Rouen duck questions

[jpotie]

Hello,
We have an opportunity to add 10 mature Rouen ducks (6 hens and 4 drakes) to our yard. The fella selling them is asking a bit more than what we would want to pay, but it is difficult to find ducks in this region, so we are considering this but want to make sure Rouens are the right fit for us.
We are looking for a a good dual purpose bird. In my reading it seems that Rouens are not intended to be good layers, but some of you post getting eggs daily? 4 drakes seems like alot to me, what would an ideal number of drakes to hens be to produce fertile eggs?

I have seen a few people post that they have had their chickens sit on duck eggs and raise the chicks. Is this commonly succesful? Can chickens even succesfully do this with larger clutches ?

Lastly, we live on a large lake (more a slough), I was thinking I would try making them a run on the lakeshore that extends into the water...but maybe they do not really need or want that much water?

Thanks in advance, domestic ducks are new to us and we appreciate any comments!!!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

Agreed that is WAY to many drakes and I would keep ONLY 1.

How old is "mature"?

Best thing about Rouen to me is that they can be sexed with 90% accuracy at hatch by the color of their bill. It disappears after a few days. Honestly I think they are beautiful birds. Some of the pretties of what's easily available to us in ducks. I also think their fine as a dual purpose bird, meat and eggs. If you want only eggs at a more affordable price point I would raise runners or a lighter bodied breed.

Yes chickens can hatch and raise ducks. Probably limited to how many because they are definitely big. Will vary by hen how many she can do. Ducklings seem so so hardy compared to chicks.

I personally would consider ordering from Metzer farms and just get fresh ducklings. Especially if they or you already have chickens I wouldn't want to have to worry about parasite or disease. But will state that raising isn't nearly as cheap as chickens. Check out the duck breed comparison chart...
http://www.metzerfarms.com/index.cfm

If you don't secure them at night you will likely sustain heavy predator loss on a body of water.

Good luck on your new adventure.

 

[chickens really]

Hello...How exciting for you..
One or Two Drakes will work for 10 Hens..
Personally I would not have them on the pond. I would build a large secure Coop and Run and supply them a kiddie pool..Free range while your out to keep them safe from predators..

 

[Welshies]

One drake will work for 6 hens. Rouens are great ducks. They are dual purpose, efficient layers but meaty enough to land on the dinner table. They make great mothers, and yes, ducks will hatch out chickens.
Make sure you use hardware cloth, not chicken wire. If you wanted to use the lake as part of your run, I would fence part of it off, not the whole lake... they will be gone before you know it...

 

[jpotie]

Thanks for responding so quickly!
I agree, that the Rouen has a really appealing colouration.

He says three of the hens are 1 yr old and three will be two in the spring. I do like the idea of getting mature birds for the egg production, because I understand it can take them up to year to start laying. However, if it isnt in the Rouens nature to lay, maybe it is not worth the investment. Taking on these birds would of course not prevent us from ordering a few chicks in the spring.

The man is asking $400 for the 10 birds, with his justificiation being that he could sell them butchered for $40 each. I was thinking I could maybe butcher 3 of the drakes and sell them off to help offset the cost.

You mention hardware cloth, this is for fencing the ducks? What is the reason for this?

The main predators to keep them safe from are our own dogs! It was a steep, dramatic learning curve keeping the chickens and rabbits safe when we first got them.

Thanks again!

 

[chickens really]

Predators are everywhere. Weasels, Fox, coons, Coyotes and then the Hawks or Owls.. Once you add in a food source the predators come..Secure fencing is a must..

 

[Welshies]

Thanks for responding so quickly!
I agree, that the Rouen has a really appealing colouration.

He says three of the hens are 1 yr old and three will be two in the spring. I do like the idea of getting mature birds for the egg production, because I understand it can take them up to year to start laying. However, if it isnt in the Rouens nature to lay, maybe it is not worth the investment. Taking on these birds would of course not prevent us from ordering a few chicks in the spring.

The man is asking $400 for the 10 birds, with his justificiation being that he could sell them butchered for $40 each. I was thinking I could maybe butcher 3 of the drakes and sell them off to help offset the cost.

You mention hardware cloth, this is for fencing the ducks? What is the reason for this?

The main predators to keep them safe from are our own dogs! It was a steep, dramatic learning curve keeping the chickens and rabbits safe when we first got them.

Thanks again!

$40 is bankruptcy. $20 would be fair, or $60 to $75 for a trio.
Hardware cloth is fencing for the birds' run and coop. There are many predators. Take a look at this list.
Chicken wire is not predator proof, while hardware cloth is weasel (weasels can decimate an entire flock in minutes) and predator proof.
Predators include (in my personal area) skunks, weasels, rats, mice, squirrels, mink, fisher, badgers, dogs, cats, foxes, coyotes, wolves, cougars, lynx, hawks, gyrfalcons, falcons, owls, ravens, etc.
Raccoons are a big concern.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

The man is asking $400 for the 10 birds, with his justificiation being that he could sell them butchered for $40 each.

Well that would require more work for him to butcher them. And to me, time is $!

Anyways, here's my take... I sold my not yet laying ducks (but close) for $20-30 each. They costed me $8 each from the hatchery and eat like gang busters! They required bedding and warmth in the beginning.... but I never benefited from the eggs yet to cover any of that cost. I DID get the fun of experiencing ducklings. And though I would have needed to sell for more to actually cover my cost... the sooner I sold the sooner I was saving on feed. 9 ducks easily ate as much as 40 chickens (some bantam).

I would take the youngest and best looking of those ducks... but NOT all of them! Just take a few to get you some eggs and to get your own start into hatching. NO WAY would I pay $40 for a bird I was gonna butcher. From what I understand duck are a bit harder to process. And I only pay $5 for chicken processing but can't get turkeys or duck done for under $20. And if he could sell all at once then maybe a deal like $20 each, all for 200. Otherwise I would let him keep trying to sell until he drops his price. Where did you find him? I see duck on Craigslist farm and garden section fairly often.

Agree 60-75 for a trio would be acceptable.

I don't use the hardware cloth on my fence. Only my night time coop. Because a coon can reach through anything larger and rip the heads off the birds. And all others mentioned are very real possibilities.

I disagree about Rouen not being good layers and feel as though that is old information. (I saw it too). There are some SHOW strains that are indeed not good layers. But the info on Metzer website should give you a GOOD idea of reality. And they note that the higher range of laying numbers they list would be WITH winter light. And the lower # would be without the added light.

I wouldn't let a duck hatch and raise chicks because they may well drown. And I wouldn't let a chicken raise a large clutch of ducklings because they grow SOOO much faster than chickens. Seem like they were almost the same size as my full size chickens by 6 weeks old, IF I'm remembering correctly.

I might get a foursome. 3 ladies and a fella. 10 ducks make a LOT of poo. Free ranging will save tons on feed. Get a smaller more comfortable start, maybe.

Doesn't matter what he THINKS his birds are worth. They are ONLY worth what someone is willing to pay.

Good luck!

 

[jpotie]

I know $40/ a bird sounds like a lot. My initial reaction was that he was nuts. However, we are in the middle of nowhere Yukon and I cannot say I see ducks for sale very often or ever. I actually put an add up looking for some and he was the only response. I did request only taking a few of the hens and on drake but he wants to sell them all together. Ill maybe pass on this bunch, and order some chicks in the spring, and repost my add as spring approaches when other people are preparing for their summer flocks.
Thanks for all the great advice and assistance.

I understand what you are all saying about the predators, and we of course have lynx and fox hanging around our yard waiting for an opportunity to get at the chickens. What I meant by my earlier post, was that when I first got the chickens it was my own dogs that were causing us heartbreak and headaches, helping us learn the importance of predator proofing.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

when I first got the chickens it was my own dogs that were causing us heartbreak and headaches,

Many people do face that. Sorry for your losses.

Domestic dogs are a number one predator in most areas.

I LOVE electric fencing for ground predators. Especially the daytime ones like the fox and dogs. It works VERY well if installed at the right height, easy to install, and not nearly as scary as it sounds. I went solar but the plug in ones are very affordable.

The Yukon, is that Alaska? Hey, you could take the ducks you want and get the others already butchered by HIM for the same price.

I get the value being related to availability, but he doesn't sound like he is willing to compromise. He must not need to sell. I rather NOT deal with GREEDY people.

Leave him your # and ask him to contact you if he comes closer in line with what you CAN do. I always find that while patience is difficult when looking for something... it ALWAYS pays off! Peoples' lives change all the time. And it only takes ONE to possibly meet your goal. When one thing doesn't pan out or line up with where I am truly comfortable then I feel deep inside that it probably wasn't meant to be and I KNOW there is something better in store for me.