Considering raising ducks...

[buff goose guy]

Also I VERY much recommend living in a rural area .

 

[theawesomechick]

I've picked up from a lot of sources that ducks are very messy (and I've witnessed actual ducks being awesomely messy), is this true for the most part?

 

[theawesomechick]

Also I VERY much recommend living in a rural area .

Oh if only... stuck in a suburb.

 

[Joshua G]

I've picked up from a lot of sources that ducks are very messy (and I've witnessed actual ducks being awesomely messy), is this true for the most part?

Yes, ducks (especially ducklings) are extremely messy as they like to play in their water/drinker.
But I think that is if they are in a confined area such as a stock tank (for ducklings).
One VERY useful resource that I have found for raising ducks is "Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks" by author Dave Holderread available at Tractor Supply Co.

 

[buff goose guy]

Welcome aboard,
Excellent place to start your research.  A lot of good information to find trolling the duck forum.  For what it's worth, I started my duck farm last Fall, so I'm still a newbie, but learning fast.  Here is my story,

I live on 5 acres in Central Florida with nothing on it.  I wanted some sort of livestock and to work the land so it didn't seem like such a waste of space.  (Keep in mind, I grew up in NYC and hated it, but I digress).  One of my neighbors was bragging to me about a couple dozen chickens he has and that he has not bought eggs in over a year.  With that many chickens, most of his co workers benefit as well.  So there I was standing in the TSC poultry supply aisle picturing having chickens on my property.

At the end of the aisle was a book rack loaded with farming mags and books........and a Duck magazine.  I bought the Duck magazine and never thought about chickens again.

Here is what I've learned:
Everything takes longer and is more expensive than expected (story of my life).  But I completed a fenced in pasture and built an enclosed duckhouse out of old fenceposts.  Plan accordingly.

I didn't realize the extent of my predator problem until I lost most of my first batch of ducks.  I've set traps and have a rifle, but the best prevention has been putting the ducks in a secure pen at dusk.  I know I've lost a duck as early as 8 pm, but I think most were taken in the early morning hours.  

Unlike chickens, ducks go everywhere together.  It's  entertaining watch the group meander the property, so I had to get more.  I let them wander if I am working in the yard, but they are easy to locate and herd back to their pasture when it's time to go.

I now have two duck houses that I connect together for my bigger flock.  Both are open bottom and have wheels.  Once the babies are out of the brooder and on their own, I will move the quack shack once a week to fertilize another section of pasture.  You can tell from the very green squares of grass where I put the duck house most often.

Other than letting them out in the morning, feeding them and then at dusk feeding them and putting them in their quack shack, they do not consume much of my time.  Poultry feed seems cheap to me, almost unnecessary considering the ducks forage all day long anyway.

I'm not going to eat my ducks, but I do expect to have plenty of eggs in the near future.  I expect my omlets to taste a little different, but add enough cheese and ketsup and who can tell.  Besides, "home grown and free" make things taste better.  Supposedly ducks eggs are healthier and better for baking than chicken eggs.

Ducks seem like more of a novelty than chicken, IMHO.  My family and in-laws (all city folk) are enamored by my hobby duck farm, especially the little nieces and nephews.  I feed them by hand almost every day, but when my 4 y/o nephew feeds one by hand, his day care hears about it all week long.

I can go on all night, so just PM me if you have any other questions.  Some of the people on the forum have thousands of posts and a wealth of knowledge.  Decent people all of them.

Enjoy,
Rich

I feel your pain of loosing my beautiful ducks


The best thing to do is always introduce the ducklings to the adults that have survived the years past , somehow the new ducklings learn from this


Also leave maybe like one batch for the mom and then incubate the other batches that way the mom passes on her knowledge to her babies and when you put the babies you raise with the babies of that batch when they grow up they communicate and eventually all learn how to avoid predators .

 

[Joshua G]

We have always had ducks, blue swedish, but we have always purchased them at aout 10 week and they have a full 5 acres to run with a very large pond. But we thought we would buy some runner ducks at our local feed store this weekend. I have raised chickens from 3 days on but never ducks and I am having trouble finding information. can some one help?

First, what type of bedding should I use? Straw, hay, litter, shavings?

Second, I have read that their food needs to be wet is that true?

We were planning to keep them in the house until they are about 4 weeks and then move them into a large dog run until they are fully feathered, will this worK?

any other tips would be helpful

Thanks

A duck's food does not have to be wet but they must have access to water at the same time that they have access to food so they can swallow their food..

 

[theawesomechick]

Are ducks somewhat less susceptible to hawks than chickens?

 

[buff goose guy]

I've picked up from a lot of sources that ducks are very messy (and I've witnessed actual ducks being awesomely messy), is this true for the most part?

You don't even know they'll try to swim in the water even if it's less than 5 centimeters


Try to swim in there food

Stuff is thrown out everywhere


Bad part is if you incubate them you need to keep then inside for a while and cleaning that up is heck . But it really all is looked over by beautiful patterns when they grow up and how cute they are when little

 

[Joshua G]

Quote: I agree, watching them play makes up for having to clean up their mess.

 

[buff goose guy]

Are ducks somewhat less susceptible to hawks than chickens?

Yes and no , Muscovy ducks , I've never had a problem with hawks ,

Rouens , never had a problem

Flightless mallards hawks will MURDER in less than 2 seconds



Ducklings though , VERY MUCH SO . And turtles will eat ducklings so fast you can't even blink .





But really if you get some get Muscovys very easily tamed vey calm do not make any noise and can fly just enough to get away from predators .