Duck breeding help

[mutherclucker99]

Ok so I'm just getting started with ducks and I have tons of questions. I have had chickens for years but we recently moved to a small farm and I read about duck eggs, and wanted to give them a shot (I also find ducks very cute and entertaining). I've heard people have had success selling duck hatching eggs online and I'd really like to try, from what I've seen they're $3-4+ an egg?! Anyways getting to my actual questions...

Does anyone have experience selling duck hatching eggs (online or local)? Is it something you'd recommend trying? Where do you sell yours?

Is it hard to get NPIP certified in CA?

This is a big one... I'd like to have 3 breeds (really id like to have 5-6 but ive narrowed down...) but how do you go about separating the breeds? I am planning on have 3 separate sections of the run/coop so thats not a huge deal, but Id like to let them out into a pasture everyday. Sectioning off the pasture isn't an option. Rotating them seems like a pain and I'd really like them to all get out everyday, so heres what I was thinking: let all the ducks out in the pasture together and confine the drakes into one of the 3 pens together. Is this a terrible idea? I feel bad not letting them out (I probably would for a little bit every few days anyways) but I am struggling to see an easier way. That already seems like a pain to separate out the drakes every day and put them back in the right pens at night but I just can't think of a better solution besides alternating the days each breed gets out, but then that would only be every 3 days each

So, how do you separate your breeds for breeding? Any ideas for my situation? General advice?

Also, the breeds i'm thinking of going with are welsh harlequins, cayuga, and either runners or magpies, stuck between those. Trying to balance the ones I like and the ones that are going to sell.

All thoughts/ideas/experience appreciated. Thanks all!

 

[Augie1]

Ok so I'm just getting started with ducks and I have tons of questions. I have had chickens for years but we recently moved to a small farm and I read about duck eggs, and wanted to give them a shot (I also find ducks very cute and entertaining). I've heard people have had success selling duck hatching eggs online and I'd really like to try, from what I've seen they're $3-4+ an egg?! Anyways getting to my actual questions...

Does anyone have experience selling duck hatching eggs (online or local)? Is it something you'd recommend trying? Where do you sell yours?

Is it hard to get NPIP certified in CA?

This is a big one... I'd like to have 3 breeds (really id like to have 5-6 but ive narrowed down...) but how do you go about separating the breeds? I am planning on have 3 separate sections of the run/coop so thats not a huge deal, but Id like to let them out into a pasture everyday. Sectioning off the pasture isn't an option. Rotating them seems like a pain and I'd really like them to all get out everyday, so heres what I was thinking: let all the ducks out in the pasture together and confine the drakes into one of the 3 pens together. Is this a terrible idea? I feel bad not letting them out (I probably would for a little bit every few days anyways) but I am struggling to see an easier way. That already seems like a pain to separate out the drakes every day and put them back in the right pens at night but I just can't think of a better solution besides alternating the days each breed gets out, but then that would only be every 3 days each

So, how do you separate your breeds for breeding? Any ideas for my situation? General advice?

Also, the breeds i'm thinking of going with are welsh harlequins, cayuga, and either runners or magpies, stuck between those. Trying to balance the ones I like and the ones that are going to sell.

All thoughts/ideas/experience appreciated. Thanks all!

Its take about a year in CA to get your NPIP there is a waitlist

 

[mutherclucker99]

Its take about a year in CA to get your NPIP there is a waitlist

Oh wow thank you that’s good to know! So I should get on the waitlist now then even tho I don’t have my birds yet? That’s crazy!! Thanks for letting me know, are you npip certified/in the process?

 

[Augie1]

Oh wow thank you that’s good to know! So I should get on the waitlist now then even tho I don’t have my birds yet? That’s crazy!! Thanks for letting me know, are you npip certified/in the process?

You can be part of the small flock program which is the waitlist or you can be a indecent flock but you have to get private vet and everything to take the tests but you don't have to wait. Here is the email to sign up [email protected] and yes I'm on the waitlist.

 

[Floof]

I'm still relatively new to ducks but my experience thus far has been that my ducks don't like separating from their buddies and will stand next to the fence that divides them and quack LOUDLY until they are reunited. You don't need much of a fence to separate their spaces. I think 3 foot tall fencing would even work. Your chickens could come and go but your ducks shouldn't be able to. I know my ducks can't even get 1 foot off the ground.

 

[mutherclucker99]

I'm still relatively new to ducks but my experience thus far has been that my ducks don't like separating from their buddies and will stand next to the fence that divides them and quack LOUDLY until they are reunited. You don't need much of a fence to separate their spaces. I think 3 foot tall fencing would even work. Your chickens could come and go but your ducks shouldn't be able to. I know my ducks can't even get 1 foot off the ground.

Oh wow I hadn't even really thought of that... well shoot I can just picture 2 dozen ducks quacking at a fence waiting for their drakes I don't know what the heck I'm gonna do then...