Duck breeds together

[Evadig]

It’s mostly where their water is…they live to drill holes in the ground, turning your yard into a mud pit. They also poop a lot (runny poop) but that doesn’t bother me, though it does my family. They still might dig up your yard even if they don’t have water but it’s less likely. Mine love their water and spend 75% of the day in it. I made a fenced off area within the yard where they can dig it up as much as they like and I can sit on the outside and watch their antics (I also have a pond on my property so the fenced area is a necessity).

 

[Bb8]

It’s mostly where their water is…they live to drill holes in the ground, turning your yard into a mud pit. They also poop a lot (runny poop) but that doesn’t bother me, though it does my family. They still might dig up your yard even if they don’t have water but it’s less likely. Mine love their water and spend 75% of the day in it. I made a fenced off area within the yard where they can dig it up as much as they like and I can sit on the outside and watch their antics (I also have a pond on my property so the fenced area is a necessity).

Hm, ok thanks. My dream was to have them free range the whole backyard which we can’t allow for our chickens since they destroy the grass and gardens. I planned to have an area they could have water and be messy in but the rest be safe since we wouldn’t have water sources around there.

 

[Canadian Wind]

You aren't planning on getting many ducks, so you should be fine. But yes, their poop is very runny and messy, they do dig (but doing so they eat grubs), and my own yard is nothing but mud by the time Fall comes along, but I'm crazy and have way too many ducks!

 

[CoriM]

About the yard - they need to spend plenty of time where they can forage - it's what keeps them busy and what they enjoy. When I got my ducks my husband built them a beautiful house and I was surprised to find, as a new duck owner, that they weren't very excited about being in there. Their main desire is to be out in the yard, in the grass, where they have stuff to keep them busy. They will dig holes all over your yard with their beaks trying to get to bugs. I have a concrete patio and they really love to dig down along that, so it's like holes punched all the way along it. When my ducks are in their portable tractor (granted I have 10) they will get together and dig deeper larger holes, and destroy parts of the grass. I have acreage so my ducks have lots of grassy yard to run around in, and I move their tractor every 2-3 days, but they have definitely taken a heavy toll on my yard and several areas need repair this spring. Also, if you or other pets or young kids are using the same yard, or anyone bothered by duck poop, you'll need to regularly be hosing off their poop - their poop is very messy and they do it a lot. Every time my ducks are in their tractor for a couple of hours I go in and spray all the poop into the grass so they can use it again the next day and it's not totally messy. Also for swimming, I installed some preformed plastic ponds, but you can also use a kiddie pool. Just create a little ramp for them to get in and maybe a stone or brick on the inside to help them get out. Their pools get dirty fairly quickly, so expect to be dumping it and cleaning it 2-3 times a week depending on the weather. I don't know what your yard is like but just know before you take on ducks that a small suburban yard might be challenging, depending on your expectations for the space. When I was a kid I had some backyard ducks and we moved to a house with a small backyard. My parents fenced off an area for them and it quickly turned into a mud pit (which is also bad for the ducks to always be in mud) and they got rid of the ducks. So many people don't know what they're getting into and then want to unload the animals when they run into challenges, and that's really hard on the animals. That's why I'm giving you the warnings about the yard. As long as you know what to expect and you've planned ahead for your and your ducks happiness, you're good.