new to ducks, a few questions

[lisamarie]

hi all,

just starting to do some research here and hoping you all can help.

i am looking to raise a few ducks for eggs. looking for good foragers and layers especially. i also have children and would be great to have a friendlier breed. any recs?

also, what kind of housing do i need to have? what would be the most basic and economical type of housing?

thanks so much!

lisa

 

[ConchRepublic]

Quote:
All of it depends. The most friendly ducks would be muscovy, the better egg layers I think would be rouens, cambells, and runners. I might be missing a breed or two though. The best way to get friendly ducks is to hatch a couple yourself and spend LOTS of time with them, even though you can't guarantee they be female, but with muscovies you don't have to spend so much time on, they are naturally friendly

Housing depends, some people have indoor ducks while others have pens. Our duck pen is prety much a large dog kennel/run that we split into an open section and a covered section, but then again we're in Fl where we don't have to worry about weather to much and we let them free range often.

 

[lisamarie]

thanks for the suggestions!

how does a duck pen differ from a chicken coop? do ducks naturally go into the coop at night? i think we could do the dog kennell idea because we are also in a mild climate!

thanks,
lisa

 

[rainplace]

I would not go with muscovy if you're looking for friendly ducks and you have children. It's not that they are not friendly, it's that they have CLAWS.

You can house a duck in almost anything. Our duck house is a shed that I put a lino floor in. Out here we constantly see those wooden shipping crates for around $70. Those make great duck houses too.

Runners and Khaki Cambells make great egg layers. My understanding is that most ducks are pretty good foragers. Our bantam ducks are great in the garden, they don't do as much damage.

 

[rainplace]

Quote:
They get in the habit if you start them young. Mine put themselves away every night and all I have to do is shut the door and lock them in tight.

 

[lisamarie]

thanks so much for the great info.

i need to make sure pen is predator proof, too. do ducks roost?

how much space in pen per duck? i would just have them in at night and free range during day.

thanks!
lisa

 

[rainplace]

Ducks, with the exception of the muscovy, do not roost. Right now I have 23 ducks and 5 geese in an 8'x12' shed at night. They are a bit overcrowded, but don't seem too bothered about it. I'll be moving out 3 geese and 9 ducks into separate housing this week.

 

[nettie]

typically, ducks need 4 sq feet of coop space each, and between 5-15 sq feet of run space each depending on the breed (I give my runners 10 sq feet each).

 

[lisamarie]

okay, great. i won't get that many ducks and just found a shed on craig's list!

by the way, just assuming they won't fly or run away if they are free ranging during the day??? i've got about 3 acres so plenty of space. my chickens hang around so was just assuming that the ducks would too???

 

[ConchRepublic]

Quote:
They will if they are not a flying breed (mallard, scovies, and some others I think), otherwise you have to clip the wings. Best thing is to let them just hang around for a few days in their pen to know it's home then they shouldn't leave.