ducks/wire

[Dead Rabbit]

i dont like the mess that goes along with ducks. has anyone had success with raising ducks up on wire? i have no body of water available. and i dont want to supply them with anything large for water. im NOT looking for raising a bunch of pets either. these will be for eggs and meat consumption.

is ducks on wire doable?

thankyou

 

[HamandLily]

I personally wouldn't recommend it because it's not good for their feet. Plus ducks need a decent sized water body (could be a paddling pool or something) to keep them mentally stimulated and healthy. You could keep them on sawdust and 'poo pick' once a day.

 

[gofasterstripe]

will you be raising he ducks from babies for your meat birds?
will you have older ducks as your eggers or grow then out from babies?
If they are going to be on wire, will the be caged ALL THE TIME?
How big the cage..or run?


If meat from babies I think you can dress ut a J umbo Pekin at 7 to 9 weeks, so that wont be to bad
If you have older eggers, they will at least need water deep enough to clean they nose out
If they are going to be in a cage...you will have unhappy birds who might not lay if they dont have enough room to move or forage

 

[Dead Rabbit]

thanks for the replys. im open for suggestions. i do have a chicken lot that is quite large plus i let the hens outa there lot ever couple days to range. there is grass on their lot. i just thought a bunch of ducks would contaminate the yard even worse.

you can very successfully raise fowl on wire. i was wondering about the same with ducks. theyd be much cleaner. i was thinking of just a small pen, not sure of size, but nothing big. enuff for them to move about, eat, sleep, lay eggs. similar to battery style cage for commercial layers...or rabbit hutch style .....but of course bigger. a pan for water. 4-5 inches deep with a drain plug for clean out couple days a week. no doubt this would work for meat producton. theyd only be in it a 6 wks or so before slaughter. and we dont need more than a few ducks in freezer. just my wife and I. but for layers. will they lay in a battery type set up??...........


as mentioned these arent pets. they are utililatarin for production only.

 

[gofasterstripe]

Quote:
To be honest I dont know if they would lay in a battery type setup. They will need clean water every day, plus if they are going to be in a small area (battery type) then they are going to constantly need water, a few changes a day, a bored duck is going to be an unhappy duck who is going to have nothing else to do other than dabble in water. I think you will find you will end up with unhappy birds who will not lay. Let me put it this way. If you were to be kept in a closet and told to lay an egg a day, you would be like. what is this guy on...lay your own darn eggs.
Edited to say...Im not trying to be rude to you in any way, im just trying to put my point across

 

[Dead Rabbit]

Quote:
To be honest I dont know if they would lay in a battery type setup. They will need clean water every day, plus if they are going to be in a small area (battery type) then they are going to constantly need water, a few changes a day, a bored duck is going to be an unhappy duck who is going to have nothing else to do other than dabble in water. I think you will find you will end up with unhappy birds who will not lay. Let me put it this way. If you were to be kept in a closet and told to lay an egg a day, you would be like. what is this guy on...lay your own darn eggs.
Edited to say...Im not trying to be rude to you in any way, im just trying to put my point across

no worries. im not one to be offended. i respect and like straight up talk, as long as its not an attack. b/c those that attack generally cant handle the retaliation. give but cant take ya know.

ive never raised ducks as ive described and wanted feed back. ive never been fan of waterfowl unless you had natural bodies of water for them to hang out in. even then they are like hoovers when they run across the chickens feed...........and their nastyiness knows no limits.

i figured id get the "not happy, no laying" feed back. but when something was raised in wire and thats all they know. im thinking its not all that bad on them. just cause of my experience with fowl on wire, and rabbits on wire. but as mentioned i never heard of ducks raised like this, so i was just wondering. if it would work before i spent tons of time and money on pen and ducks...oooorrrrrr if someone is in the know of using this method. triumph or failure.

i can see where changing water daily or more would quickly become a headache. plus i dont care to waste a precious resource like water in this way. ive read that all they need is enuff water to keep their nostrils and eyes clean.

keep the advice and opinions coming. i also have a thread on dual purpose duck breed suggestions. any feedback on that too, id appreciate.

 

[NajmoNests]

IMHO, different strokes 4 different folks ~ my tiny call ducks are extremely entertaining and talkative. They did not have a choice in living here, so I will give them the best care I am can. My yards are NOT poopey but lushly green with no mud slicks! Big moldled pools and daily water change. I have NO insect attacks!

 

[HoglundH]

Quote:
Where do you live that water is precious? I pour water in for my ducks, they splash it everywhere. Goes back into the ground, filters itself and back down to the watertable, to be pumped back up again!

 

[HamandLily]

My garden has only been ruined by the weather, not the ducks! They like to dig small holes though!

Similarly, I don't believe they would lay well, if at all, in a battery set up. If they get stressed, which a small area with not enough water can cause, they may lay eggs with calcified shells, or no shell at all, so a happy bird will lay happy eggs

I also don't thnik that if its all they know, then it'll be okay. Thy may still not like their surroundings.

I usually have to change ther drinking water 2-3times a day, and their bathing water every 1-2 days.

I think they'll need more water than you have suggested!

Hope this helps!

 

[FenDruadin]

Ducks on wire is fully doable, according to Dave Holderread (#1 duck expert, who also adds that he thinks it makes life less enjoyable for them). Many people raise call ducks this way, but it can be done with larger ducks too.

Personally, besides being less enjoyable for them, I think it makes the meat & eggs less nutritious & delicious if the birds are not allowed access to green foods and insects that they would find if given pasture.

However, I think there are efficient ways to reduce the mess & still have reasonably happy & healthy birds producing good quantities of meat and eggs. Holderread places water containers on wire "water porches" at the opposite end of the runs from the food. The birds will mostly hang around the water, up on the wire (with significant drainage below), and leave most of their mess there. But they get exercise & forage opportunities going back and forth between the food and water, and they still have access to earth & soil & bugs.

As for water, you are correct that they need to dunk their heads to clean nose & eyes (chicken waterers are not adequate). They do not *need* bathing water, but they are happier and cleaner if they have it. Swimming water is definitely not strictly necessary, and ducks raised without swimming water generally won't show an interest in swimming even when given an opportunity. That's not to say that swimming is not beneficial or good for quality of life, but it's definitely not a strict necessity for a decent ducky life.

If you decide to raise them on wire, make sure to check the specs recommended by others who do it (Holderread's books have specs) in terms of size of wire openings. Too small, and poop won't flow through effectively. Too large, and it will injure their feet and lead to health problems.

Good luck with whatever you decide. This is the best place to get info, plus Dave Holderread's book: Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks (now in a new edition).