Pros and Cons of Ducks

[desertgirl]

Ok,I know....I have posted quite a bit about this duck thing, but I don't want to rush in half cocked (or should I say half-draked??!!

).


Apart from the ridiculous cute factor, what are the pros to duck ownership? Apart from the mess, what are the cons?

 

[MNmommy]

I just got 2 call ducks a little over a week ago and they are just so cute!!! They are a little shy right now but are warming up quickly. I have them in the same brooder as my chicks and I figured out a way to keep everyone happy dry and still have water!!!!

I just let them out for the first time yesterday and they went right for my dandelions!!! I was like eat all of them you can!!! I am excited to watch them in our pond this summer.


Since I figured out a way to keep the brooder dry they are not messy for me at all. I have to add water about 6 times a day but I would rather have that than wet chicks and shavings

I am hoping mine aren't too noisy this summer......


Just on cute factor alone is reason to get a few!!!

 

[BirdMom]

Pros, they are absolutely hilarious to watch! When they try to run, they just look so funny. When there's been a good rain, as soon as we let them out to free range they run frantically all over the yard digging a bit here, digging a bit there, eating worms, running from each other with slugs in their bills. Tons of lovely big eggs.

Cons, well, if you free-range them and you live anywhere duck predators are, you have to watch them closely. Dang fox got one of ours during the day, 20 minutes after I last checked them, and within 50 feet of the house!

 

[Sooz]

Just hatched seven of the cutest call ducks. They are tiny and they are friendly and they eat all the slugs

 

[columbiacritter]

Pro: Funny, lots of eggs, campbells eat slugs.

Con: NOISY!!! Far noisier than my hens. Messy, way, way more mess than my hens. Soggy, they need water to be happy, just a kids wading pool is great, but they make everything with water in it filthy with mud in minutes.

 

[SportTees]

pro- there the best "dog" you will ever have/ Con- there very messy

 

[xtremevermonter]

Baby ducks are very very cute, but they are impossible to keep clean.

As soon as you change their water , they fill it back up with shavings. As soon as you change their shavings, they dump out half their water thus soaking the shavings.

However that being said, it is absolutely hilarious having them follow you all around the yard!

 

[ChickenToes]

Take look in the Waterfowl section, there have been a few threads recently about the pros and cons of ducks.

I think us duck lovers have converted quite a few people already!

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

I have a couple of Cons to add:

1. They make a huge mess if you keep them confined.
2. They are major owl bait.

 

[chickensioux]

I have 2 female muscovy ducks. They have their own pen within the chicken coop area so there really is no mess for the chickens. They would get their water dirty if they were with the chickens, so now they have their own.
The 2 that I have are very, very friendly. I raised them from ducklings.
They are very quiet.
Very funny to watch and they are smart.
I can only speak for me and mine and I do not have any cons.