Need advice for raising ducks? Need all the help I can get!

[LibertyDoe]

My family and I have been raising chickens for about 5 years now, and we want to start raising a couple ducks. I’ve been doing rigorous research but I’m still slightly new to the whole duck thing. The Welsh Harlequin is a breed that is frequently catching my eye but is it a quiet bird for a neighborhood? We have a large backyard but regardless we do have some stingy neighbors who have complained because we have had some roosters, I need help knowing how loud ducks are and if my family and I should get them, if I should get two females or two drakes ? HELP!!

 

[CoriM]

I have welsh harlequins and they are pretty quiet. They do quack but not overly loud. You can read lots on this site about over-mating. Unless you're wanting to raise ducklings, maybe get all females. That's what I have and it works out well. Otherwise a drake needs like four females so the girls don't get overmated.

I would also seriously consider what you're going to do to provide them a place to swim. People say ducks don't have to have water, but they really do need to swim to keep their feathers oiled and it's their greatest pleasure in life - really! Even if you have a big wading pool, they will need something. Beware that ducks are extremely messy and wet. They take a couple sips of water and they get their dish dirty because they swish everything they put in their mouth through the water. Same with swimming water - wading pools need to be changed every couple of days.

But they are sweet and fun - just beware that they're a bit of work if you're trying to keep them clean and dry.

 

[Trisseh]

I went with ducks before chickens because they’re pretty simple beings to care for. They come with their own set of difficulties of course, messy, clumsy, and not very adept at escaping predators. But mine follow me around the yard, chattering back and forth to each other, and exclaiming about it when they find something fun. I do feel that some individuals are louder than others. My silver Appleyard is extremely chatty and announces anything of interest to her at the top of her lungs. From what I understand, muscovies are very quiet so potentially an option for you. Or if you only want companions with no eggs or ducklings, a bachelors group of just drakes (who get along) would maybe be ok. I sold 2 of my drakes to a lady who had lost her other 2 drakes to a predator and was left with one lonely fellow. Without access to your chickens, however, as they can and will try to breed pretty much anything and can injure chickens, who aren’t made to deal with drake “equipment”.
As for water for bathing/swimming, I have 2 black rubber feed pans that are changed out daily in the winter to give them some water to play in, wash their heads in, and even sometimes give themselves a “bill bath” where they splash as much water on themselves as they can in such a small space. xD in summer they have a kiddie pool and a 100 gallon livestock tank to play in. They’re also clumsy and not great with steep footing so making sure they have a safe way to get in and out of their coop is important. And since most breeds can’t fly, predator protection is important.