Ratios if drakes to ducks

[DuckyDonna]

I think a lot of people just don't fully "grok" the idea that ducklings are still birds and as such are very different from mammalian pets like dogs, cats, rabbits or other rodents. You can, with varying degrees of effort, "potty-train" dogs, cats and even rabbits. You can't do that with ducklings.

Once they're housebroken and as long as they have some food/water, you can leave puppies, kitten and rabbits (in cage) alone in a house for hours at a time. That's psychological torture for imprinted ducklings.

You buy a guinea at the pet store and four-five years later it dies and you get another one. You hatch a duckling, you have a cute fuzzy little duckling for 30-60 days and then you have a duck for the next 15-20 years. That's the main stopper for me in terms of ducks.

If I could get a duckling and have it basically top out in development at, say two-three weeks and live a lifespan of three-four years, that would be doable. But there's no way I'm set up to be able to take care of a grown duck for 15+ years.

What? I have no idea what you're talking about but it's nicely written!

 

[johntfs]

What? I have no idea what you're talking about but it's nicely written!

Mostly I'm talking about people who think getting ducklings ("for Easter" or because they saw some cute videos on You-Tube) is a good idea. Usually they either screw up the care and the baby ducks die. Or they realize that taking care of ducks is a whole lot of hard work so the ducks/ducklings get dumped in a park to "make new friends/find new mommies."

 

[DuckyDonna]

Mostly I'm talking about people who think getting ducklings ("for Easter" or because they saw some cute videos on You-Tube) is a good idea. Usually they either screw up the care and the baby ducks die. Or they realize that taking care of ducks is a whole lot of hard work so the ducks/ducklings get dumped in a park to "make new friends/find new mommies."

Oh, now that I understand.

 

[Rooapalooza]

I agree! I actually feel like ducks are even more abused than chickens. It seems like people think they can just dump them at a park/pond and they'll be fine.

They are only cute for like two weeks and even then they are very messy and stinky, which I don't think many people realize. They are a lot more work than chickens. I LOVED owning ducks but won't do it again until I have water on my property. The baby pool I used worked okay but was too much work to clean.

My ducks got along fine with my chickens, but my drakes were huge jerks to each other and to the lady ducks. I would not recommend having more than one unless you have a huge flock and lots of space. They fight pretty violently, and the females don't seem to enjoy being mated.

 

[Rooapalooza]

Oh also you don't need a coop for ducks. They'll do fine sleeping on the floor of the coop if you are going to get one for chickens anyway, but for just ducks, the standard chicken coops are inconvenient and unnecessary.

 

[DuckyDonna]

Oh also you don't need a coop for ducks. They'll do fine sleeping on the floor of the coop if you are going to get one for chickens anyway, but for just ducks, the standard chicken coops are inconvenient and unnecessary.

You don't need a coop? How do you keep them safe from predators, especially at night?

 

[PirateGirl]

My ducks have a duck house and in certain weather they definitely need it. Ducks are more comfortable sleeping out in the open in a wider range of weather than chickens, but some sort of shelter from the elements and protection from predators is definitely a good idea.

 

[Isaac 0]

Oh also you don't need a coop for ducks. They'll do fine sleeping on the floor of the coop if you are going to get one for chickens anyway, but for just ducks, the standard chicken coops are inconvenient and unnecessary.

My ducks wouldn't survive an hour outside of there coop at night.

 

[Rooapalooza]

My ducks wouldn't survive an hour outside of there coop at night.

I think we are just disputing semantics. You don't need a chicken coop, you do need a duck house. The basic requirements are totally different. I wouldn't call a duck house a coop.

 

[DuckyDonna]

My ducks wouldn't survive an hour outside of there coop at night.

mine either!