Many question to come :)

[Ohmyheart]

Hi everyone, I've been reading and learning all about ducks. I'm wanting to get set up for ducks and have a few questions.

I'm in central Arkansas so hot sticky in the summer and short somewhat cold winters. We do get freezing and a bit below for a very brief time.

I know to build as big as I can because I know I will want more , but how much is recommended? I'm not allowed to free range at all (city). So I'm going to shoot for 25sqf per duck in the run. I could give them more space if it's easy to let them mingle with my chickens. If anyone has any tips on how to make that happen I'm all ears.

Now this next question may seem silly. What types of ducklings does TSC usually get? I'm in a few chicken groups on FB so I will look there too for ducklings.

Is there a breed I should avoid? I saw Call Ducks being noisy so I will avoid them for my neighbours sake.

 

[sylviethecochin]

(EDT: My local) TSC has had everything from Mallards to Pekins to Muscovies and Khaki Campbells. I've also seen Blue Swedish and Cayugas (at least, I think they were Cayugas. They weren't identified, and were mixed with other breeds, but how many breeds of black duck are there?) I know someone who got Anconas from there.

My TSC does not identify its duck breeds. It sells "ducklings" so memorise the breed appearance of the ducklings you want.

If a duck wants to be heard, she will be heard. They are loud. Mine can be heard a quarter-mile away, at least. Rouens, Khakis, Blue Swedish, and Pekins are all extremely noisy (at least, in my experience.) My mallards are rather quieter, but still pretty loud.

Muscovies are very quiet, but are also fliers (you'll have to trim wings if you get them) and most lines are extremely broody. I would recommend them, especially if you don't have a pond. They're less attached to water than mallard-derived ducks are.

 

[thumper650]

You may want to get sexed ducklings from a hatchery.

Drakes may find your chickens sexy if they are in the same area, and that can be bad for chickens.

If noise is a problem, Muscovies may be the way to go.

 

[TheBeardie]

Welcome to BYC! 25 sounds good for the run, but more is always better. Also the duck house can be as little as 2 1/2 feet per duck but since you can't free range I'd up it to 6 to 8 feet per duck.

Next is the breed. If you want quiet you should go for muscovies, which is the only breed I have and most likely the only breed I will continue to have. They are basically the quietest duck breed you can get. The males hiss and the females make a light honk like sound. There are plenty of YouTube videos that show you how they sound.

If you want your ducks to hang out with the chickens you shouldn't have drakes, males, due to the fact that male ducks have a corkscrew penis. If they try to breed your hens they will seriously injure them. My drakes have never gotten along with my roos either and a fight will end in injury and possibly death.

I've never personally seen any ducklings other than Pekins in TSC, but I'm sure others have see other breeds.

If you do end up with muscovies know that they fly, females especially well. A simple wing clip, which you can find how to do here if needed, is the way to keep them grounded. They also like to roost so put that into consideration.


Have a wonderful time on BYC!

 

[CayugaJana]

I have cayugas and Pekins at the moment and the only time I hear them is if I go outside to feed them. They get excited. I honestly don’t think my ducks are louder than a dog. They don’t quack all day long just for a few seconds when they get excited. But it might depend on how nice or not nice your neighbors.

Things to be aware of at TSC, there is no way to tell boys from girls. And more than likely there will be more male ducklings than females. Which ends up being a problem once they are around 6 months old. So if you don’t plan on eating extra males or rehoming them, you need a back up plan. I’ve went to TSC and bought ducklings but I pick the smallest ones in the whole bin. They are more likely to be female. I ask the manager what days they get duckling shipments in. And I make sure to go that same day so it’s not all males left by the time I get there.

People who have Muscovys really like them. They are great mothers. But I don’t have a lot of experience with them. The #1 thing that will determine how your ducks behave as adults is how much you work with them as ducklings. They will be more tame the more you handle them. So you should just go with what kind you like and get to know them!

 

[Kkrista123]

I have a runner and she's pretty quiet. Along with them being of the better egg layers laying up to 200 eggs a year. You can order them as ducklings or hatching eggs of Metzer Farms that everyone loves! They also have a helpful comparison chart table for all the breeds and their qualities.
http://www.metzerfarms.com/DuckBreedComparisonNew.cfm?affiliate=undef&CustID=23388685

 

[Ohmyheart]

Thank you everyone and @Kkrista123 thank you for the chart.

My husband is all for extra drakes so that helps that situation.
I don't think my chickens would be happy getting a corkscrewed so I won't even try to let them mingle. Having two runs will be best. I am going to try and give them a kiddie pool, because that just seems to be more fun.

Our TSC just labels them as ducklings too. Ive seen the odd different colour bu I try not to look at them and go home with them all

I will start looking more into those breeds and what the ducklings look like. If I get any from TSC I will try for the smallest ones. Good tip fingers crossed.

 

[Kkrista123]

All sound like great ideas! The best way to get select breeds is a hatchery because they guarantee. TSC has sold mixed ducks before but not very often. If you don't mind, then that's the easiest way to get them!

 

[Ohmyheart]

All sound like great ideas! The best way to get select breeds is a hatchery because they guarantee. TSC has sold mixed ducks before but not very often. If you don't mind, then that's the easiest way to get them!

I don't mind mixed. I am going to try to get them from local ppl, but the lure in TSC is hard to resit at times. I just wanted to be prepared the best I can before Chick days start. So far I try to not look to hard and long at them and stay focused on the chicks. My kids have been helping the duckling itch. I still need to build a coop and run and research some more. The fun part will be getting my husband to foot the bill for the hardware cloth.

 

[thumper650]

Some people have reported TSC selling a high proportion of drakes. Not saying you shouldn't get them there but just have a contingency plan in case you end up with a bunch of drakes.
pS the cheapest hardware cloth I found was in TSC's website, shipped to the store.