Economics

[duckophile1998]

so i love duckies and these will mostly be pet animals, but i had no idea how much they costed!

a pekin duck eats about 1 cup of feed per day and drinks about 1 quart per day

i have 80 square feed in my duck shed and it takes 60 gallons of bedding to cover the entire area 1.6" deep

i buy my supplies off amazon in bulk. i am able to get 11 quarts of bedding per $1 and 1 cup of feed per $1

the bedding costs $22 per week (i change weekly, assuming i have a spill-proof waterer)

each duck i buy costs about $7 to $8 in feed per week and produces 3.7 eggs per week

so if i have 2 ducks, it costs about $40 a week and for 3 ducks, $46

that means if i have all females, 2 ducks would mean about $5.50 per egg and 3 ducks would make $4.10 per egg

that is not counting water costs, the cost of nonconsumables like waterers, feeders, etcetera, or hard labor.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

Maybe consider getting lighter breeds that lay more prolifically such as Runners or Khaki Cambels or bantam Calls?

Also consider sourcing your feed and bedding from a local feed store or tractor supply type place. Amazon is pricey. I only pay about $18 for 50# of Purina flock raiser (it is duck worthy)... which I'm fairly certain is a lot more than 50 cups.

As pets the payoff is SOOO much more than eggs. It's companionship, positive feelings flowing, entertainment, good mental health, a free workout without having to spend gas or time to drove to the gym, physical and mental therapy, an excuse to get out of the house when weather is bad, organic pest control, weed control, free fertilizer, a conversation starter, something to focus on when life goes awry, wonderful secret keepers, and so on!

I tried ducks, and they were fun.. but the cost was too much for me in the end. So I happily stuck with chickens. When I buy ducklings at that price they still don't lay for another 6 months.

Please note that while spill proof waterers are fine ducks do need to duck their heads all the way.

Adding your general location to your profile will help others to make the most relevant suggestions at a glance without having to ask.

Good luck and thanks for sharing!

 

[DuckyDonna]

I'm not clear from your post if you already have ducks or are thinking about getting some and are going through what you think the expenses will be.

I have 7 ducks and don't come anywhere near that in expenses. You must be using some pretty high dollar food! I supplement my ducks diet with kitchen scraps and in the summer they have the garden scraps to enjoy. There are great lists online that tells you what is good and safe for ducks to eat.

I go through one $16 50lb bag of layer food in about 1 1/2 months, maybe even a bit longer. A 50lb bag of oyster shells should last you about forever and that only costs $10.49. I also get extra scraps from a Farmer's market for free! I have bought exactly 1 bag of meal worms in the time I've had them which is almost 2 years. I figure they get enough treats right in the yard without me buying meal worms plus I can't stand touching them!

I use hay for bedding, that for me is free, but you can buy a humongous roll from a farmer for $50 and it will last for a really long time.

Also, you can cut down on your bedding cost and mess by not putting food and water in the pen.

You can also make your own waters and feeders with stuff you probably have around the house for free and they work a lot better than the store bought ones. I made the best feeder out of a 5-gallon bucket that omits waste and mess and it was so easy!

 

[duckophile1998]

i have raised ducks in the past but they died in the california wildfire in october 2017 and i recently got a new house. i have experience raising about 3 different flocks as well as chickens but had issues with predators (i lived in the woods at the time.)

i get my ducks at tractor supply co because they let you buy as little as two and i can't just special order 25 ducks from a hatchery. tractor supply offers pekins and rouens, i usually get one of each for identifcation purpose (male rouens look like male mallards, pekin males are a bit more difficult).

if you could tell me where to buy indian runners, i would LOVE to have some! i can have up to 3.

i get my bedding from amazon i bulk for about $1 per 11 quarts of bedding. i use pine and it is a great multiuse substance for animals like snakes (my 8-year-old sister has one, i'm a 20-year-old male but i can't afford to move out of my parents place considering the average monthly rent is as expensive as the monthly mortgage).

food is a bit difficult because no one sells duck food! a pekin duck generally eats about a cup per day and most bags are about $1 per cup.

i am nervous about giving my ducks chicken feed because i know ducks need more niacin than chickens and i don't want to give my ducks health issues. during my first flock almost 7 years ago, i underestimated the power of a pekin and he accidentally got out of my arms and he broke his leg and that almost put me off of duck ownership for good until i learned how to properly hold one (like a big hamburger with your thumbs ovee the wings). i'm a highly empathetic and seeing a duck with an ailment is like someone kicking a puppy.

if it is okay to give a duck chicken feed, how does one suplement the diet? i normally give my ducks uncured, unfried meat like chicken fajita which they seem to love

 

[MIDuckLady]

i have raised ducks in the past but they died in the california wildfire in october 2017 and i recently got a new house. i have experience raising about 3 different flocks as well as chickens but had issues with predators (i lived in the woods at the time.)

i get my ducks at tractor supply co because they let you buy as little as two and i can't just special order 25 ducks from a hatchery. tractor supply offers pekins and rouens, i usually get one of each for identifcation purpose (male rouens look like male mallards, pekin males are a bit more difficult).

if you could tell me where to buy indian runners, i would LOVE to have some! i can have up to 3.

i get my bedding from amazon i bulk for about $1 per 11 quarts of bedding. i use pine and it is a great multiuse substance for animals like snakes (my 8-year-old sister has one, i'm a 20-year-old male but i can't afford to move out of my parents place considering the average monthly rent is as expensive as the monthly mortgage).

food is a bit difficult because no one sells duck food! a pekin duck generally eats about a cup per day and most bags are about $1 per cup.

i am nervous about giving my ducks chicken feed because i know ducks need more niacin than chickens and i don't want to give my ducks health issues. during my first flock almost 7 years ago, i underestimated the power of a pekin and he accidentally got out of my arms and he broke his leg and that almost put me off of duck ownership for good until i learned how to properly hold one (like a big hamburger with your thumbs ovee the wings). i'm a highly empathetic and seeing a duck with an ailment is like someone kicking a puppy.

if it is okay to give a duck chicken feed, how does one suplement the diet? i normally give my ducks uncured, unfried meat like chicken fajita which they seem to love

I feed my 8 ducks same poultry starter and layer food as chickens. Add some Brewers Yeast. Some meal worms in the pond for special treats where my 3 RR hens won’t steal them all .
Because we are in Florida my ducks free range all day and stroll up to the duck house for dinner before sunset and get
locked in at night. Given the climate , they lay year round.
There house is large and well ventilated with concrete floor so predators can burrow in. I don’t use bedding on floor - instead I provide a few large tubs filled with pine shavings from TS. They cuddle up and lay in there until they go back out after sunrise.

 

[DuckyDonna]

I agree with MI ducklady about the food. You have Tractor Supply so just get them the feed from there. So much cheaper and they'll be fine and you won't be broke!

 

[Cayuga momma]

i get my ducks at tractor supply co because they let you buy as little as two and i can't just special order 25 ducks from a hatchery. tractor supply offers pekins and rouens, i usually get one of each for identifcation purpose (male rouens look like male mallards, pekin males are a bit more difficult

Alot of Hatcheries let you order 2 or 3 ducks now. They will charge a small order fee, but if you want a specific breed without having to get alot, that's the way to go. My TSC insist you buy atleast 6. So I ordered from mypetchicken.com and Cacklehatchery.com
Plus you can get them sexed.
I buy all flock from tractor supply and pine shavings and PDZ. It's much cheaper than Amazon.

 

[duckophile1998]

i found a place called California Hatchery that letts you buy any number, and in a variety of colors.

it definitely wasn't this way when i was younger. i had a crush in high school who was way older than me who's father owned a feed store. he told me that he had to order ducks in a minumum of 25 so i often times walked out with 4 or 5 ducks haha.

i plan on getting few chocolate runners. i hope they don't have the leg issues that pekins and rouens have because of their weight.

there is a store nearby that sells bulk pine shavings, but amazon seems affordable for shavings. i also never buy spray paint, model paints, or paintbrushes off amazon.

i will check there later to see if i can order duck feed, but if not i'll use chicken feed.

 

[Cayuga momma]

i found a place called California Hatchery that letts you buy any number, and in a variety of colors.

it definitely wasn't this way when i was younger. i had a crush in high school who was way older than me who's father owned a feed store. he told me that he had to order ducks in a minumum of 25 so i often times walked out with 4 or 5 ducks haha.

i plan on getting few chocolate runners. i hope they don't have the leg issues that pekins and rouens have because of their weight.

there is a store nearby that sells bulk pine shavings, but amazon seems affordable for shavings. i also never buy spray paint, model paints, or paintbrushes off amazon.

i will check there later to see if i can order duck feed, but if not i'll use chicken feed.

You can add Brewers yeast or Nutritional yeast to there feed every day as they grow. It will help give them the Niacin and other B vitamins they need. It will keep them from getting any leg problems.

1 tblsp per cup of food.
I would definitely do this if you ended up getting them chicken feed.

 

[Duckworth]

Isn’t Metzers in California? They have my favorite breed for egg laying—Welsh Harlequins. You can order as few as two and can have them sexed.

I, too, get my feed at Tractor Supply or Orscheln at between $16 and $18 per 50-lb. bag. I use a multi-species flock formula not specifically for layers and put out separate oyster shell. During laying months, I get an egg every day from every duck.

I use straw for bedding, at $5/bale, bought from local farms off Craig’s List. I can’t move the large rolls, but 10 or 12 bales a year does fine for my four ducks and their 80 square feet of space. I do deep litter, so I add more straw, then fluff and add more, letting it compost for use in my garden. I sprinkle Sweet PDZ during warmer weather to dry things up and cut odor.