Do ducks need swimming water?

[Quails1]

Actually I like ducks better. I know I was complaining but I feel like ducks are more affectionate than my chickens. When they were ducklings they thought I was their mommy and would cry and cry when they couldn't see me (the ones I hatched). Even today they still follow me around the yard and try to come in the house when I go in. They're so sweet. It was the rescues that weren't nice but they grew up wild. The chickens are nice too but I don't really have a problem culling and eating them. I couldn't even imagine doing that to my baby ducks.




Here they are all grown up

Awesome! For me, I have a feeling that chickens and other landfowl are better than waterfowl, like ducks. You think waterfowl are better. I guess we all have different experiences!

BTW, why are your ducks so friendly compared to mine? I got my duck from a swap-meet in Ontario, California (not in Canada!).

 

[buff goose guy]

I wouldn't say that one species is "better" than another. I think it's all in personal preference. I have chickens and ducks. I enjoy then all, but my ducks definitely have a special place in my heart. They're so cute and innocent and curious.... I just want to pick them up and squeeze them. And often times I do (not squeeze them, just cuddle them lol). That being said, I only have two ducks and I have 22 chickens. I had 5 ducks (3 were adult drakes that were rescued). The drakes were not very nice and the mess that 5 ducks make was more than I was willing to deal with. To me the ducks are by far more work than chickens. We culled the drakes (they were tasty) and now I have 2 left that I hatched from eggs. They are very messy. I have to change the litter in their house every other day, their water gets changed about 100 times per day. There is constantly large piles of duck poo on the back porch, and they spill their food everywhere. We have a few frog ponds that they go in and the pumps and filters constantly need cleaned/changed. That's with two ducks. Im not complaining I'm just explaining my duck care. The chickens need very minimal care compared to the ducks but that is my opinion. I love them but two is my limit on on ducks.

Amen! I formerly had a Muscovy duck (I got her as a duckling) and you are correct. I had a very similar experience to yours, only I had 1 duck instead of 2, and have noticed that ducks are not as affectionate as chickens and other landfowl. I released her at a golf course next to Quiet Cannon in Montebello on 11/20/16 and got her on 9/11 on that same year. I was unable to provide the adequate care requirements once she matured, as I don't have a pool large enough for her to swim comfortably in; she's too big! Waterfowl are more work than landfowl (like quails), and I'm not getting one again, which leads to my opinion that landfowl (or game birds) are better than waterfowl. I mean, I choose game birds over waterfowl, since they're cleaner, easier to maintain, and I'm able to fulfill their welfare needs properly, much more so than waterfowl.

Here's my Muscovy duck swimming in her pool: 

...and here's the duck's release: 

Hope this helps!

Well what's you did Is illegal.

But besides that
Waterfowl are factually cleaner birds becuase they bathe in water and wash themselves. Land poultry dust bathe which can increase the likelihood of mites and lice. So in saying that poultry are cleaner than waterfowl is factually false.

 

[Bills vs Beaks]

Well what's you did Is illegal.

But besides that
Waterfowl are factually cleaner birds becuase they bathe in water and wash themselves. Land poultry dust bathe which can increase the likelihood of mites and lice. So in saying that poultry are cleaner than waterfowl is factually false.

X2 x2 x2!

 

[Quails1]

Well what's you did Is illegal.

But besides that
Waterfowl are factually cleaner birds becuase they bathe in water and wash themselves. Land poultry dust bathe which can increase the likelihood of mites and lice. So in saying that poultry are cleaner than waterfowl is factually false.

I'm so sorry that I released my duck. I was unable to thoroughly satisfy the proper needs for a duck as much as possible. One of them is that I don't have a pool large enough for her to swim in, so my only option in mind was to release her.

It wasn't until you told me that waterfowl are cleaner than landfowl. However, waterfowl are much messier than landfowl and are more work.

 

[Bills vs Beaks]

Thats coz instead of putting the dirt on themselves, like chickens, they put it in the pool

 

[Quails1]

Thats coz instead of putting the dirt on themselves, like chickens, they put it in the pool

What do you mean?

 

[Bills vs Beaks]

You said waterfowl are messier

 

[Quails1]

You said waterfowl are messier

Yes, waterfowl (especially their waste) are messier than landfowl. Their poop is bigger and wetter, while the poop from landfowl is smaller and drier.

 

[Bills vs Beaks]

But it disappears faster. Chicken poop stays in blobs for ages all over the grass

 

[Quails1]

But it disappears faster. Chicken poop stays in blobs for ages all over the grass

Speaking from my experiences, chicken poop "disappears" faster than duck poop. I mean, chicken poop dries up faster and is easier to clean. Ducks' poop takes longer to dry (so it stays wet longer) and solidifies (sticking to the surface really well) once it has dried, thus, making duck poop harder to clean after.