New to Ducks

[Caleigh]

Hi everyone, we bought a hobby farm a year and a half ago in Ontario and I want to get a couple ducks but i am having trouble sorting out all the information. I could use some help
Question 1- what are the best ducks to get that are hardy enough for Ontario winters? I am guessing the Pekin duck based on my research.
Question 2- we have a pond that never freezes...yes never freezes even when it’s -40 so the ducks would have water all the time. We also have a creek that never freezes as well so my ducks need to be free range in order to have access to water. My question is...can you get ducks to go to bed at night in a coop or should we build a floating platform with a house on it? I have read that it can be tricky to get them to go to their coop at night. I am thinking the floating platform maybe the best option but how the heck do you clean and bed it? Anyone have any hacks on this? We were thinking a pulley system to pull it to shore and then send it back out???
Question 3- we do have visitors from wild ducks and geese. Would they pose a threat to our ducks either by attacking them or by disease?
Question 4- if we do the floating platform would their food be ok in a shelter on the bank of the pond? We are gone early in the am so i would like to be able to feed them once a day...put out enough food at night for the next day.
Question 5- i do not want the ducks for eggs or meat just as pets so just wondering what sexs to get. Would 2 males be as good buddies as a male and a female or do i get a male and female and what do i do with the eggs. I don’t want to become overrun with ducks and i wouldn’t want to sell them incase they went to bad homes. I just want a couple ducks to hang out on the pond. Max would be 4.
Question 6- do they or do they not require heat lamps in the winter. I am hearing both and ours would not have a heat lamp so before i get them i want to make sure.
Sorry for all the questions but I just want to set the ducks up to be safe and happy!

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

@chickens really is from Canada and she has call ducks. I think with the right set up, you can have just about any duck.

I just got ducklings and am fairly new to chickens so, I will let others chime in, but I believe you are in the right place to get your questions answered.

 

[CarleeAnn]

Question 2- ...can you get ducks to go to bed at night in a coop or should we build a floating platform with a house on it? I have read that it can be tricky to get them to go to their coop at night. I am thinking the floating platform maybe the best option but how the heck do you clean and bed it? Anyone have any hacks on this? We were thinking a pulley system to pull it to shore and then send it back out???

With diligence and repotition you can definitely get the ducks into a routine of going to bed at night. It would probably be best to attract them back to shore with food. I think the pulley system would be your best option for the floating house but if you go with that you have no control of putting them away at night- leaving them very vulnerable to predators.

Question 3- we do have visitors from wild ducks and geese. Would they pose a threat to our ducks either by attacking them or by disease?

The ducks may intermingle and that could bring about disease or if you have females and male visitors they could aggressively breed.

Question 4- if we do the floating platform would their food be ok in a shelter on the bank of the pond? We are gone early in the am so i would like to be able to feed them once a day...put out enough food at night for the next day.

I would advise not leaving out food at night- that would attract unwanted visitors. I used to leave my ducks’ food out and then the rats and opossum started coming! I was not happy feeding them so away with the food at night!

Question 5- i do not want the ducks for eggs or meat just as pets so just wondering what sexs to get. Would 2 males be as good buddies as a male and a female or do i get a male and female and what do i do with the eggs. I don’t want to become overrun with ducks and i wouldn’t want to sell them incase they went to bad homes. I just want a couple ducks to hang out on the pond. Max would be 4.

You could for sure get two males. But they may get rowdy in the springtime. If you wanted females though I would recommend a 3 female to 1 drake ratio so the females to not get over mated. If you have males and females you can pick up the eggs and toss them or eat them to prevent any from hatching. You could also get all females and not have to worry about fertile eggs!



Hope I helped! Sorry I did not have an answer for all your questions.