should we get a duck

[granmahen]

I need your help. DGD wants a duck. Duck is female and still young, mostly feathers, a little fluff (teenager?). We live in town with 9 chickens and a quail. Beagle in backyard, too. Husband worried about quacking and smell, I guess because of poopy pond. I assume we'll have to get a kiddy pool for pond and she'll have to be cooped with run most of the time like the chickens. They don't mind but how about duck? And will she eat chicken food or do I have to buy duck food? Surrounded on three sides by very nice neighbors, don't want to set them off with noisy duck. What do you think?

 

[lux_interior]

My uncle has 5 chickens and 2 ducks... he lives in downtown chicago and his ducks are not noisy at all...

However... I'd give the duck a seperate place to live if possible... if you can't do that, I wouldn't get one. My uncle is currently getting rid of his ducks, because they have been pecking the feathers off his chickens.... these ducks grew up with his chickens since they were all little, but they are still mean to them...

I don't know if it's his ducks, or all ducks, but they don't seem to get along with chickens.... So keep them seperate, and hopefully someone else can help more!

 

[granmahen]

I just saw someone here say male ducks are quiet, females are noisy. Agree?

 

[lux_interior]

I suppose I'd have to, because my uncles ducks are both male and they are very quiet. Quieter than his hens

 

[granmahen]

Thanks for the info

 

[streemers]

make sure u get duck feed. chicken feed is medicated people have dif. views on this but for the most part we all agree its really not good for ducks

 

[chickenwhisperer123]

If your parents arent complaining about the chicken noise, then they DEFINATELY wont complain about the duck noise!

 

[chickenwhisperer123]

Quote:
Only chick feed is medicated normally.

 

[aaronzclark]

Well I would not get a female they are LOUD and you should keep it with the chickens to keep the noise down they get scared by them selfs and start quacking

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

Ducks are a lot messier than chickens. If you get males, they don't quack as loud as females. So, the noise level will decrease, but you'll have mud... lots of it.