Getting started with ducks?

[schambo]

Hi there! I am thinking of getting 3-4 ducks, probably next spring. We have about a dozen chickens, but know very little about ducks. We have just shy of 2 acres, with a large marshy pond in the back. The pond is naturally occurring and wild, and extends through several properties, but is technically not owned by anyone, even the part that sits within our property. It sometimes attracts wild ducks, but not super often.

Would it be okay to set our ducks back near the marsh and give them free-range access to it as their primary deep water source?

What breed of duck should we consider? Main goals are eggs and company.

 

[Jenbirdee]

my little runner ducks are my friendliest ducks and they lay lots of eggs too and they come in several different colors and color patterns.
If you're concerned about the water in the pond, maybe you can get a sample of it tested? and I would want to know if it has any snapping turtles before letting my babies in it.
And something Ive been reading a lot of posts about recently, is people not being able to get their young ducks to come off the pond at sunset and go into secure coop.
I would recommend first training them to come to you at sunset by having some feed and making a certain call (I actually shake the feed can and I make loud quacking sounds... some people say things like "all ducks go to bed")
once you are sure that they know the routine well and they know your call and signal, then start letting them use the pond.

 

[CoriM]

I don't recommend your set-up if you want ducks for company and eggs. It's too hard to get them off a pond, and they don't understand what's good for them - they need your protection from predators. If you want the eggs and company, build them a nice coop close to your house where you can see them and interact with them and collect their eggs, then provide a small man-made pond for them to swim in - with just 3-4 ducks it doesn't have to be huge, and a protected way to spend time on grass, which they love to forage in.