hatch an egg or get a day old?

[showjumper_girl2002]

i might get two more ducks to make strictly pets and companions. is there any difference in hatching my own egg or getting a day or 2 old duckling as far as how good of pets they'll be? and what is the best breed for a house/yard pet? i want to have them both inside and out.

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

Have you incubated duck eggs before? They are little more difficult to hatch than chicken eggs and they take 28 days to hatch. If you haven't hatched ducks before, I would suggest getting some ducklings or a pair of ducks. Then, you can raise them to maturity and try incubating some eggs with less risk than buying some.

 

[showjumper_girl2002]

if i get 2 day or 2 old ducklings would that be ok? will they still bond with me and be friendly? i want two so they have a buddy when i'm not home. i figure getting some day or 2 olds would be safer than hatching them i just want to make sure they bond with me lol

 

[quibs]

i dont know about other people, but i've found its MUCH easier to incubate duck eggs than chicken eggs.

I have a homemade incubator so my temp/humidity is not perfect and ive always had ducks hatch a day or so early with nearly 100% hatch rate

Chickens on the other hand.. I get about 50-75% hatch rate and half the time they hatch a day or so late

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

2 day old ducklings will still be young enough and small enough for you to handle so they will have a greater chance of bonding with you. Different breeds have different personalities, so I don't have any suggestions for you on what breed to look for. I have raised Mallards and Runners. In both breeds, I had some that were very friendly and some that were very shy.

 

[showjumper_girl2002]

i think i'm gonna do that and get 2 day or 2 olds because i've never incubated eggs before and don't want to mess it up lol i'm just torn on what breed to get

 

[quibs]

I always see a lot of people on here with pekins, but I've found them to be too noisy/large of a bird. I like the runners and cayuga. I have some crested runners that are great. They have the funniest stance, upright like daffy duck or something haha

 

[featherfinder]

Quote:
I got my 2 ducks when they were about 5 days old. They still bonded with me pretty well. I have an indian runner and a black sedish. I would recomend the Swedish as far as friendlyness goes. My runner is very skittish and will follow me but doesnt like to be held. My swedish is as sweet as can be though. I spent alot of time with them when they were ducklings. Almost every chance i had they were out with me even if it was sitting on the couch watching tv. To them I am still mom and they are fully grown now. They still follow me around and sleep on my lap and want to be pet. I guess it's all about how much time you have to work with them to keep them friendly and bonded to you.

 

[showjumper_girl2002]

i've read and heard pekin ducks make great pets. any opinions on that?

 

[evansacres]

I have two pekin ducks and a male and female rouen. My pekins were day olds when I got them and they are great fun. They are very "chatty" though, which I enjoy, but some may not. They quack at everything... my car door closing, my voice, my children's voices, if I don't get myself out of bed early enough in the morning. I have one that has gone broody and oh my...she's even noisier now Luckily we live in the country and the neighbors aren't that close! I am not one to cuddle and pet them though, but I know they certainly wouldn't appreciate it if I did! I think it all just depends on their individual personality. They do come when I call them though (treat bag in hand

) and tolerate a pet now and then.