Thinking about getting ducks but have questions. Any answers?

[Hedera]

I keep reading about ducks, Im a chicken lady so I know nothing about them but i like them. So heres some questions-

1. Can you keep them with chickens? Like would they be aggressive to them?

2. Are they friendly (like enough to handle them etc.)

3. Are they cold hardy?

4. What breed do you guys recommend (something quiet and friendly)

Thanks

 

[Hedera]

Any opinions needed

 

[Hedera]

Bumping it up

 

[incubatingisfun]

I can only answer 2 and 3 yes they are very friendly if you hand feed them and handle them regularly and yes they are cold hardy

 

[Hedera]

Quote:
Okay! I might think about getting some ducklings if they arent aggressive with chickens

 

[Hedera]

If i got a duck i would keep it in the chicken pen, if i got i duckling I would put it in my brooder. What do you guys recommend. Adult or duckling

 

[incubatingisfun]

ducks are very messy so its not fun to have them inside fir any amount of time but if you get an adult it most likely wont be tame

 

[Hedera]

Quote:
Maybe ducks arent the bird for me. Guess I will stick to chickens!

 

[Hedera]

Mess doesnt concern me but i heard they are very loud and not friendly so yeah, maybe not for me

 

[gdhp]

Male ducks are pretty quiet but less friendly, female ones can be pretty loud (although there are quieter breeds - sure someone can recommend them).

I have kept chickens with ducks on several occassions. However it's easier if a) they're brought up together or b) you keep them in seperate pens next to each other for a while so they get used to each other. Shove a duck in with some chickens I imagine your duck is going to end up with a few holes in him.

I've never had an 'unfriendly' duck. All 5 of mine are very gentle creatures. However unlike chickens it's harder to get them to come to you. My Polish bantams will walk up to the side of the cage when I come along. Ducks hold back and often walk away from you (in my experience). However that's more shyness as opposed to unfriendliness. I've never had one be aggressive, or attack or anything like that.

Downsides from my experience. They are very very very messy. Like uber messy. They have no bowel control (literally - they have no sphincter (sp)) and they poo very watery the whole time. They also enjoy turning water from clear to brown. The girls can be noisy, but a lot quieter than say a cockerel. They lay less eggs (although bigger and imo tastier eggs). More independent than chickens. Their sexual habits make those of chickens look really pleasant.

Upsides. I find them more characterful than chickens. I can spend whole days losing myself in their expressions or the way they chatter to each other of fallow each other round the garden. You can keep two males together if they've grown up together (or at least I've never had a problem). Some people say that can be an issue but I believe it to be better than finding your batch are all male in chicken land.

Hope that seems like a balanced appraisal. In my family of 5 only two us really love the ducks. The other three would rather we didn't have them and two of us spend are entire lives outback and couldn't live without them and prefer them to the chickens (although don't tell the chickens I said that). The other three always cite the mess as their reason for not liking the ducks. So they are very messy.