OMG now he wants ducks!

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

OK DH brought home chickens and I learned what I could AFTER we got them.

Now, he says he wants to bring home duck eggs in the spring! Ack!

What kind of housing will ducks need?? We've got lots of space, but no pond.

 

[Wifezilla]

Some ducks do not need a pond, but still love to play in a kiddie pool. Both Khaki Campbells and Indian Runners can live without a pond and are very good egg layers. I bummed my neighbors pond kit off her for the ducks I want. She set it up 3 year ago and then never filled it again. That should be interesting. The kids at the pet store says it's hilarious to put some feeder fish in the pond and watch the ducks go after them

I have read that Khaki's are more mellow than Runners, but I don't have my ducks yet. I should know by Saturday! I am going to get some Khaki's and a Runner this weekend

I have a pen and a duck hut, but plan on having them free range the back yard during the day. I have a 6' fence around the yard. There is a mesh floor in the hut that I will cover with pine shavings. Apparently they like to nestle in bedding. The don't need a perch like chickens.

Here are some houses you can look at...
http://www.riversanimalhousing.co.uk/Duck_Houses.htm

The pen area is just a dirt floor. I covered it with mulched maple leaves for now. Since I am in a dry climate, I think that will be OK. I will find out soon if I need to replace it with sand.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

My Khaki Campbells were the most trouble when they were really little. I kept them in a big plastic bin and had to clean it out 2-3 times a day. It was better as they got older and could spend the days in a bottomless pen out in the grass.

Now they have a little dirt-floor hut to spend their nights & lay their eggs (I keep mulch on the floor) and have the run of the yard during the days. They have a kiddy pool for bathing and use it maybe 2-3 times a day. I don't know how that compares with other breeds of ducks, or how they would fare with only a washtub instead of a pool.

I installed a bulkhead fitting on the pool for drainage, and added a fitting to include a faucet & hose. That way I can open the drain and have it go out through the hose into the garden, and not make the yard by the pool swampy with duck water.

We had chickens for a few years before adding ducks, and I'm so glad we have them now. They're amusing & interesting, and their eggs are delicious!

 

[Maidservant]

You've gotten some good advice here! I think I like my ducks better than the chickens (but don't let the chickens hear that, they would have my head, lol).

You're doing great to learn all you can about them before you get them. I ended up with two ducklings last spring and I had no clue how to care for them. Now 18 ducks and 1 duckling later, I wouldn't trade them for the world. I especially love watching them free range after dark (we have a night light) and it is halarious when they pounce on crickets!

Emily in NC

 

[birdnutz]

I LOVE my ducks. They are hardier than chickens and fun to watch. I guess it's because they like to play. Chickens are a little more serious about the day to day thing. 2 years ago I owned 9 ducks,now I have 54 of them.

 

[Wifezilla]

Do NOT let my hubby see your post. It took 2 years for me to convince him we needed a couple of ducks. If he knows they are addictive, he wont let me go get my new babies on Saturday!!!

 

[Maidservant]

My fiance said that he would rather have more ducks than more chickens! He's not hooked yet, but I'm just going to give him time, lol.

Emily in NC

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

Thanks for all the info! I am totally clueless and am still trying to convince him NOT to do this! So, I need to be won over yet.....

How free range can they be? Will they fly away and is it OK? Do their wings need to be clipped? Will they come back?

We live in a heavily goose infested area. Will that matter? What preys on ducks?

They roam at night????? They don't need to be locked in??

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

Get the ducks. You will love the ducks. And they love mud puddles. So right now with all this rain, the horses, chickens, goats at my house are all staying in the barn. But not the ducks and geeste. They are out having a ball in the mud puddles.

They are messy, but I love my ducks.

See mine here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=4065-Ducks

 

[Maidservant]

Mine have figured out how to open their pen, but since we only have shallow mud puddles here, all I have to do to get them back in is to give them fresh water in their wading pools, lol. Out of the fowl that I have had (which is unfortunatly limited to ducks and chickens), I like my ducks the most. They love to play in the rain, they will greet you as soon as they hear you, wether they are hungry or not, and just look so darn cute waddling around the yard.

When I first got mine, I clipped the females wings. The males would not leave the females, and therefore everyone would stay in the pen. I've had them for about two months now, and they go out in the morning with the chickens to free range. I do recommend keeping them locked up (if you don't have a definate place for eggs in the yard!) until about 10 or 11 to let them lay their eggs. Otherwise they will be all over the yard, like mine are today. I had to substitute for one period today at school and by the time I got back home, the ducks had let not only themselves out, but the chickens as well, lol.

If you want to be won over to ducks, find a video of a duck who has just been given clean water! They are so excited with nothing more than water!

Emily in NC

PS - forgot to add, I will probably keep the females wings clipped, there is a pond across the road from our house, and I do not want them thinking they can fly over there and end up getting hit by a car! We don't have geese close by, so I can't help you on that. I would guess that their predators are the same as for chickens, although some of the smaller falcons/hawks may not be able to get away with them like they can some breeds of chickens.