thinking about raising ducks

[MommaK6]

Ducks and turtles....no idea. Mine struggled with a cucumber once so I have no idea how they'd tackle a turtle. They are like garbage disposals though, so they may be at risk.

How "visible" do ducks (and chickens) need to be?
Probably not very visible at all....but you'll want to see them. Mine free range our 2 acre yard...I love watching them.

Should I clear some of that out, or will the be ok?
I am sure they will be fine....but I bet you will want to see them.

How about goats... do they get along with ducks?
I don't see why not.

Will the ducks smell the water and try to access it?
We have a drainage ditch/creek a little ways away...my ducks don't get very far in our yard. I think they are either too lazy, too happy, don't smell it, or don't need it.

Will they fly off to it?
Mine can't fly-AT ALL.

Can the river be problematic at all?
Aside from flooding...I think you'll be fine. They should be fine if they need to be relocated temporarily. They may be out of sorts, but they certainly aren't all going to keel over dead suddenly.

 

[Zigapor]

so i was talking to my mother earlier about wanting ducks... and she said, and i quote "don't get ducks, that' stupid, they fly away in the winter"... thoughts?

i know _some_ ducks do migrate.. but farm ducks will stay close, right? has anyone had their ducks fly away come cold season?

 

[Zigapor]

oh, and what kind of pen do they need? I know a coop (our tractor shed) but do they need fenced in at all? Our property is zoned as two seperate areas, one of which we are not allowed livestock (up near the house) If i put in a small fence to keep them out of the "danger, city may revoke permit" zone, will they jump the fence? I'm pretty sure they are ok there for "visits" but their permanent home needs to be behind the house in what's known as the hazard zone (not sure why they chose to call it a hazard zone, i think its becuase of that nasty floor a few years back)

 

[Zigapor]

and... how do ducks do with dogs? we have two, a small wiener mutt and a medium mutt mutt. The small guy has back issues so we will keep him away casue he can't run off very well... but will they be scared of the medium dog? she's pretty dumb and basically scared of anything that moves...

 

[fowl farm]

It depends on the duck. Most domestic ducks cannot fly or have great difficulty flying because of size. I had no issues with dogs with our ducks. We had a Border Collie mix. I would suggest watching your dogs when around them. Our dog never showed any interest until they could fly and by that time she knew they were mine.
I know these questions have already been answered, but I find my chickens messier than the ducks. Because their (ducks) poo is watery it just soaks in the ground..... unless they get on the porch, but they rarely do. The chickens go everywhere leaving a trail of poo behind. And my cats LOVED stalking my poultry when they first started free-ranging, but refused to get closer than a foot. Now everyone co-exists peacefully...except when the cats are feeling particularly giddy...and then they get chased by annoyed birds.

 

[Zigapor]

thought of another one!

so... when you go buy chickens and ducks... how do you get them home? Do they ride in a box? what about a small dog crate? a rubbermaid bin? what's best for them?

 

[Ilovemyduckies]

If you buy them from a feed store/ tractor supply/etc. then they should give you a box to bring them home in. So, if you have to bring something to bring them home in then a box or a crate would work fine.

Now to your earlier posts. Their are a lot of domestic duck breeds that cant's fly at all. I actually tend to get them. For example, rouens, khaki campbells, cayugas, pekins, etc. don't fly, while mallards, muscovy, etc. do. if you choose to get a flying breed then you can always clip their wings.

It really depends how they do with dogs. It depends on the duck and the dog. My sister has a dog that is not to good with ducks. He will go after them any chance he gets (he never does really get them). Try watching the ducks and dogs and seeing how they react to each other.

I know it has been mentioned before, but they grow SUPER fast.

I think they were two weeks old in the picture (they were the same size as the chicks to start with)

 

[Amiga]

so i was talking to my mother earlier about wanting ducks... and she said, and i quote "don't get ducks, that' stupid, they fly away in the winter"... thoughts?

i know _some_ ducks do migrate.. but farm ducks will stay close, right? has anyone had their ducks fly away come cold season?

Most domestic breeds cannot fly, or fly very far. They are dependent on us humans. My Runners are still with me after two and a half years, so unless you get mallards or muscovies or other flyers, I think you will be stuck with them.

Something I want to say, and will probably repeat, please please please take care of the flock's safety. Predators abound, and if you do not make sure nothing can harm your ducks, you will be in for heartache and they will be dead or maimed.

 

[Zigapor]

Amiga... thanks for being concerned for the safety of my birds!

I promise I will do my absolute best to keep them safe do you have any tricks or tips you would like to share? we don't have many predators around here. I suppose the odd coyote may wonder by, but i've asked around and nobody can recall seeing one... ever. So, unless racoons and skunks are problematic, then I think all is good.

 

[fowl farm]

Yes, racoons and skunks are problematic. Sadly. So are foxes and sometimes neighbor dogs.