Ducks are cute, but....should I??

[KnightsMist]

I'm hoping to start a flock of chickens this year or next (starting with 8-10 and then I'm sure chicken math up to about 25 hahaha) and of course everyone's cute pictures of ducklings has me thinking...should I add a couple ducks, too???

My biggest hesitation is the extra work for ducks re:water in the form of a pond, small pool, etc. I already have a horse and donkey (and a family!), I'm not above doing work and getting my hands dirty but I don't want to add a ton of extra daily work to my plate. Everything I've read about chickens seems they'll be pretty easy....so should I get a couple ducks too, or skip? How much work are they really??

ETA- We have a low lying area by the paddock that holds water for a good part of the year but definitely dries up in the heat of the summer- so I know that could be a possible part-time option for them if they free range (I plan to keep chickens in a large coop and fenced run) but will need a solution for July/Aug/Sept when the wet area is mostly dry (save for a big rain, but then it's just temporary).

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

Less than chickens

 

[CoriM]

I think they're more work than chickens - at least from what I've seen friends do with chickens, but it probably depends on your set-up. And mine are pets, so I love them and try to give them a happy life and keep their area clean. I live surrounded by woods, so everytime they're out of their run (which they want to be all the time) I have to supervise them, which I do a couple times a day. But the big deal for anyone is their mess. Their poop is running and gross and they constantly poop. I scoop it out of their house and run a couple times a day and sprinkle fresh shavings down. When they take one sip out of their water bowl, it's instantly dirty, so that has to be refreshed several times a day. Ducks will be so sad if they don't have a place to swim. I have a little tiny pool insert in their run, which I drain everyday and refill, because they mostly drink out of it. What they adore is their blue kiddie pool, which needs to be dumped and refilled every few days, and scrubbed once a week or so. So yeah, if you're getting them for pets and want to keep them clean, they're a big effort. But they're so cute and mine are pretty tame, so I love having them!

 

[DuckGirl77]

Ducks are the best! They can live with chickens and I actually prefer them to chickens a little . They have tons of personality, very friendly, cute, where do I start?

They are messy. And very wet. So your coop and run should be ready for that. Basically, you have to prepare for it - but with the right waterers, bedding, and space, I would say, no, they're not that much extra work. You do have to change their water more often and empty and refill their pool - although they don't technically need a pool, just enough water to dunk their heads.
Also, make sure you've allotted enough space for them, because they can be a bit dirty. I gave mine the minimum square footage recommended for ducks for a couple months but cleaning it out at least once a week got tiring. Eventually I put them in the big coop with the chickens and had a much easier time keeping it clean and the odor down. The space helped definitely, but also keeping them with chickens allows the chickens to stir up the bedding, keeping it cleaner.

Do your research ahead of time - they're not chickens, so you have to treat them a bit differently, but when you have a system, they're not hard to take care of, and they're definitely a lot of fun

That being said, I raised my chickens and ducks separately and at different times. There's alot to learn about each, and I found it easier to take on one kind of bird at a time, if that makes sense. But it's up to you and what you want your flock to be like! Either way, have fun with whatever decision you make!

 

[KnightsMist]

Ducks are the best! They can live with chickens and I actually prefer them to chickens a little . They have tons of personality, very friendly, cute, where do I start?

They are messy. And very wet. So your coop and run should be ready for that. Basically, you have to prepare for it - but with the right waterers, bedding, and space, I would say, no, they're not that much extra work. You do have to change their water more often and empty and refill their pool - although they don't technically need a pool, just enough water to dunk their heads.
Do your research ahead of time - they're not chickens, so you have to treat them a bit differently, but when you have a system, they're not really a ton of work.

That being said, I raised my chickens and ducks separately and at different times. There's alot to learn about each, and I found it easier to take on one kind of bird at a time, if that makes sense. But it's up to you and what you want your flock to be like! Either way, have fun with whatever decision you make!

I may just start with some chicks and see how that goes first but the duckling pictures are getting to me!!! Hahaha

 

[Knighstar679]

I like my duckies. I am not as big of their fans in the winter when I am dragging buckets of water out to their run. But their cute and adorable. You can get away with minimal water for swimming if you get Muscovies.

Your right duck math is a lot like chicken math. You can plan for 8 and end up with 25 easy. Happened my first year before I had to get rid of my them. Now I have restarted my flock and am down to 6 ducks and hatching more to try and fix my male/ female ratio. But the cute bill faces are worth it.

 

[chickens really]

Ducks actually are messy and stink. Chickens are easier

 

[hannahselby94]

I have both, if you don’t have enough females to male ratio, things get violent. My male pekin chases after the chickens ( not sure if playing or aggressive), my female pekin doesn’t both them. Just the males. Had to rehome 2 other males cause they were so violent towards the chickens (always trying to mate). I don’t want anymore ducks after these two. I feel like if I had a nice big pond I would, but I just have a kiddie pool and I don’t think that’s fair to them.

 

[TomCahalan]

Ducks don't actually need a pond or even a water to dunk their heads in. Metzer Farms (a huge duck breeder) doesn't provide that to their ducks.

Due to an odd situation, I had my ducks drinking out of nipple feeders for the first 7 months of their life and they were perfectly fine. No disease or hygiene issues at all. Now I am able to provide them with a tub of water and I am digging a huge pond, so they enjoy both immensely, but they were fine before.

Ducks are very easy to maintain, other than dealing with their poop. Are you even sure that you want chickens? They are complicated: pecking order, coop with perches and nest boxes, etc... ducks are so easy and hardy.

 

[Miss Lydia]

It's always a good idea to research before adding any animal to our lives. Your doing the right thing by talking to members about their experiences. Ducks are defiantly messy, love water and mud and poop a lot. But having them in my life makes all the mess and poop take a back seat. They are funny, they are great at bug control and can take a bad day at work and make so much better, just sitting out watching their antics. Many of us have them as pets and thoroughly enjoy them mess an all. There are ways to keep the smell down, don't keep food and water inside their house for one. Once they are 6 weeks old they can go all night with out either. I use deep bedding and just go in daily and scoop out the wet poop turn bedding and add as needed, this is with 18 water fowl, I have 16 chickens also.