gonna be a new owner!

[annie3001]

hello.
as much as i am reading about ducks, we have deceieded in the spring to get some ducks.
we currently own 5 chickens (hens) and am wondering about housing for the ducks? should it be built like our chicken coop? and should they have nesting containers as well? and heating in the winer? any in for is helpful! thanks in advance.
if theres any good website for more info can you tell me? thanks again!
I currently have a kid pool already set up for my future ducks ( i dug deepely and inserted the pool) its holding up really good.
oh and one more thing,. do any of you eat duck eggs? are they the same as chickens?
thanks again!

 

[allaboutdemchicks]

Hi!!

I have ducks and they are such a hoot, so congratulations on your future purchase.

As far as housing, mine currently reside in a pen at night and they freerange during the day. (Looks like the Piedmont Hotel every evening) But, I am looking into the purchase of Call Ducks and they will be housed on wire with a wooden house for the hen to use for nesting during the breeding season.

I remember Nettie having a thread of her very nice setup (her current one for outdoors) if you are looking for more elaborate ideas. By using your Search option you should be able to find that fairly easy.

And yes, our family eat our eggs. In fact, most of my neighbors have now come to request them! When cooking them I do mix my chicken's eggs with my ducks for scrambling, but for baking, there is no substitute....duck eggs only! They white of the duck egg is so remarkably clearer than that of a chickens. You never notice it until they are side by side. So when making deviled eggs, they certainly make a beautiful presentation.

Claudia

 

[TheDuckCrew]

what a great idea! ducks are so fun to watch! it would seem easier to house them separately due to the mess ducks create, but i know some on here house them with their chickens. in the winter, they are pretty set as long as they have a shelter at night. i always add extra bedding when really cold days and nights approach, and sometimes during snowstorms or really cold days, i lock them in their house. if they are confined to their shelter a lot during winter, new bedding will constantly have to be added. dont remove the old bedding though, it does help, but it creates quite the mess to clean up in the spring! they will be able to keep each other warm, but if you ever see them shivering, give them some water to swim in. also, heated water buckets are quite helpful. i have two, one in the house and a large one dug into the ground of the pen. many ducks tend to make their own nests instead of using the nesting boxes, but some may prefer it. it all depends on the duck. and yes you can absolutely eat the duck eggs. they are much richer than chicken eggs. good luck with your future ducks! i look forward to hearing about them and seeing MANY pictures

 

[msdoolittle]

I love my ducks! They do have a pen/3sided shelter which they go in at night. They free range all day. I use an auto refill bowl hooked up to an outdoor faucet for their water supply. Ducks/waterfowl GO THROUGH the water, let me tell you! Lol. We do give them a kiddie pool in the summer, but I didn't submerge it in the ground because the water gets so nasty so quick. At the end of the day, I rinse it all out. As for a nest, we took our old goat hay feeder that my DH built, whacked off the legs and my ducks used that. It is just really a long plywood box with about 5 big holes cut out of the front. I keep hay in it and the ducks seemed to like that. These are my first ducks (got them last March), so maybe there's a better way (?) I dunno.

Ducklings are soooo messy compared to baby chicks, in my opinion. They just love to see how quickly they can get their brooder completely soaked. I am using a 2 liter Coke bottle with a hole cut out just big enough for their head and they still manage to soak the litter, so I'll have to come up with something else. Anyway, other than that, I just adore having ducks! I love the eggs; they are just delicious and many ducks breeds will lay just as much and maybe even more than a chicken. Plus, the eggs are richer and tastier and are just great for baking.