Show off your house ducks!

[Julie Birb]

Their breed standard is that they're very high-strung and not terribly friendly, but several BYC members here would beg to differ. Personally, I like calls, pekins, cayuga and blue swedish ducks 'cuz they're very tame. Plus Blue Swedes are a rare heritage breed! 

...'Course, muscovies are also super sweet and gentle. Quiet, too. Oh, but then you have rouens, they're so cute and fat! And Welsh Harlequins, which are purdy.

Yeah, this could take a while.

You just matched up my favorite combo of burd: cute and fat. Eeeeee.

 

[Amykins]

This book was written approximately 30 years ago, when my GF was in 3rd grade, she had always wanted a duck, so I thought I would get her 2 ducks. ( where should I get them from?)

Please I am new to this and is seeking any help.

checking to see can we make the ducks into house ducks? How do we do that? Do they poop in the house? ( I have 2 dogs, a Maltese and an old jack Russell plus a cat)

Or do we keep them outside? I just accquired 2 small ponds that I need to install. Can you please let me know what else I need to do not to have too much of a mud area? Or any mud area.

Do we build a coop ( how do we get plans? ) or how do we buy one?

Please, please help!! Don't know anything about ducks

Please help, should I get at least 2 ducks?

To be honest, I wouldn't risk it with the jack russell around. They're ratters and even among terriers they're notoriously stubborn and persistent. Doesn't mean you can't have outdoor duckies, but you need to do a LOT of research on what to do. You came to the right place.

Here's an excellent list of threads to read from BYC members on duck care, coop options, pond installations, etc. I think you'll really get a lot out of it! As for duck housing though, I see a lot of people just put 'em in chicken wire enclosures with an open dog house or something, but personally I like them to have their own shed attached to a run. Like, an actual COOP-coop with a roof where you have individual next boxes and they can keep warm and safe, you know?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/750869/raising-and-caring-for-ducklings

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/691382/what-to-use-for-a-duck-pond-and-how-to-keep-it-clean

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/146829/the-duck-ponics-experiment-raising-minnows

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/duck-house

As far as the coop and pond stuff, I just added them for ideas, not as hard-line tutorials or anything. I hope you are able to make good use out of the ifno!

 

[AmandaVirginia]

I don't agree about not 'risking' ducks with his Jack Russell. If his Jack Russell is high strung, I understand. If not, his Jack Russell and ducks should be perfectly fine together. It all depends on the personality of the dog, not the breed of the dog. @bernieduck Welcome to BYC!

 

[TexasDuckLover]

Im on the same page with the Jack Russels as you are @AmandaVirginia My Two blue swedes share a house with two Jack Russels and a cat, they co-exist together with no problem.

Poop wise, I would recommend buying "duck diapers", but that is my opinion.

 

[Amykins]

I don't agree about not 'risking' ducks with his Jack Russell. If his Jack Russell is high strung, I understand. If not, his Jack Russell and ducks should be perfectly fine together. It all depends on the personality of the dog, not the breed of the dog. @bernieduck Welcome to BYC!

A terrier is a terrier is a terrier. My mother's Westie killed my guinea pig and maimed my cat, and he was a sweet, affectionate couch potato his entire life! They're bred to chase and kill small animals, and that instinct is VERY strong. Even to this day, breeders go out of their way to preserve that instinct as it is their breed standard and many of them are purchased as working dogs. If you bring home ducklings and one of them runs away from him (as they always do) it will trigger his chase instinct. That's how my other pets died. Seeing things run away from terriers just does something to 'em. They just GOTTA chase it down! Unless he's either very old or has been through extremely strict obedience training, I simply do not trust that the situation will be a safe one for the ducks.

More on Jacks in specific: "An important attribute in this dog was a tempered aggressiveness that would provide the necessary drive to pursue and bolt their quarry." "Because the preservation of this hunting ability is of highest importance to most registered JRTCA/JRTCGB breeders, Jack Russells tend to be extremely intelligent, athletic, fearless, and vocal dogs." "Jack Russells can be stubborn at times and aggressive towards other animals." "Being a hunt-driven dog, the Jack Russell will usually pursue most creatures that it encounters." Even the JRTCA says that if you have small animals like cats, rodents or birds, then a Jack Russell is not a good choice for you.

Unless you can guarantee that the dog and the house ducks will never have access to one another (which is unlikely), the risk is just too great.

 

[JadeComputerGal]

I don't agree about not 'risking' ducks with his Jack Russell. If his Jack Russell is high strung, I understand. If not, his Jack Russell and ducks should be perfectly fine together. It all depends on the personality of the dog, not the breed of the dog. @bernieduck Welcome to BYC!

I have to agree with that. We have three terriers, and the ducks boss them around, at least with the two that go near the ducks. They never have a chance to boss the other around because she's afraid of them and never gets close to them unless they come up to me while she's on my lap.

 

[TexasDuckLover]

@Amykins not to be rude, but not all dogs are as you say " Dangeous " to the ducks. You are just giving false information to the owner to be that has questions, my Jacks spent more time with the ducklings than I did at some points in time, they have been without accident. Not all Russels are " hard wired to kill and pursue" this is just a steriotype to the dog.

 

[bernieduck]

Our Jack never cared about any animals, the only thing she likes to do is play with her balls. Lol

On the other hand my Maltese chases everything from squirrels to deer. He never catch them.

 

[Amykins]

@Amykins not to be rude, but not all dogs are as you say " Dangeous " to the ducks. You are just giving false information to the owner to be that has questions, my Jacks spent more time with the ducklings than I did at some points in time, they have been without accident. Not all Russels are " hard wired to kill and pursue" this is just a steriotype to the dog.

It's their breed standard, and I'm standing by it. Myself and many of you I know take a stance of "better safe than sorry". We all want to believe our pooches are innocent and couldn't hurt a fly, but I see post after post after post of duck owners who have lost their birds to dog attacks. Every time a dog attacks a human, what do you hear from the owners? "I can't believe my dog would do this, he's never ever shown any aggression before".

I own cats. I love 'em and I'd defend them to anyone who said they hated them. But I at least acknowledge that as predators they are fully equipped and capable of harming or even killing my ducks. That is a fact. It is no different with a dog, especially ones that are notoriously tenacious and bred for chasing instinct. If yours is well trained and everyone gets along just fine in the present, good for you. But that is never a guarantee that something won't happen down the line, or that it won't happen to someone else.

 

[veggiegirl]

Im on the same page with the Jack Russels as you are @AmandaVirginia My Two blue swedes share a house with two Jack Russels and a cat, they co-exist together with no problem.

Poop wise, I would recommend buying "duck diapers", but that is my opinion.

How are your blue swedes as house ducks?