Did I order too many ducks?

[Floof]

So I've never had ducks before. I've had chickens and quail, which I have loved raising, breeding, and hatching, but decided I wanted to try something new on my new piece of land. I was planning to order some (like 7) silver appleyard ducks from Holderreads but when I discovered they are retiring this year I got a little anxious. I was thinking "well what if I discover that I LOVE ducks and want more! I WONT BE ABLE TO GET MORE!", so I ended up ordering 23 ducks. I ordered my 7 silver appleyards and then the rest are from their assortments. When I told my husband, he looked at me a little frantic eyed but held his tongue. I know he thinks I'm going to be in over my head. My goal is to be able to meet my families egg and poultry meat needs with these ducks by hatching as many as I can. Eat the boys, raise out the girls for egg laying, and sell trios of extras on craigslist. I have a little over an acre for them to roam and I plan to put in a pond with a drain attached to a hose so I can drain their pond to water my garden on the other side of their fence (they will have the top portion of a hill to call home so gravity is on my side for that drainage hose). Is this enough space? Will my husband hate me for doing this? Will my neighbors hate me? Will they actually be better meat and egg wise than chickens? My chickens and quail just never felt like enough meat for our family and I would rather butcher 1 duck instead of 2 chickens or 6 quail. I am open to any and all feedback and advice.

 

[Knighstar679]

Thanks a lotta ducks! I am not sure what their assortment will give you but not all ducks are great for meat. The Welsh I had dressed in the fall aren't much bigger than the average store chicken you might buy but i do know many ducks are much bigger. The eggs are super tastey. One thing you might want to try before you get to involved is buying local duck eggs and having everyone eat a few first to make sure no one has a sensitivity to them. It would really suck if someone did. Some people can't eat duck eggs cooked in anything but baked goods some can't even have that.

Other wise it seems sound. But it is going to be a lot of work and a lot of fluffy ducky cuteness!

 

[pozees2]

I am envious and hope to live your duck experience vicariously . I have always wanted waterfowl, but we live in a very dry area, and I have tried without success to persuade my husband that ducks and geese would be great additions to our flocks of chickens. I think his objection is mostly because the idea of kiddie pools in winter sounds super not-fun.

 

[Knighstar679]

I am envious and hope to live your duck experience vicariously . I have always wanted waterfowl, but we live in a very dry area, and I have tried without success to persuade my husband that ducks and geese would be great additions to our flocks of chickens. I think his objection is mostly because the idea of kiddie pools in winter sounds super not-fun.

I had no kiddie pools in the winter. I used dollar store dish pans. prehaps that could be used in your next persuading!

 

[pozees2]

I had no kiddie pools in the winter. I used dollar store dish pans. prehaps that could be used in your next persuading!

Talk to me! Dish pans were enough? Wheels are turning in my brain ...

 

[sylviethecochin]

I think you should've maybe made sure you want that many ducks, first. Maybe started by going to Aldi's, picking up a butchered duck, and seeing whether you like it. Similarly, get some duck eggs.

Ducks are extremely fatty, dark meat. My mother does not like them at all. My father thinks they're delicious. I am the only person in my family who will willingly eat duck eggs any way but baked into something, and I think it's an acquired taste. My grandmother, who will boil anything and eat it, throws duck eggs over her fence.

 

[Knighstar679]

Talk to me! Dish pans were enough? Wheels are turning in my brain ...

my ducks were happy and healthy at the end of winter. I had 5 black east indies and 3 welsh harliquin at the time. I gave them a dish pan of water to clean with from the dollar store, (because I am cheap!) and filled it with a five gallon bucket they washed and were happy most of the winter except when the snow apcolypse came then they stayed in their house.

 

[Knighstar679]

I think you should've maybe made sure you want that many ducks, first. Maybe started by going to Aldi's, picking up a butchered duck, and seeing whether you like it. Similarly, get some duck eggs.

Ducks are extremely fatty, dark meat. My mother does not like them at all. My father thinks they're delicious. I am the only person in my family who will willingly eat duck eggs any way but baked into something, and I think it's an acquired taste. My grandmother, who will boil anything and eat it, throws duck eggs over her fence.

I feed my butched ducks to my dogs. I haven't been brave enough to eat them yet. But the eggs i do like as an egg salad, and i loved brownies with them! yummmm.... now i want brownies and everything is closed due to lock down i will have to aquire brownie mix now!

 

[CindyinSD]

Ducks do better at foraging (when there's anything to forage, which here, is maybe five months of the year...) otherwise I'm told they eat more than chickens. I have so many birds I have no idea who eats what. They do eat a lot, but you plan to (and you must) harvest most of the males. I understand three ducks to a drake is the usual ratio.

I have only two little Welshie drakes at present, though, and DH loves them so I guess they're staying. I have a quad of American Buff geese and oh what eggs! I am hoping for goslings but little papa hasn't yet figured out how to use his equipment.

I don't think you overdid it. But then then I did just order a dozen Ancona eggs and a dozen mixed ones. We'll see what hatches out. Shipped eggs can be iffy. My DH is probably gonna feel some kinship to yours, whatever happens. Like you, I will slaughter the extra boys and maybe sell diy duck kits to people newly thinking about food security. I hear baby fluffies are selling out in the feed stores in South Texas as soon as they hit the shelves. Maybe that portends a hot market for small-fry bird addicts like us, too.

 

[CindyinSD]

Talk to me! Dish pans were enough? Wheels are turning in my brain ...

I don't give my ducks and geese anything but drinking water in winter (and winter is loooooong here). They seem happy enough.