House Duck Tips Please!

[quailheart]

I am getting 2 (hopefully) female Fawn & White Runner Ducks this summer. They will come to me as day old ducklings and I can't wait! I am going to be raising them indoors but they will have plenty of access to the yard as well. Here are some questions that I have come up with that I would love to hear from people with experience:

- Are two females going to get along or should I get one of each gender?
- Will the ducklings imprint off of me even if they come to me a day or two after they hatch?
- Do runner ducks make a lot of noise and are they aggressive?
- Do runner ducks make good house ducks?

That's all the questions I have now but I might come up with a few more in the future. Also any advice on raising house ducks would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Tonyroo]

Ducks don't make good house pets there really messy with there poop.

 

[littlechickenmama17]

Two females can get along well( even better when they start laying, eggs for you!) but if you want babies, girl and boy. There has sometimes been problems with boy ducks breeding in the water and drowning girls, but maybe they won't. You just gotta take a chance. Also, they may or may not imprint on you if you get them from mail because they may have imprinted on someone/something, but luck may be on your side. Sometimes they will if you are the first thing it sees.

 

[littlechickenmama17]

I agree with @Tonyroo, they are VERY messy with their poop and even messier with food and water. They have to drink water after eating a few scoops because they don't have sharp beaks or teeth, so they get food in their water and make it dirty. They actually have an instinct to put their beaks in water/mud to find food, just like their ancestors did.

 

[Sheepheart]

Best get females. With one of each you risk the female getting hurt durin mating season by getting over mated

as long as you spend plenty of time with them they should imprint to you just fine

I’m not sure
About the noise part but they are popular garden ducks so I think they are pretty friendly

I don’t know much on keeping ducks inside as I’m not huge on the idea since most seem happier outdoors, but if you ever have to rehome them make sure the new owners, if they arnt keeping them as house ducks, are prepared to having them try to get in the house.

I was given two house ducks because a lady decided they weren’t happy in the house. They had a temporary pen while I was introducing them to being outside all the time. And they somehow broke out, and got into the back yard, and we didn’t know they were there until the dogs found them. Luckily our dogs are well trained and the ducks only lost the feathers that they threw.
But it was still a very scary experience for everyone but the dogs, and I really wished I knew that even ducks that arnt happy inside will be like “that’s a house and we need to be in that house”

 

[quailheart]

They won't be inside all the time, just when I'm not home which isn't that often. Their food and water will also be outside because I've seen how ducks eat. Well, unless they are inside for long periods of time I guess it will have to be inside with them. And I think I have decided on two females, because I have no need for fertilized eggs. I know ducks are really messy with their poop so when they are inside in rooms with carpets or nice things that can't get pooped on, they will be wearing duck diapers. It's kind of silly, ducks wearing diapers, but I might as well! Any more tips from people with house ducks would be great!

 

[RosemaryDuck]

I know others have mentioned this, but the poop is probably going to be your biggest challenge besides water. Ducks projectile poop (meaning they squirt it about 3-4 feet). A diaper may not stop this as duck poop is usually loose or watery. It's also pretty difficult to get out of carpet or pretty much any surface. It can also stink pretty bad (sometimes worse then chicken poop).

The other issue here is ducks absolutely /love/ water. They will splash, jump in, tip over, and pretty much go crazy in their water dish. When I was raising my 2 ducks Raspberry & Blackberry, I had to change their brooder bedding out every single day. They would jump into their dish, and spray it on the walls.

They will also make a paste out of their food, because they have to eat with water. So you'll be battling a lot of smeared and splattered on food in a lot of places.

It would be best to have a designated area for them on tile, or something like a mud room. Ideally they would do best outside.

 

[neo71665]

I've raised ducks on a 1 acre farm pond and they are extremely messy. No way I would let them in the house but I wish ya good luck.

 

[quailheart]

Trust me, I know how messy ducks are, but I got this idea from a friend who raised two house ducks. My two ducks are going to be outside most of the day though, and they will really only come inside to my 4 seasons room to sleep or while I'm gone. Like I said their food and water and their swimming water will all be outside, unless I am gone for a while, I will bring their food and water inside.

 

[Ruby Rogue]

You need a proper duck house. What the actual *. Come on.