Ducky DO'S & DON'TS

[Lazy Farmer]

I am jumping head first into my first score of Ducks, coming this Spring. Today is Nov.21st. So I have plenty of time to read about WHAT TO DO and plenty of DON'T DO's.. lol.. before Spring scratches that itch for me.

Happy Stories/Horror Stories. A nutshell compile of Web Footed Experience from abroad.. Not just here in my neck of the woods. Geographical differences welcome..

SHOULD I GET DUCKS?
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Use this thread to share your experiences on right or wrong but please don't try to scare me away from the next Chapter in my livestock portfolio.
Thanks in advance for your contributions. Please.. constructive opinions & no DUX Haters.. This forum is for the open minded.

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[oldhenlikesdogs]

What breeds are you looking at? Mallard based or muscovy?

My main advice is to keep your drake to hen ratio at a good level. Drakes can harass and mate hens too much, so it's important to remove extras from the group.

 

[Hope Hughes]

All i can say is :
I LOVE MY DUCKS!!!
They are so fun to watch waddle around in a line together and talking back and fourth.
They are messy if you dont have the proper set up and when they are ducklings.
Mine have a pool in the yard but mostly use out little lake on the property.
But my vote is yes!
Im actually planning on putting eggs in the bator for more. ​

 

[Lazy Farmer]

What breeds are you looking at? Mallard based or muscovy?

I am absolutely clueless. I raise Goats/pigs/turkeys/chickens... dogs & cat.. lol.. 2 fish.. I need advise on breeds, feeds, habitat, thermostat, housing, predators illness etc... I am a dry sponge and all input will be appreciated..

 

[MagpieDucks]

 

[Hope Hughes]

View attachment 1192893 View attachment 1192894

That is an awesome photo!!!
I love it!!
Thanks for sharing.

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[CarleeAnn]

We got our Blue Swedish and Cayuga from Tractor Supply as ducklings- always get at least a pair! We read that their breed was a mild temperament, moderate egg layer, and great for beginners. 7 months old now and definetly live up to expectations! Such sweet girls, I can never imagine not having ducks now. TSC had everything we needed to start with ducklings, food, bowls, lighting, etc. We got their brooder from Walmart, just an extra large plastic storage bin. TSC is too far now so we get bedding and food from a local feed store.

What set up are you thinking? What predators are in your location?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I am absolutely clueless. I raise Goats/pigs/turkeys/chickens... dogs & cat.. lol.. 2 fish.. I need advise on breeds, feeds, habitat, thermostat, housing, predators illness etc... I am a dry sponge and all input will be appreciated..

There are many different mallard based breeds, they are very diverse. Most require a regular pool of water. Muscovy are a bit different. They can breed with mallard based breeds but the offspring are sterile and called mules.

Muscovy are more mobile on ground, they roost like chickens, don't need to spend so much time in the water, and in my opinion are wonderful pest controls. Mine wander the yard at night foraging. They can fly somewhat, and will breed and brood easily. They don't quack like regular ducks and are quieter, they have a hissing speech.

I personally only keep muscovy currently.

 

[BantyChooks]

breeds

What do you want ducks for? Meat, eggs, eye candy?
Meat---Pekins, Rouens, Silver Appleyard
Eggs---Welsh Harlequin, Khaki Campbell, Cayuga (black eggs,) Silver Appleyard, Swedish
Eye candy---Call, Welsh Harlequin, Silver Appleyard, Swedish
Ducks come in about a million different colours, all of which are gorgeous. Khaki Campbells are probably the plainest duck out there and even they are pretty brown tones. My personal favourites are Welsh Harlequins. They're a nice sized duck, sweet, pretty, and absolute power layers. You might just trade them for chooks.

feeds

I feed mine chicken layer pellet once they've matured, never had any issues. Just place feed far enough away from water that they can't turn it into a soup.
When they're growing I hear Purina All Flock crumble is the best if you don't want to bother with supplementing niacin. They get scraps, same as the chickens, but watermelon is probably their favourite in terms of treats. Make sure they never have feed unless they have water too. Oh, and their water needs to be deep enough for them to clean their nares and eyes.

habitat

One tip... do not raise ducklings in brooders. I will repeat it. Do not raise ducklings in regular brooders!!
They are messy little feed guzzlers and will turn your clean shavings to paste in three seconds. Get them to 1 week of age in an indoor brooder and then put them outside on grass in a safe pen that can be moved daily. You will be SO glad you did this. Oh, and for that first week, sand works great.... if you have enough time to scoop it daily or twice daily. If you don't have the time, it turns into a stinking soggy mess.
For adults, free ranging really is the best. Ducks are messy-messy-messy and space helps keep maintenance down. A kiddie pool or two or more is good for summer, it keeps them happy, healthy, external parasite free, and they're less likely to murder your garden that way. No guarantees though. I have found them to be worse than chickens with destroying flowers because they tug and pluck and root rather than just peck and scratch.

Edit: ducks don't require near so much heat as chooks. Mine were off heat by 1 1/2 wks of age & didn't use it much even before then.

thermostat

What exactly does this mean?

predators

Ducks require a lot of protection from predators, especially the breeds that can't fly. They are slow runners and don't roost, meaning they're the first to go when something breaks in. Guess how I found that out?
Dogs, coyotes, foxes, hawks... they can all wreak havoc on ducks even moreso than chickens. My ducks are smart now, they hang around the woods and watch the skies, so I haven't lost any to hawks yet, thank goodness. Oh, that reminds me---put pools within easy running distance of cover.

illness

Ducks are hardy little beasts and rarely get sick. Just keep an eye out, they should be fine. Oh, the heavy breeds are more prone to bumblefoot---check on those webbies frequently.

 

[BantyChooks]

Pics for the duckie lubbers...