Considering getting ducks. Pros and cons?

[Jada22]

We are thinking of getting ducks possibly just 2?
Hoping they’d be good for slug control.
Tell me all about them. What are they like?

We have a pond but would likely need to line it to keep the water clean as it’s very muddy, it’s essentially just a big hole in the ground.
They would be kept on about 1/4 of an acre.
How much of a mess would they make? Are they easy to contain?
Any plants that are very toxic to them?

 

[Daphne_loves_mealworms]

We are thinking of getting ducks possibly just 2?
Hoping they’d be good for slug control.
Tell me all about them. What are they like?

We have a pond but would likely need to line it to keep the water clean as it’s very muddy, it’s essentially just a big hole in the ground.
They would be kept on about 1/4 of an acre.
How much of a mess would they make? Are they easy to contain?
Any plants that are very toxic to them?

I have had ducks for over 6 years now and I love them! They are ridiculously messy, but it is manageable if you keep up with daily cleaning. I do not have a pond, but I do use baby pools that need to be changed daily, even if only used by a couple of ducks. Their drinking water needs to be changed even more often, and they delight in spilling water and creating mud! They also poop everywhere, and will poop in a freshly made pool within seconds of entering it.

Most domesticated ducks, except for Muscovies and Mallards, are very poor flyers, but they can make it over low fences with a little burst of energy and much flapping. Mallards and Muscovies can absolutely fly away if their wings aren’t trimmed.

They do eat slugs, but the slugs sometimes don’t agree with them. I don’t know if there are certain ones that are a bit toxic, but I’ve witnessed mine drooling/foaming after getting a “bad” slug. They recover after drinking a lot of water. They also eat tons of worms, any other insect they can catch, frogs, and little snakes.

One thing to know is that they are a favorite on every predator’s menu. Foxes, raccooons, bobcats, hawks, coyotes, weasels, etc. all love duck. Ducks have very few defenses and will absolutely get eaten if not protected.

Ducks are also a bit tricky in that they often don’t show signs of illness until they are very sick. You would want more than 2 ducks as if something happened to one, the other would be inconsolable if alone, forcing you to go on an “emergency friend finding mission”.

You can have all females or all males, but if you have a combination, you need to have plenty of females per male. An all female flock is great!

Oh, and hatchery quality ducks are not bred to live a long healthy life. They can live 12 or 14 years, and you should be prepared for that, but they often die much sooner from illness or predation. Females get reproductive/egg-laying issues a lot!

I’m not very knowledgeable about the poisonous plants, and am thankful that mine seem to know what is safe and what they should avoid.

Anyways, I definitely recommend ducks. They take a lot of time, but I can no longer imagine life without them!

 

[Jada22]

I have had ducks for over 6 years now and I love them! They are ridiculously messy, but it is manageable if you keep up with daily cleaning. I do not have a pond, but I do use baby pools that need to be changed daily, even if only used by a couple of ducks. Their drinking water needs to be changed even more often, and they delight in spilling water and creating mud!

Most domesticated ducks, except for Muscovies and Mallards, are very poor flyers, but they can make it over low fences with a little burst of energy and much flapping. Mallard and Muscovies can absolutely fly away if their wings aren’t trimmed.

They do eat slugs, but the slugs sometimes don’t agree with them. I don’t know if there are certain ones that are a bit toxic, but I’ve witnessed mine drooling/foaming after getting a “bad” slug. They recover after drinking a lot of water. They also eat tons of worms, any other insect they can catch, frogs, and little snakes.

One thing to know is that they are a favorite on every predator’s menu. Foxes, raccooons, bobcats, hawks, coyotes, weasels, etc. all love duck. Ducks have very few defenses and will absolutely get eaten if not protected.

Ducks are also a bit tricky in that they often don’t show signs of illness until they are very sick. You would want more than 2 ducks as if something happened to one, the other would be inconsolable if alone, forcing you to go on an “emergency friend finding mission”.

You can have all females or all males, but if you have a combination, you need to have plenty of females per male. An all female flock is great!

Oh, and hatchery quality ducks are not bred to live a long healthy life. They can live 12 or 14 years, and you should be prepared for that, but they often die much sooner from illness or predation. Females get reproductive/egg-laying issues a lot!

I’m not very knowledgeable about the poisonous plants, and am thankful that mine seem to know what is safe and what they should avoid.

Anyways, I definitely recommend ducks. They take a lot of time, but I can no longer imagine life without them!

Very informative thank you!
Do you think ducks attract predators more than chickens?
I’ve never had issues with predators despite having foxes nearby. I have feral cats who hang out with the chickens a lot and I also have dogs, indoors but they bark when anything comes near. Not sure if the ducks would need extra protection than the chickens do.

I’d probably go with females as we let our chickens out to different areas at times so just in case the ducks and chickens came in contact I’ve heard males will try to mate with chickens and hurt them.

Is dirty water a problem for them?
Wondering if it’s better to leave the pond as is and instead have pools that are changed more regularly just not sure if that unchanged muddy water could lead to problems.

Any breed/breeds you find are better to own?

 

[Daphne_loves_mealworms]

Very informative thank you!
Do you think ducks attract predators more than chickens?
I’ve never had issues with predators despite having foxes nearby. I have feral cats who hang out with the chickens a lot and I also have dogs, indoors but they bark when anything comes near. Not sure if the ducks would need extra protection than the chickens do.

I’d probably go with females as we let our chickens out to different areas at times so just in case the ducks and chickens came in contact I’ve heard males will try to mate with chickens and hurt them.

Is dirty water a problem for them?
Wondering if it’s better to leave the pond as is and instead have pools that are changed more regularly just not sure if that unchanged muddy water could lead to problems.

Any breed/breeds you find are better to own?

I don’t know if ducks attract predators more, but I feel that they are slower and less agile. Also, while ducks seem to be pretty good about watching the skies and behaving appropriately if there is an aerial danger (or a plane), their reaction to seeing or sensing a land-based predator is to stand still and quack incredibly loudly!

I don’t know if dirty pond water would be an issue, but I am afraid they will get sick if there is blue-green algae or decaying organic matter. Idk how logical my fear is!

As far as breeds go, I have or have had Rouens, Muscovies, and a Pekin (not counting my current babies).

I love my Rouens as they are very simple and sweet and are extremely cold tolerant.

I love Muscovies because they have far more complex and entertaining personalities.

The Pekin was nice, but died from a mysterious illness that hit very suddenly. When researching what could have happened I read that Pekins tend not to live long lives and have a lot of leg issues since they are so big.

I now have a Welsh Harlequin baby and what I think is a Khaki Campbell baby along with more Rouens.