ducks???

[raymondjames]

I am a chicken freak and have seen duck people scattered around the forum. Is it worthwhile trying ducks, like things considering Eggs, Food, Climate, Compatibility with Chickens, etc.. Fill me in!!

 

[CoffeeCow]

I have 3 Pekins, by pure luck, I picked out 1 male and 2 females (yay!) They are wonderful pets, especially the drake, he follows me around the yard while I do my chores, and if I don't stop and pet him once in a while, he will peck at my leg to let me know he needs petting hehe. He is a good dog, er... duck I mean.

I let my chickens out in the yard with the ducks during the day, and separate them at night. the drake was a little aggressive at first, but quickly calmed down. once they reach laying age, you can feed them the same food as the hens (I use purina sunfresh crumbles) while they are growing, I fed them Purina Flock raiser.

Pros list:
They are fun to have
my pekins are very social
The eggs make Great cakes and brownies (I don't like making cookies with them though, chicken eggs do better there)
They will clean your yard of bugs in no time (but won't eat scraps of food like the chickens will)


now here is the cons list:
they poop a lot
They dirty up the pool very fast
they poop a lot
The eggs are hard to get rid of
They poop a lot
they dig holes in the yard after a good rain
they poop a lot
and finally, they poop a lot

Hope that helps you a little, ooh, did I mention that they poop a lot?

 

[LadyBirdsPalace]

EXACTLY!

 

[duckyfromoz]

If you want to try something different...why not! I hatch ducklings year round but from time to time I hatch something different. Right now I have a turkey. Long story- But I incubated eggs for a friend and only one was fertile- so hence one turkey. Is kind of fun to brood something different for a change- but of course I already know I am not keeping this little fellow forever.

Ducklings really are such wonderful babies- yes messy- but so different from a chicken in a brooder. Watching them swim and play in water is wonderful entertainment and ducks really do have incredible personalities.

Ducks are a little hardier than chickens- not being effected as badly by a range of ailments chickens often succumb to. Less likely to pick up lice or worms as well.

They can pretty much eat the same as chickens- some people like to add niacin to the diet while the ducklings are growing- but that aside they can eat the same as chickens.

 

[tinydancer87]

I have a grown runner duck female that thinks she IS a chicken, lol.

And I used my golden comet hen to hatch out 7 more runner ducklings. Everybody free ranges together, the only extra chore is dumping, rinsing, and refilling duck pools everyday.

So yes, ducks and chickens can get along if raised together and given enough space to get away from each other now and then.

 

[Gypsy07]

Compared with chicks, ducklings are a LOT of work when they're small. They're awful dabblers and just love dumping their water all over the floor so they can paddle in it. They're very cute though, and seem more aware and interactive than chicks the same age. They also grow a lot faster. I've never kept them as adults so don't know much about that side of things. I just hatched ducklings out for a friend and boy was I glad to pass them on to him when they were a week old!

 

[Ilovemyduckies]

They lay very big eggs. Depending on the breed, they can be pretty good layers (the khaki campbell being the best). I love ducks although they can be very messy and can eat a lot also. They are really sweet. Also, they can get along with chickens, I have my four ducks and one chicken that all live together (also have known someone who has had 4 ducks, 4 turkeys, and 2-3 dozen chickens together). If you decide to get ducks then you might want o look up the different breeds. For example, if you wanted a duck that couldn't fly, you would not want to get a mallard or a muscovy. If you wanted a meat bird, you could get a pekin, rouen, or cayuga. If you wanted some egg laying ducks then you could get a khaki campbell or a pekin. Etc.