Maine

[superchemicalgirl]

These are mixed breeds from:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=7840138


I'm in no way, shape or form a duck expert. Mine were separated from the chickens because of a) the mess with the water and b) apparently drakes can kill female chickens by trying to mate with them. However, the chickens free range and so did the ducks... and they got along fine. The chickens loved to go in the duck house and eat their food and play in their hay and the ducks were obsessed with getting into the chicken run, so most of the day they'd lay on the outside of the fence where the chickens were hanging out.

 

[m.kitchengirl]

I have a trio of Anconas. I love them. They are a lot of fun to watch, and they round out the yard well.
They get the bigger pesty bugs my chickens don't try to tackle, and make quick work of Japanese Beetles and, I have heard, hornworms.

They are "messier" than chickens.
They get things wet, but I switched their enclosed run to a hardware cloth floor with a 2" layer of pea gravel & it made it less soggy.
I find it less gross than the chicken coop, which is always so dry (a good thing) that when I churn the litter...

... but people always talk about the fact that they are messier. Their water buckets & pools are something to see. Twice a day I pour this thick, brown goo out of the bottom of their bucket & rinse it to give them clean water. It is FUNKY, and I wash that every other morning or so. Their pools I clean the sludge out once a week (a little less in winter as I don't leave water in it overnight), but I power spray them before I fill them everyday. I moved the duck house over to our least productive garden & am letting their water drain into it this winter, and raking the hay out & covering the beds & garlic with it. (My lemon balm is still growing over there.)

There is a lot of water transport involved. I think that is the BIGGEST consideration I would make if you do not have a pond, stream, etc.
I carry A LOT of water from the house to the duck house now that it is winter. I find it an enjoyable part of the routine, but I also plan to add some rain barrels to my setup expansion project this spring.

I would read "Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks", try to visit different types of ducks.
Also, be really realistic about what you can handle for noise level, and what you want from the birds before you get them. I LOVE runners, and they are great layers, but after meeting a few I realized my plans were not a good fit for runners (yet) & I needed something with a little less enthusiasm.
I got Anconas because they are good layers, meaty enough, and great foragers. I also LOVE them. I think they are very pretty, and I think that counts for something.

They are much less affectionate than my chickens. They were friendlier when they were little, but they are all hormones right now. I am fine with that. I like them as ducks, they can be whatever kind of "pet" they want.

the chickens free range and so did the ducks... and they got along fine. The chickens loved to go in the duck house and eat their food and play in their hay

The chickens DEFINITELY run the yard here. My four laying hens "free range" in the duck house more than anywhere else in the whole yard. The ducks wouldn't DARE set foot in the chicken coop. Lately my teenage hens are trying to stand up for themselves. Until a chicken looks at her, she rethinks her attitude awful quick once a hen gives her the eye. They bully the cat, and he is not a little kitty. They all free range together most of the time & are more & more like a flock, but I house them separately also.

superchemicalgirl your ducklings are so cute. Did you hatch them yourself?​

 

[kinsey228]

I have a small stream that runs by the chicken coop, and the Hubby was thinking of making a nice deep pool for them. We're considering 2 maybe 3 ducklings in the spring, and some of them would end up in freezer camp.

 

[hudsonnascarfan]

i know this is off topic but im looking to find a good home for 3 female puppies that are ready to go the daddy is a black lab and the mother is a husky springer mix and both parents are really friendly and we are giving them away let me know if anyone wants one or two or even all three of them they will be 8 weeks old saterday im in hudson but could meet in the bangor oldtown and newport area and my cell phone number is 299-8896 puppies are mostly black with a little bit of white

 

[kinsey228]

Since I can't seem to get my banty Wyandotte to stop being broody, does anyone have any have any fertile eggs they would be willing to part with ? Maybe 2 or 3 ?

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Quote:
Tons over here. Nothing purebred at this time. Lots of hens over a black EE roo. Potential for turkens. Free if you want.

 

[kinsey228]

Thanks to superchemicalgirl, I now have 4 eggs under my broody banty !

This is my first attempt at any sort hatching, so I hope all goes well

 

[Widget]

Quote:
My adults co-exist together and get along fine. My ducks range from the two tiny call ducks all the way up to the large Muscovies. They share the same coop and free range together during the day. Ducks are very messy and brooding them with chickens is not recommended. At least I found it hard to keep the chicks dry since the ducklings insisted on spilling, splashing and making a real mess out of the brooder on a daily basis.

As for breeds it depends on whether you want eye candy, eggs, meat or all three. I have the calls just because I like them. Of course I have two drakes so I will be looking for some females this spring to go with them. Then I have one Pekin and one mixed Rouen. Both drakes. I have a pair Saxonies. Really pretty ducks who are a good dual purpose duck. I am getting more of those this spring from Holderreads. And finally I have the four Muscovies. At least three are drakes and I think the fourth is too.

So I will also be looking for some females this spring. Another breed I really like and will attempt again next year are Indian Runners. Really fun to watch and great for eggs.

So for me I will probably try to end up with just having Calls, Runners, Saxonies and Muscovies. The first for fun, the second for fun and eggs, and the last two for meat and eggs.

One thing I will say about ducks is that watch out when they figure out they can fly. My Muscovies have recently decided that flying is fun. Only problem is they have yet to learn the fine art of landing. Around here there is a whole new meaning to the warning "Duck"

. Twice now I have almost been hit in the head by and out of control Muscovy. And earlier this week one almost flew into the side of my car because he couldn't turn fast enough.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Ditto on the learning to fly thing, and thanks for the "duck" laugh, Widget. My calls figured out they could fly one day. I got a text from my boyfriend that went something like this "I'm sitting here at the kitchen table reading the newspaper and sipping my coffee and I swear the ducks just flew by the window"

Sure enough when I came home from work that day they greeted me with a little too close of a flyby, a la Maverick in Top Gun.

 

[m.kitchengirl]

Too cool. When I have more space cleared for a bigger set up I want to get some BEIs, so I can have some flyers.

My ducks can only get 2-3 feet up, but they try awful hard, running about, flapping like mad. They have always done a good Runner impersonation.
I'll have fertile eggs in spring but no incubator (and a deep seeded dread of that undertaking). I just have to hope that one of the feathered females goes broody.