Hello, I would like to raise ducks along with the new flock of chickens that I'm getting. I have a lot of questions. Can they live peacefully alongside chickens? I live in the city, are there some breeds that are quiet enough? (I've heard Muscovy ducks are the quietest, is that true?) If they are noisy could I put a rooster collar on them? (I've never used a rooster collar before, are they cruel?) Do they eat a lot? Are their eggs tasty? Does it take a lot of time caring for them? Can I get just one or do I need to buy more than one to keep them company? Is there anything I need to know before I buy a duckling? Thanks!
They can live peacefully with chickens but not all do. It will depend on the individual birds.
Muscovy's are quiet. Some area have regulations about owning them as they can be considered a problem with pushing out local birds from their environment so you will want to look into that.
Drakes do not make noise, they sound like they have larangytis. Only the females quack and they are loud. Again it will depend on the individual bird for how noisy they are. I have one girl that I can hear in my living room with all the windows closed. That is 200' from the duck pen! She seems to quack just to hear herself. Most of my others quack when they see us, to be let out in the morning and to get dinner in the evening.
Rooster collars work on the anatomy of a rooster and prevent them from moving the large amount of air they need to crow. Ducks are different so I doubt it would work.
Dependent on the breeds, yes they will eat more than a chicken because they are bigger than a chicken.
Their eggs taste very similar to chicken eggs. Most of my family and friends cannot tell the difference.
I have my ducks care down to a science and can get away with 15 minutes of work daily with a large pen/coop cleaning taking about one hour once per week. However in the beginning it was a mess and a ton of work.
Ducks are MESSY! A drop of water is all they need to make a muddy mess.
I would recommend getting at least two. Birds of a feather flock togehter.
I would read through the duckling care thread on this blog and purchase Storey's guide to raising ducks for more info.
Good luck!
