I'm trying to convince my parents to let me get a duck! Help!!!

[white_stripes]

I live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and my parents say that the duck will be too cold. We have chickens so I am wondering if a duck could live with the chickens.

 

[Feathers Acres]

If you've got a shelter that keeps chickens warm and cozy during the winter then it should be good enough for a duck.

 

[white_stripes]

Will the duck get lonely with all of the chickens around?

 

[Goat_Walker]

Ducks are pretty good with the temperature. Mine love the snow, the cold doesnt seem to bother them a bit! As for housing them with chickens Ive seen on here that aot of people do, the only thing is that there have been some occurrences of drakes trying to mate with the hens and vies versa.

Good luck! I finally convinced my mom to let me get some... and then some more... and now one of my girls is setting on a nest of 15

 

[Kev]

Too cold? Many ducks, including Mallards(most domestics are descended from Mallards) are adapted to COLD areas..

Mind you, ducks are very cute.. but very messy. They can live with chickens but you will have to deal with it keeping any water source 'constantly fouled up' & keep the area around water almost constantly wet too. In a small coop with many birds, that can make for a rather smelly coop with lots of fiies if not careful. For this reason, if at all possible, keep a separate pen/coop for ducks. Many do keep them together though.

Just a little warning.. learned that the hard way.

 

[white_stripes]

Thanks everybody! I think my parents are a little closer to letting me get a duck. We live on twelve acres of woodland and during the spring we frequently get bears. Would the bears harm a duck?

 

[white_stripes]

Oh! And we have a lot of hawks in our area do they kill ducks?
Would my dog (a pitbull-black lab mix) be inclined to eat the duck?
Would my dog scare away predators?

 

[Goat_Walker]

We have red tailed hawks, but I dont think they are big enough to take off with a full grown duck, but you never know! They will take off with ducklings though if they get the chance.
Alot of dogs kill/chase/hurt ducks. It all depends on the temperament of the dog. One of my dogs is fine with my 7 ducks, but the other two are ready for a snack when they see them. So id be careful when introducing them.
As for bears, ive only ever encountered them when in florida and Pennsylvania, but i wouldnt say no to them running off with your duck, especially if you free range it.

 

[FrizzleFreak]

If it keeps the chickens warm, it's fine.
If the chickens eat it, it's fine. (referring to food)
If the chickens go unmolested, it's fine.
If your dog barks, predators should stay away. What you really need to worry about are raccoons. My friends have one that is slowly killing all of their birds, because it knows what a live trap looks like. What it comes down too is that you need to be willing to do what you need to do when it comes to protecting your birds.
If you get Mallards, or any type of duck that isn't Rouen shaped, then at least one of the wings needs to be clipped regularly. If you show, they make you only clip one, which is dumb, because I know lots of ducks that fly just fine with one wing clipped, and my friend lost half of her ducks because she listened to the show people.

Generally they're right, but all animals are different.
sorry for the novel. Good luck!
If you decide to show, feel free to PM me with any questions on showing ducks. I have sources.

edited for dumb mistake.

 

[mekasmom]

You should get at least two or three ducks rather than one. But they are extremely messy. I just sold over sixty of them because I just couldn't keep the mess under control. I have a pair in my hen house now, but they still make water messes. They are a very messy animal, even more than geese.