Need advice and tips- interested in raising ducks for meat.

[MichelleKing]

Experts needed and appreciated!

I’m looking to hatch and raise ducks, just a small number, for meat. I have some some research but I have some
Questions.

1. Water. I’m now aware they do not NEED a swimming pool, but would you recommend one to keep them happy?

2. Non-fenced backyard- should I fence it, build a run, or keep them inmy house? We have red tailed hawks and coyotes in the area.

3. Gamebird food or chicken food? In your experience, what produces
The best flavored meat?

4. Treats and supplements, vitamins and probiotics yay or nay?

5. If I built a pond in my backyard, would they naturally stay there or try to
Run away?

6. What is ideal butchering age?

7. Best breed for delicious, tender, flavorful meat?

8. How much food, in your estimating, would 6 ducks eat in a month? 50lbs, 25 lbs?

Here’s the advice I don’t want- someone trying to deter me from raising ducks. I have the resources to provide for them
And right now it’s just an interest. I have a Breeder lf Muscovy if I need eggs,
If that’s the best breed.

I just need helpful advice from experienced folks!!

Thanks y’all!

 

[Brahmachicken240]

1) I would recommend getting them a small swimming pool to keep them clean and happy.

2) it’s best keep them penned up if there’s predators in your erea.

3) chick starter with 20% protein for the first 10 weeks, switching to 15% grower weeks 10-18.

4) I would recommend Gro-2-Max,The unique blend of probiotics helps improve the immune system by inhibiting enteric pathogens and establishing beneficial microflora in the digestive system. Gro-2-Max helps to increase absorption of nutrients, improves weight gain, decreases mortality rates, and improves the overall economy of the farm.

5) mine usually stay around the pond.


6) 7 - 18 weeks I believe (I don’t raise mine for meat)

7) pekin, Alesbury, Muscovy and Rouen.

 

[MichelleKing]

1) I would recommend getting them a small swimming pool to keep them clean and happy.

2) it’s best keep them penned up if there’s predators in your erea.

3) chick starter with 20% protein for the first 10 weeks, switching to 15% grower weeks 10-18.

4) I would recommend Gro-2-Max,The unique blend of probiotics helps improve the immune system by inhibiting enteric pathogens and establishing beneficial microflora in the digestive system. Gro-2-Max helps to increase absorption of nutrients, improves weight gain, decreases mortality rates, and improves the overall economy of the farm.

5) mine usually stay around the pond.


6) 7 - 18 weeks I believe (I don’t raise mine for meat)

7) pekin, Alesbury, Muscovy and Rouen.

This is perfect, exactly what I was needing. Thank you for your expertise!!

 

[lomine]

1. Some kind of bathing water will make them much happier. Even a large concrete mixing tub will work if you don't want a kiddie pool.

2. You'll want a fence and some kind of shelter. I don't recommend keeping them in the house. They will stink it up.

3. I use an All Flock feed that is 20% protein and 55 mg niacin. They free range during the day and sometimes get kitchen scraps (the bits of fruits and veggies I don't eat).

4. I give additional brewer's yeast if I notice any ducklings showing signs of deficiency. The feed technically has enough but some need extra. On larger breeds extra calcium is also sometimes needed when they are growing.

5. I image they would stay close to the pond most of the day.

6. Butcher at 7, 11, or 18 weeks to avoid having a lot of pin feathers.

7. I've only butchered two and eaten one (other is in freezer) so I can't really comment on taste differences. But I will say you should avoid anything with dark feathers (got some Cayuga for free, would never get them for meat again). I've got WH and Saxony now. I am impressed with the growth and size of the Saxony but haven't butchered any yet. I plan to hatch ducklings for the first time this year. Last year I sold some extras to help with the cost of buying them. The extra WH drake (not fit for breeding so didn't sell) was a good size and was pretty easy to clean. Both breeds have nice personalities too.

8. There are a lot of variables with this; like age, breed, free range or no free range, time of year, etc. Ducklings will eat a lot but tend to taper off a bit when full grown. I have 10 ducks and over 20 chickens and they are eating about 150 lbs of feed a month right now.

 

[casportpony]

@Alaskan raises Muscovies for meat, maybe they can offer some advice.

 

[Alaskan]

1. Water. I’m now aware they do not NEED a swimming pool, but would you recommend one to keep them happy?

Depends on your space. An actual pond is great. But all they need is enough water to bathe in. I have a pond, but my flock have a little hike to get there. As a result only the young ones bother. The older ones only go a few times a year. They are happy with a 2 foot diameter pond in their pen.

If it is freezing, and you have muscovy, I remove swimming water when in the teens or below. Switching to small pots that they can dunk their heads in but NOT step in is safest. For other waterfowl you could probably leave swimming water out at a bit colder temps.

2. Non-fenced backyard- should I fence it, build a run, or keep them in my house? We have red tailed hawks and coyotes in the area.

A nice secure night enclosure is good. Fence to keep out coyotes and dogs is smart. However, I have found that a flock of Muscovy with a good strong drake is pretty good at being safe! My losses have been when I let the girls fly, and they would perch alone up on a fence rail (that screams I am hawk bait). If the girls are trained to stay with the boys, then they stay safe. But one bad dog or a few coyotes could easily take them out.

3. Gamebird food or chicken food? In your experience, what produces
The best flavored meat?

I use All Flock, which is only 17% protein. It works great.

Best flavored meat is happy meat, so do a good kill. Muscovy always tastes good in my opinion, doesn't matter what I feed them. But older birds MUST be cooked LOW and SLOW. One spike of high heat and you have meat that chews like old shoe leather. Low and slow and even old bird is divine.

4. Treats and supplements, vitamins and probiotics yay or nay?

The All Flock and All poultry have extra niacin (verses chicken feed), but I still like to sprinkle feed grade nutritional yeast over the food for the ducklings.

5. If I built a pond in my backyard, would they naturally stay there or try to
Run away?

It isn't really the pond I think.... I think they get imprinted on your place. Ducks are HUGE creatures of habit.

Lock them in just their coop for a month, then let them be in just their run for a month, then you could let them in your yard (fenced is better) and they will coop up every night for you. Maybe you will need to remind them once or twice... but they are strongly creatures of habit.

With that said though... my favorite female, once when I took her ducklings (sold the ducklings), she got so mad she flew off and I never found her again.

A different time I had a female with ducklings and a fence collapsed which scared her and she flew off! She flew off to the neighbors, then left there and flew down into a boggy bottom land full of spruce. My kids and I had to go out there and find her. Only got her back because we took a screaming duckling with us to tempt her out of hiding.

Been a few years since we had such excitements... I think because most of my current moms were hatched here, so better imprinting.

6. What is ideal butchering age?

When you feel like it. Yeah sure, duck skin is tasty, but peeling them is SO MUCH FASTER!!! If you peel, it doesn't matter if there are pin feathers. I like my muscovy older, like 6 to 9 months of age. At that age the males can be huge and are great as the star attraction at Christmas dinner. Also, no pin feathers then, so yes, for Christmas dinner we do pluck them. Usually the younger ones, 3 months or so, we skin.

7. Best breed for delicious, tender, flavorful meat?

I love Muscovy meat. Totally different from "regular" duck. Muscovy really is like lean beef. It makes great pastrami too.

8. How much food, in your estimating, would 6 ducks eat in a month? 50lbs, 25 lbs?

No idea, I try not to pay attention to the amount of money I spend on my poultry.

If you want ECONOMICAL meat I strongly recommend geese! Those were by far the most economical of everything that I have raised. They eat almost 100% lawn all summer. Truly, almost zero pellets! I would just use a few handfuls to lock them up at night. The first we butchered though was too lean. So in the fall when the grass died we locked them up for 2 weeks and then started butchering the rest. After just 2 weeks of being locked up and eating pellets they were fatty and much more delicious.

We had a flock of 5 or 6, and that was big enough that nothing tried to hurt them.

 

[casportpony]

Thanks @Alaskan!

 

[Alaskan]

Thanks @Alaskan!

Welcome, thanks for tagging me.