How to ask my parents for ducks

[Haleyj04]

Okay so I have a whole coop of chickens and I want ducks more than anything I live with my grandmother and grandfather and my grandfarther is convinced I can't have ducks but I have a job making $10 an hour I have more than enough money to make a pen for them but he doesn't want then because he used to raise them but he don't won't them pooping in our yard or on the porch but we have a fence built around one of our ponds and I want to build them a coop to shut them up every night but he's still convinced that I can't have them no matter what I say he says I can have any other bird just not a duck and I want ducks please help me!!

 

[Lil Drake40]

Why not ask granddad if you can get 3 ducks so he can see that you can take care of them just like you care for the chickens. Does he ever have to do your chores? If not ask him to let you prove you can care for them.

 

[HuskerHens18]

Ducks are quite the work.
They stink very bad if their pen is wet and dirty, and it's pretty hard to clean up poop mixed with mud. So if your pen isn't very big, it won't take long before they soak it in wet feces and water.
Everywhere you step will be duck poop. They are NOT clean birds.
Ducks will take mud and drop it in their water, plus they will get in it and poop, creating very gross, brown water quickly. It will have to be cleaned often.
Ducks make a mess with eating too, but they ALWAYS need water available when they have food or they'll choke and die.
Ducks will be terrified of you, they aren't cuddly animals and don't tame down well. I'm sure some people have great luck doing so, but I've tried everything with no luck. They only approach if I have food and they're hungry.
They'll need feed with Niacin in it, I think most Flock Raiser feed has it.
Are you sure you can handle all the responsibilities of owning your own ducks?
Make sure you read up on all the care ducks need and then tell your Grandfather all you've learned. Show him the work you've done studying, maybe show him all the money you've saved for the ducks. IF you can, what if you do some of your Grandfather's chores for a little bit? Maybe more cleaning in the house, cooking perhaps?

 

[Abriana]

Does anybody around you have ducks you can “borrow” for a bit to prove that you can care for them?

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Ducks are definitely more work than chickens so insistent about their water needs.
I don't know if I would lend out my ducks though as they don't like change. I just put up a tarp for extra shade and they are freaking out. So much so, I might take it down and put it up on another day when it doesn't matter as much.
With that said, I think you should make a list of pros and cons and then write up a paper with your justifications on why you would like a duck even knowing the risks and work it would take as well as the joys of raising ducks.
Good luck.

 

[Abriana]

Ducks are definitely more work than chickens so insistent about their water needs.
I don't know if I would lend out my ducks though as they don't like change. I just put up a tarp for extra shade and they are freaking out. So much so, I might take it down and put it up on another day when it doesn't matter as much.
With that said, I think you should make a list of pros and cons and then write up a paper with your justifications on why you would like a duck even knowing the risks and work it would take as well as the joys of raising ducks.
Good luck.

I didn’t think about that

 

[thumper650]

You might be able to find work as a duck sitter, that might prepare you for their care. Personally I got ducks instead of chickens because of their cuteness and cold hardiness.

 

[dotporter]

Have you considered call ducks? Due to their size, the mess is also smaller. Maybe he'd compromise.

 

[Kessel23]

Well if he said any other bird then mind as well argue to get some geese, say it is either geese or ducks, if he knows anything about goose poop then he might change his mind...
You could get a pair of call ducks, they are pretty cool little guys, they can fly though. You can do things to help avoid the mess ducks make with water, I put a wire cage around mine to stop them from swimming in it but the holes are big enough to fit their heads through and dunk them under the water. I also put their water on a board so they don't drill holes around it and get it filled with mud, they still do get it pretty muddy from cleaning their beaks off in it but it is a lot less than normal.

I put a large rock in their to stop them from tipping it over if the water gets low. You still will need to empty, clean out, and refill the water at least twice a day, well with the number of birds I have you do. With just two call ducks it should last all day depending on how big the waterer is.
Muscovies are also another option, although they are from a different genus than the Mallard they are still very similar and from the same family. Muscovies do not swim or drill as much as Mallard derived ducks do. They will waste your food if you keep it near the water though, they will take beakfulls and dump it in when they get bored, so just keep the food far from the water. The Muscovy is also not as active as the Mallard derived is, they will go around and adventure but are not as fast as the Mallard derived and will not cover the yard in poop as quickly. Muscovies also have the added benefit of being great hunters of flies, adult mosquitoes, mosquito larva, and lost of other bugs. My Muscovies are also very tame compared to my Mallard derived ducks, I have one that follows me around and nibbles on my boots when I am out their working. He likes to nibble on my hands too and loves to be scratched on the neck. I have another that does the same thing but is less friendly and won't let me scratch her neck or touch her much. All my other Muscovies are also pretty tame and will let me walk past them and even step over them without running.

A few cons to the Muscovies is they are not as active and playful as the Mallard derived ducks and are not as fun to watch all the time because they spend a lot of time just sitting around and enjoying themselves. Another con is they can fly so you will need to clip their wings if you don't want them venturing over the fence. A third con is they lay a very limited amount of eggs, in my area a decent hen will produce 60 eggs a year. And a fourth con is the Muscovy is a very strong and large bird, if they don't want to be handled and you have to handle them then they can inflict some serious damage while trying to escape. Two more pros to Muscovies are they are extremely silent birds, unlike female mallard derived ducks, also, their eggs taste very good.