Heritage Breeds

[ChristineR]

My best advice is to make sure you have plenty of ducks and not too many drakes. I have 2 ducks that have nearly lost eyes. I don't think the feathers will ever grow back on my one duck.

(The drake / duck ratio has been an ongoing battle for me.)

Yeah, I agree. If you're only getting a few, just get one drake.

 

[harbisgirl]

This has been very helpful - thank you everybody

 

[harbisgirl]

I think if you click on my profile you can access my pics? Not sure how that works. But I have duck pics nestled in there. You can see pics of some of my ducks.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/gallery/album/view/id/6200047/user_id/136267 Ah-ha! Here you go!

Wow. You are quite the photographer! Those pictures are amazing. Everything looks so happy and whimsical

 

[harbisgirl]

Most people have males because they like the idea of hatching, others get males because they buy straight run ducks, then some think you need a male for eggs. They are happy with more of their own kind. So all ducks and all drakes are happy flocks. Avoid more drakes than ducks, it's bad for the ducks.
Most of the time drakes are more colorful than ducks, so that is also at times a reason people keep the boys around. Our silver appleyard ducks are just as pretty as the drakes. The Khaki ducks are a stunning chocolate/khaki color.
I am forever updating our farms website, with photos and info, feel free to look around at the pictures.
Good luck on your search, no matter what breed you pick it will be the one that appeals to you, or is best for your location and needs.

I love your pens! Very clever with the water tubs

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

Thanks, those are our duck brooders, and or pens for bantam sized ornamentals as needed. They wont hold full sized domestics beyond brooder age though. However, they are excellent brooders, we add hardware cloth ramps out of the pools and fill them very shallow at first increasing depth as they get older. We dont need much extra heat being in FL, so open air outside brooders work for us.

the yard and pastures have kiddie pools, extra small, medium and large scattered about for geese and ducks to share.