Ducks or Chickens? Pros/Cons

[John4ds]

Ducks are a lot messy due to their dabbling habits and will require a lot more water. If you have them on a grassy lawn and it gets wet, the ducks will turn that grass into mud/muck.

 

[Auxesia]

Ducks ducks ducks DUCKS!
Come over to the duck side!

I had chickens for years, got some ducks. The rest is history.

This is why I like them more. Not saying it's the case for everyone.

They are more personable.
They have more character.
They do everything enthusiastically.
I can watch them for ages, enthralled.
They are hardier.
Better resistance of pests.
Don't dig up the garden like chooks.
I haven't seen a single snail for a long time!
I find chickens damage an area a lot faster than ducks do.

I don't think they are messy at all. Only if the are confined in a small space. It's when you have a waterer that is easily tipped over, or the water can spill out, that you have a mess. No open water bowls!

I find my chickens messier. They always scratch the ground up, making holes in the lawn (where as the ducks drill narrow holes, but only next to the pond).

Chicken poop is also grosser. It's more solid.

My ducks mostly free range in my backyard (which isn't huge), but poop is not a problem. Either I hose any serious poop into the grass, or wait for it to rain. Doesn't bother me at all.

The pond water (I have a medium sized raised pond), is excellent on the garden. I replace it every two weeks.

 

[Metzer Farms]

As you can see, the only con for ducks is water. But remember, they don't have to have swimming water all the time. In fact they don't have to have swimming water at all. If you keep the pen dry (or at least dries quickly) they only need drinking water. But many people like to provide swimming water. My suggestion would be to provide it only once a week or so. They will love it but it will make your management much easier. Wherever you provide water, make sure there is a wire floor under it so any splash goes through the floor and is not accessible to the birds. Then no mud! Make one half the pen wire floor (1"x1" welded wire on 2x4's) and then slope the ground under it out of the pen, and it will stay as dry as a chicken pen.
John

 

[Adorkable]

Wow! This topic is almost as hot as the Sox/Yankees rivalry.

My chickens are more sociable with the family unit. They are a lot meaner to the cat than the ducks. They are like a gang, and throw their weight around in the yard. They organize efficient raids on the duck house & occasionally lay eggs in there, just to prove they can do whatever they want.

I have 15 chickens and very much looking forward to getting some ducks in a few weeks. It seems like I'm in for quite a bit of entertainment

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Personally I would choose ducks over chickens.

We've always had chickens, growing up my mom always had chickens and therefore I did too. Two years ago last September, I hatched out some ducklings for a friend of mine. Well I fell head over heels in love with the lil boogers and ended up keeping two White Call ducklings and a huge mixed duckling. Their names were Taffy, Daffy, and Inkspot (Inky for short).





Then when TSC had their Chick Days, we picked up a bunch of ducklings. I found four grown ducks that were all laying, bought those, hatched out some Buff Orpington ducks, added 8 more Calls to my already large bevy, then I found out about Muscovies..have four of those (who are my babies). Oh! Did I mention my geese.....

The moral to this story...I now have 36 ducks (not counting the ducklings), 18 geese, and I have dwindled my chicken flock down to 20 birds...instead of the 150++ I used to have.

I am enjoying the X-Large duck eggs, lots of mud, and gobs of fun provided by my waterfowl.




~ Aspen

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

More random pictures for your viewing pleasure..and to further convince you to come to the Duck Side! Muwhahahaha!







Brown egg on the far left is a chicken, the two white eggs are duck.



Top two yolks are the above duck eggs




~ Aspen

 

[Adorkable]

Well I've only had my ducklings for 3 days now and chickens seem to be much easier to brood. The ducklings spew poo everywhere and its kind of liquidy and doesn't seem to dry like chicken poo does

. Not sure if a deep litter method will work while brooding these little guys. With the chicks I would just keep adding pine shavings when it would get too nasty or smelly and the chickens would stir it up.

There is also the 'water management' issue. The ducklings dip their bill in the water and splash it around whenever I would top off their water or give them fresh water. Water gets all over the place.. kind of annoying, but I guess that's just what they need to do to keep themselves clean lol.

So far chicks 1 ducks 0

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Well I've only had my ducklings for 3 days now and chickens seem to be much easier to brood. The ducklings spew poo everywhere and its kind of liquidy and doesn't seem to dry like chicken poo does

. Not sure if a deep litter method will work while brooding these little guys. With the chicks I would just keep adding pine shavings when it would get too nasty or smelly and the chickens would stir it up.

There is also the 'water management' issue. The ducklings dip their bill in the water and splash it around whenever I would top off their water or give them fresh water. Water gets all over the place.. kind of annoying, but I guess that's just what they need to do to keep themselves clean lol.

So far chicks 1 ducks 0

Ducklings are by far messier than chicks, but make up for it by being 10X as cute!

~ Aspen

 

[blondiebee181]

If you get ducks, you'll see.

You don't want both in the same area. Ducks are more fun, chickens are easier. Depends on what you want.

Just to add, I have both ducks and chickens in the same area that is not much bigger than OP's area. But, like Amiga said earlier, I put a lot of maintenance into making it easy to keep up and drains well. The entire floor of the run is traction sand, which soaks up any water that spills and dries out the poos faster. I only have 2 Runner ducks and 5 chickens. It is easy to fall victim to wanting more than you can handle at first....those cute little multi-colored puff balls are irresistable! My chickens and ducks all get along swimmingly (

) and the chickens don't mind the ducks dabbling water around at all really in fact, I have one hen that will choose to drink water that pools in the ground rather than the fresh stuff I put in their bowls each morning. My chickens and ducks DO NOT sleep together though....because the ducks would make the henhouse messy and smelly a lot quicker. I deep litter the duck house and it stays dry enough here in Boise that I only have to completely change the bedding about twice a year. I LOVE having both. each species has totally unique personalities that I love.

 

[blondiebee181]

As you can see, the only con for ducks is water. But remember, they don't have to have swimming water all the time. In fact they don't have to have swimming water at all. If you keep the pen dry (or at least dries quickly) they only need drinking water. But many people like to provide swimming water. My suggestion would be to provide it only once a week or so. They will love it but it will make your management much easier. Wherever you provide water, make sure there is a wire floor under it so any splash goes through the floor and is not accessible to the birds. Then no mud! Make one half the pen wire floor (1"x1" welded wire on 2x4's) and then slope the ground under it out of the pen, and it will stay as dry as a chicken pen.
John

Got my Runners from Metzer and I love them! They are such sweet little girls...



This was taken last fall just as they got all their adult plumage. They are in my avatar too.