so I can have better control of their health but am not certain whether I should continue with chooks or go with ducks. I say this because I'm living on a 1/4 acre suburban block and roos are generally considered a no no due to their shrill calls but if I can keep his calls to a lower decibel using a roo collar I think I can get away with it.

I know that drakes are quieter but the problem with ducks is they are rather messy creatures. They also require much more water which may be a problem here as I'm living in a semi-arid climate and water is precious. It was a very scary time for us as the continent went through a 7-year drought and severe water restrictions were implemented throughout our region and our dam was less than 10% full last year before the drought broke.

If I decide on the chook path, when's the best season to get a roo? Or should I get eggs and raise them myself? It's the start of Autumn now so I think it's better I get it in Spring when the days are longer and warmer? Is it too early to consider the next generation or should I be waiting a few more years once the girls are near their laying capacity and then breed them? Will they still remain fertile then? Or should I just get ducks a few years later since the roo can be too noisy?

Thanks!

 

[Quatie]

Drakes are quite, but ducks are very loud. You can hear them from quiet a distance sometimes. The only quiet ducks are muscovy.

And yes ducks are extremely messy. Adorable and wonderful, but so disgusting. And I love them dearly.

 

[ChookieG]

Drakes are quite, but ducks are very loud. You can hear them from quiet a distance sometimes. The only quiet ducks are muscovy.

And yes ducks are extremely messy. Adorable and wonderful, but so disgusting. And I love them dearly.

Thanks for your reply. Read somewhere that people (neighbors!) are more tolerant of duck quacks than roos. One of my chooks, a Rhode Island Red cross yells on top of her voice (bawwwwk bawwwwk bawwwwk!!) every morning at dawn until I let her out into the run. Then yells a couple more times during the day until I bring her lunch/tea/supper. I cringe a little whenever she does it, wondering what my neighbors are thinking.

I was hoping to get Welsh Harlequins if I go the duck route. Know anything about them?

 

[Quatie]

Ducks quack loudly when they want something. If you are late letting them out of the coop, they will let you know. If they see you come outside and expect treats, they will let you know. They quack to say hello to each other. Each individual duck is different. Some are more talkative, while others quieter. They are also louder during adolescent age, and quiet when they start to lay eggs.

I have welsh harlequins. They are pretty sweet. They use to be my loudest ducks, but khaki campbell has taken that spot. They are much quieter now, likely because they are lower status in the flock now. Mine are a bit skiddish, but I know some people have very social ones. They are good foragers. Mine are not the best layers; but depending where you get them from, you can get ones that are capable of laying more eggs.

You can also smooth things over with neighbors with free eggs. So if you decide the rooster or duck route, free eggs may go a long way to make neighbors happy. It wouldn't hurt seeing what your neighbors think about the noise.

 

[ChookieG]

Ducks quack loudly when they want something. If you are late letting them out of the coop, they will let you know. If they see you come outside and expect treats, they will let you know. They quack to say hello to each other. Each individual duck is different. Some are more talkative, while others quieter. They are also louder during adolescent age, and quiet when they start to lay eggs.

I have welsh harlequins. They are pretty sweet. They use to be my loudest ducks, but khaki campbell has taken that spot. They are much quieter now, likely because they are lower status in the flock now. Mine are a bit skiddish, but I know some people have very social ones. They are good foragers. Mine are not the best layers; but depending where you get them from, you can get ones that are capable of laying more eggs.

You can also smooth things over with neighbors with free eggs. So if you decide the rooster or duck route, free eggs may go a long way to make neighbors happy. It wouldn't hurt seeing what your neighbors think about the noise.

Thanks Quatie. Looks like I may have to stick to the chicken route. Just found out that duck eggs are very high in cholesterol - 3 times higher than recommended daily intake and I've got chol issues so will have to avoid them.

 

[Quatie]

Thanks Quatie. Looks like I may have to stick to the chicken route. Just found out that duck eggs are very high in cholesterol - 3 times higher than recommended daily intake and I've got chol issues so will have to avoid them.

That is a bummer. Good luck with your chicken endeavors.

 

[WallacetheKhakiCampbell]

I've been raising 4 chooks I bought 3 months ago for eggs and one has been laying for a month now and another hopefully in the next week or so. I'm planning to eventually breed my own small flock so I can have better control of their health but am not certain whether I should continue with chooks or go with ducks. I say this because I'm living on a 1/4 acre suburban block and roos are generally considered a no no due to their shrill calls but if I can keep his calls to a lower decibel using a roo collar I think I can get away with it.

I know that drakes are quieter but the problem with ducks is they are rather messy creatures. They also require much more water which may be a problem here as I'm living in a semi-arid climate and water is precious. It was a very scary time for us as the continent went through a 7-year drought and severe water restrictions were implemented throughout our region and our dam was less than 10% full last year before the drought broke.

If I decide on the chook path, when's the best season to get a roo? Or should I get eggs and raise them myself? It's the start of Autumn now so I think it's better I get it in Spring when the days are longer and warmer? Is it too early to consider the next generation or should I be waiting a few more years once the girls are near their laying capacity and then breed them? Will they still remain fertile then? Or should I just get ducks a few years later since the roo can be too noisy?

Thanks!

I LOOOVE ducks, MAYBE more than chickens. But if water is a problem, then they are a no-go. I live in western Washington where there is almost too much water. Also on a well so I don't get a water bill. I refill my duck swimming trough 3-5 times a day. They go through SOO much water. They are messy, but really its only a problem when they are in the brooder. In the future I will just give eggs to a broody hen and let her deal with them . And as others have mentioned, hen(ducks) are VERY loud. Only Muscovys are quite and they are very ugly to me.

My family did not want a rooster at first because they did not want to wake up to one. I thought a smaller rooster would be quieter... quiet the opposite. Get as big of a rooster you can. A small rooster has a shrill, high pitched, headache-inducing crow. I now have a blue copper Maran rooster who is very nice, and has a low pitched crow, medium noise level. Not bad at all. Wyandottes are also big and deep pitched. I have not heard one before but you could even try a Jersey Giant rooster.

Here is my rooster: Tony

 

[WallacetheKhakiCampbell]

Thanks for your reply. Read somewhere that people (neighbors!) are more tolerant of duck quacks than roos. One of my chooks, a Rhode Island Red cross yells on top of her voice (bawwwwk bawwwwk bawwwwk!!) every morning at dawn until I let her out into the run. Then yells a couple more times during the day until I bring her lunch/tea/supper. I cringe a little whenever she does it, wondering what my neighbors are thinking.

I was hoping to get Welsh Harlequins if I go the duck route. Know anything about them?

Welsh Harlequins are my FAVORITE! They are great mothers and CAN be very broody. Also, they are supposedly some of the sweetest. I also think they are the prettiest. Just don't make the same mistake I did. When you get your ducklings, spend the entire first day with them, get them super attached to you. Hold them, talk to them, eat by them, even take a book and just sit with them the entire day. For the few days after you don't have to be as extreme. But I thought just being the first human they saw after a long delivery, would make them tame; not the case. Mine are not so friendly and think I'm trying to kill them or something as a slowly reach in to refill their water. As long as you do this you will have a very happy flock of dog-like birds.

 

[ChookieG]

I LOOOVE ducks, MAYBE more than chickens. But if water is a problem, then they are a no-go. I live in western Washington where there is almost too much water. Also on a well so I don't get a water bill. I refill my duck swimming trough 3-5 times a day. They go through SOO much water. They are messy, but really its only a problem when they are in the brooder. In the future I will just give eggs to a broody hen and let her deal with them . And as others have mentioned, hen(ducks) are VERY loud. Only Muscovys are quite and they are very ugly to me.

My family did not want a rooster at first because they did not want to wake up to one. I thought a smaller rooster would be quieter... quiet the opposite. Get as big of a rooster you can. A small rooster has a shrill, high pitched, headache-inducing crow. I now have a blue copper Maran rooster who is very nice, and has a low pitched crow, medium noise level. Not bad at all. Wyandottes are also big and deep pitched. I have not heard one before but you could even try a Jersey Giant rooster.

Here is my rooster: Tony

He's beautiful! It's uncanny how you replied my thread just when I think I may be having a problem with one of my chooks and am thinking whether having a rooster would resolve the issue.

Well what it is is I have 4 chooks and one of them, a Plymouth Rock cross, got injured (lame) about a month back. It took me a lot of time and effort to care for her and now she's almost fully recovered. Prior to her injury, she used to be the alpha of the flock and quite aggressive. Frequently chasing and pecking the lowest rank in the flock during feeding, and whenever she feels like it. She became very submissive and docile when she became injured and the unfortunately thing however is she's now reasserting herself.

It's really frustrating. I can't exchange her as it's been almost 4 months since I purchased her from a local hobby farmer. I did originally had two Plymouth Rock crosses from her (from the 4 I bought) and in the first week one of them was so aggressive and was also crowing (!!) I swapped it for a Rhode Island Red cross. That's when the other (and current) Plymouth Rock took first spot.

I was working in the garden this morning and I heard a very loud distress call from the run. I didn't see what happened as I wasn't near the run but I quickly ran over to check. I didn't see any predators but I reckon she's been up to no good again.

Do you think having a Rooster will resolve the issue? I was originally thinking of getting a Roo in about 2 years from now as I want to breed them only when the chooks are fully mature but if the Roo will control her, I will consider getting one now.

 

[ChookieG]

Welsh Harlequins are my FAVORITE! They are great mothers and CAN be very broody. Also, they are supposedly some of the sweetest. I also think they are the prettiest. Just don't make the same mistake I did. When you get your ducklings, spend the entire first day with them, get them super attached to you. Hold them, talk to them, eat by them, even take a book and just sit with them the entire day. For the few days after you don't have to be as extreme. But I thought just being the first human they saw after a long delivery, would make them tame; not the case. Mine are not so friendly and think I'm trying to kill them or something as a slowly reach in to refill their water. As long as you do this you will have a very happy flock of dog-like birds.

I know they look sooo cute! And from what I've read have lovely temperaments too!