Have no clue. Can you answer?

[Hennyhandler]

I am new to ducks. I don't have any but I do have chickens and got curious. The wanting bug is going around!!!

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone can anwer some questions. Like, I have heard they are really messy and they get their shelter messy too. How do they do this? If you can't be their through the day would having ducks be an issue?

I have seen people's ponds and some are huge and some small. Is there a certain amount of space per duck that is advised? How do you go about setting up a pond that is cheap but wouldn't have to be emptied and cleaned every couple of hours?


What needs to ducks have that are different than chickens? I know they have to be able to stick their heads in water to drink. I have seen coops of shelters that are very small and people say their ducks never use them a lot. What kind and size would be appropriate? Any info would be appreciated.

 

[Katy]

Yes, they are very messy. Take the amount they eat mulitiply it by ten and that is the amount that they poop!!

I use a large kids wading pool for mine in the summer...can't in the winter tho so they have large water pans to use then.

 

[Hennyhandler]

Do you dump it every day or does it drain itself when needed? How many do you have? Is this like the more you have the messiness goes up or is this it don't matter how many you do or don't have it's going to be a mess?

 

[Katy]

Quote:
I have to dump it every day, especially in the summer. When it's cooler in the early spring and later fall I can sometimes go every other day. I siphon it out with an irrigation tube. I have about 20 call ducks. They're messy but so cute.

 

[SilverPhoenix]

Yep, they're very messy! Like to get the water all muddy, get the bedding wet, and they poop a lot. That said, I keep three large ducks (rouens and a swedish) in with my chickens and they do fine together. The ducks can be a little pushy, but they don't hurt any of even my smallest bantams--and I've got some very small OEGB. As long as you have enough room and you're okay with changing the water a fair amount, I don't think they'll bother you that much. If you know anyone who has ducks and you can go visit their ducks, you might get a better idea of what we mean when we say they're messy. Ducks are fun, though. They have great personalities!