thinking about raising ducks

[Kevin565]

ok great! my kids are small, but they aren't _that_ small, as in 10, 8, 6 and almost 4, but they have been around animals their whole lives, and we used to foster orphaned kittens for years, so they are used to having to be gentle, and understand that sometimes animals hurt you by no fault of their own

I thought of another question... I live in Canada, about half way between Toronto and Ottawa. It gets cold here in the winter, like, -40C with the wind chill cold! (not often, maybe a handful of times a season, but it still happens)... are there precautions I should take to keep my ducks warm? Warm bedding and shelter from the elements is all they really need. If they get really really cold you can just add a heat lamp.

They will be housed in a converted tractor shed that has three walls and a roof. We will be adding a fourth wall, sort of, and a door. The ground is poured concrete, I'm assuming they will need a better surface? The roof itself is solid, but there are gaps between it and the walls, should those be closed up, or kept for ventilation (can I post pics in here? it would be easier to explain with pics) Also, it has no running water or electricity (yet, will add if needed). DO you think solar panels would bring in enough juice to add a heat lamp (if needed) and to run a heated water area?

Do ducks need boxes for laying like chickens do? (I suppose I could google this stuff, but I rather get my info from people i know actually own ducks, lol) No

I was informed earlier that my chickens may need a chicken tractor... do ducks need duck tractors? No they don't need it

How big of a kiddie pool do they like? A small wading pool is fine


How frequently does the water need changed? I change once or twice a day

Will they try to get to our small koi pond? Yes

Can koi hurt them? no

can they hurt the koi? They will eat them

Should I just fence off the fish? yes

Are there special duck vets or are farm vets generally knowledgeable of ducks? do they even need a vet? Do ducks require shots? (i'm not the biggest fan of vaccines but will do if needed) I've yet to find a poultry vet in my area.

 

[Amiga]

Are there special duck vets or are farm vets generally knowledgeable of ducks? do they even need a vet? Do ducks require shots? (i'm not the biggest fan of vaccines but will do if needed) I've yet to find a poultry vet in my area.

I have pondered quite a bit lately about the fact that as far as I know, there are three veterinary practices in my state (my entire little state) who are known to handle duck care.


Many people on the forum write that they are not near a vet, and I believe many more are not near an affordable vet, but that is another topic.

There are some vaccines for certain illnesses, but most of the people I am aware of don't get that one. Wish I could remember what it's for. . . duck plague? Sorry, need to look into that.

Majestic Waterfowl has a writeup on finding a duck vet

http://www.majesticwaterfowl.org/vetfindermw.htm

 

[NHchicks]

What a great thread! I've had chickens the last several years, but this year my veggie garden got devastated by slugs. The chickens want nothing to do with the slugs, and a friend suggested ducks. She got Indian Runners and says they love slugs. So I'm hoping to get some ducks in early spring.

I have a chicken coop. The chickens jump up on the perches. I doubt ducks can perch. Do they sleep on the ground? That would be great because there is an upper level to the coop and a lower level - the chickens could use the upper, the ducks could use the lower.

As far as number of ducks, is there a certain number that keeps them happy? I've heard them referred to as one duck with 4 heads, as they are very social, at least the Indian Runners.

What is a good all around duck for cuteness and eggs? Probably won't ever be meat, and no need for babies. Just a hardy, cute, non-wanderer would be great. (They're free range)

I knew someone who said his ducks wandered away in the winter (muscovy). They got frostbite on their feet, and I believe one lost its feet, but was still able to get around well by hopping. I don't want that to happen, of course! Can they walk in snow, or what do they do during the winter? And how do you give them a pool when it's 10 degrees outside?

 

[Amiga]

NHchicks, welcome to the threshold of the Duck Side.

I have runners because of slugs, and they are wonderful! I also read today that Black East Indies are "slug hoovers."

Both are about 4 pounds each.

If the ducks share a coop with the chickens, please put a nice wide board under the chickens' bottoms to protect the ducks below. Also, you will need a separate water container, as ducks are very artistic with their water, adding many substances to it, that often disgust the chickens.

Runners, Khaki Campbells, Welsh Harlequins all have cuteness and I am sure the first two lay many eggs, I think the WHs do a fine job, too.

Four is a good number to start with. Around here there is a phrase, duck math, that explains how some of us begin with a goal of three ducks and end up with ten or eleven. One drake to at least three ducks, and if you have cohousing with chickens, zero drakes is the best number. They will probably try to mate with the hens and could, worst case, kill them.

I put straw and/or sawdust down over the snow for the runners. They have gone snowshoeing, and Acht would climb up the seven foot high piles of snow and ski down the other side. But they always had a soft pile of straw nearby to warm up on, and me standing nearby to open the door when they got cold.


There are buckets with heaters, heaters, and shelters that are kept above freezing for open water.

 

[ChickN'ChaseR]

My ducks are very cool, eggs are better than a chicken's, I have 5 girls and 3 boys...I personally would say that 3 boys to 5 girls is too many boys..if you need fertile eggs then one boy is enough for 5 girls because they rip all their lovely neck feathers out and over breed the poor girls. I am plotting to give my 2 younger drakes away because they are too amorous for my girls to handle. They coexist with my chickens, although I had one chicken run away from home to shack up with the neighbors because one loving drake developed an insatiable attraction to her which she did not reciprocate. My ducks live on 5 acres of free range territory with a pond at one end but they prefer to stay close to the house and I fill a kiddie pool for them and they like to dabble in a well irrigated garden. My ducks arrive for feedings with the chickens, but are more inclined to go forage for bugs than the spoiled rotten chickens are. They are experts at camoflage and it is almost impossible to find their eggs, they hide them and cover them with grasses to make them invisible..so if you want those delectables it is best to get them in a somewhat confined area where you can keep track of where they put them, but once you take eggs from their nest they will find a new sneakier spot to put them. Anyways, that is my input on ducks, mine are Khaki Campbells (Puddles, Paddlefeet, Howard, Ferdinand, Roseanna, Lilypad, Miss Bean, and Duckie Daddles)

 

[Ilovemyduckies]

Hahahaha! it happened to me the exact opposite. I wanted ducks then thought "Hey, why not get chickens too?" I've always kept my ducks and chickens together and have never had any problems with it. They live in the same coop, same yard, etc. Duck eggs are really good, they are actually healthier than chicken eggs too. They are fairly easy to care for, although, and I'm sure this has been mention PLENTY of time before (sorry I didn't read through the whole thread), they are EXTREMELY messy. Ducks are really good with winters. I've woken up in the winter several times to see that the ducks had broken through the ice and were swimming in their pond. Kept chasing them out, but they insisted on swimming, no matter how cold it was. Last, It really depends on what you want. It sound to me like you want eggs, right? There are plenty of good layers out there, Pekins, Cayugas, Khaki Campbells, etc.

 

[gryeyes]

Oh, my goodness. I have a flock of poultry which includes 50-some chickens, a pair of Toulouse geese, two Broad Breasted Bronze turkey hens, two Midget White turkey poults (hen and tom) one Call Duck (Elvis) and 28 Cayuga ducks and drakes (one duck hatched 14 ducklings recently, which instantly doubled the duck flock).

I love my ducks. Maybe a little bit more than I love the rest of the poultry, but that's just between you and me, okay? <*wink*>

Cayugas are a gorgeous black - with iridescent blues, purples and greens when they're in the sunlight, are considered meat ducks but I'd never eat 'em, lay very nice eggs, and are one of the quietest breeds of non-Muscovy ducks. The girls can be loud but really only quack when they're upset or startled. (Okay, Speckles is a loud-mouth, but she's the exception in my flock.)

I keep two kiddie pools and a 300 gallon stock tank for the waterfowl. Kiddie pools are fine for them, but I can't help spoiling 'em. I will be building a 15 by 10 foot pond later this year..... just because I want to give them more room to swim. The ducklings were darling when they were small and all 14 of 'em swam in the stock tank together, but now only 10 can fit at once. Plus I want to add a running water feature like a type of waterfall.

The entire flock of ALL poultry sleep in the same coop (a reconfigured 17 x 20 garage) and while the ducks and geese can get bossy at times, they really only poke at the chickens when they get in their way at the feeders. I feed Nutrena "All Flock" with crushed oyster shell free choice "on the side" (not mixed with their regular feed).

Ducks are very happy creatures, always smiling. Honest! Look at their bills! You'll see what I mean!
.

 

[Going Quackers]

YOu are in the same province as I am. So basically as others have said, keep a good shelter and if need be add a heat lamp, i had to when our winter went bitter last year but i didn't use it all the time, i judged by watching the birds.

I have a barn cat he's never bothered the ducks BUT you must watch young(small) ducks with wandering cats... as they grow short of bantam breeds most cats won't take them on. Now i have only Muscovy so BIG ducks, big claws lol

I only use kiddy pools a standard round, like home hardware sells will do the trick. I dump it often, and clean it .. but i have a lot of ducks so your mileage will vary. I think the key with ducks is they are messy, messy, messy.. did i mention messy? I owned them first then added a few chickens... er.. yeah now i get why people go

with the mess of ducks when comparing to chickens. My 3 youngest ducks make more mess than my 4 chickens combined that isn't even covering the rest of the ducks(I have 17 in total) It's not they aren't 'worth it' just some days it can be a touch intense.

I do have a koi pond, they have no access to it, the fish and plants would be toast, not quite my idea of fun. Ducks adore mud and drilling holes.. they come running when i drain a pool. I recently switched my ducks to wood pellet bedding and that has been fantastic at helping keep their housing cleaner, just a tip from my labour lol GL!

 

[Zigapor]

morning!

I thought of another question... we had planned on moving our turtles outside next spring (we have two currently housed indoors). Was thinking of digging them their own pond (they would eat our koi, or try to, so they were going to get their own pond)... do ducks feast on turtles? They are fairly small, the size of a fist... are they at risk? do they need a secure area too?

How "visible" do ducks (and chickens) need to be? The area we plan on having them in is not very visible from the house, it's kinda of hidden behind a bunch of trees and shrubs... should I clear some of that out, or will the be ok?

How about goats... do they get along with ducks?

another big concern... we have a river that runs at the very back of our property. It's not a giant river by any means, but it's there. There's about 4 acres of forest between the bird area and the river. Will the ducks smell the water and try to access it? will they fly off to it? can the river be problematic at all? We know it flooded real high one year and nearly made it to the tractor shed (where our birds will be housed)... that was a freak year, shouldn't happen again in my lifetime, lol, but if it does, how well do ducks handle being relocated temporarily?

 

[MommaK6]

Are ducks complicated?
Ours are complicated in the sense that they make a mess of any water given to them, don't go in the coop on their own and they poop on my patio. My house is also a mess lately because I sit outside watching their silly antics all day long. Oh, and they will nibble on your while you lay in the yard tanning.

Can they live alongside chickens?
Mine do just fine. In fact, I think they think they ARE chickens.

Do they need a seperate house?
Nope. Mine sleep on the floor of the coop, the chickens roost.

Will they coexist in the same yard?
Absolutely. Although, the ducks hang together while the chickens are off doing their chickeny thing.

How are their eggs?
Sadly my pair are both males. The eggs are larger and richer. I have heard they are highly regarded for pastries.

Are they relatively easy to care for?
To care for mine, I refill their food dish, refill the 2 waterers and refill the pool every day. The first 2 need to be done for the chickens anyways, and my toddlers enjoy playing with the water in the pool making mud pies and such. Other than that, I need to walk them into their coop every night. They come to the patio door and "knock" with their beaks as it gets dark out....nice reminder to close the coop door.

How would they do in a cold canadian winter?
I live in southeastern Wisconsin and last year it was -30* a couple of days. This is my first year with them so I can't say for certain. I have heard that they will do just fine as their feathers are very very warm.

Is one breed better than the other?
I adore my Cayugas. They shimmer beetle green and purple in the sunlight---so pretty!! I had a Rouen when I was little; he was very very sweet. Other than those two, I have heard many nice things about Khaki Cambells and Magpies.

Regarding children......There are 10 children that float in and out of this house in a week. 6 of our own and 4 daycare children. They are 18mo, 20mo, 2, 2-1/2, 3, 6, 5, 10, 11 and 13. The toddlers do just fine with them. My 6 year old little girl is the freakin' duck whisperer. Ours are a bit shy towards most, but my little girl has NO problem walking right up and picking them up.

Diseases...Keep 'em in good conditions and they will stay healthy. If your concerned about your children getting sick from them, have them wash their hands and not kiss them. Lol! My ducks are sooo very well loved, with hugs and kisses, and no one has ever fallen ill.

Cats....if they are anything like my ducks, the cats will be just as afraid of them as they are. My ducks actually scare off the neighbors cats that come into our yard.

As for what else to know....hmmm....
1. Be prepared to fall IN LOVE
2. They grow SO fast. Our ducklings looked full grown by 2 weeks. It was CRAZY.
3. They do this "side eye" thing that you will laugh at EVERY SINGLE TIME.
4. Mine are totally freaked out by airplanes but I love when ones flies over because you get the side eye.
5. Mine do this thing where they stretch their necks WAYYYY up, then way down low and out strait.....then they dart in the direction. So freakin' funny.
6. They follow me around the yard, barely 6 inches from my heel, quacking up a storm.....until I turn around. Then they nonchalantly wander off silently, pretending they weren't following you.
7. They will greet you when you come home, and follow alongside your car as you drive way.


Here are pictures of Floyd and Gary:





The ducky "side-eye"