Thinking about switching to ducks to raise

[indianaducks]

Ducks poop A LOT. And its watery and messy. I'm not sure they will want to be indoors in a cage. My ducks love to be outside playing in the mud, or foraging for bugs, and playing in the water.

 

[Duckiiess]

The difference in handling 2 or 3 ducks is negligible.. they stick together, so they're pretty easy to corral. I agree with the others about 3 being the absolute minimum.

Not to be rude, but it really sounds like you're not ready for ducks. I suggest reading/ researching about them more first, and not just on a forum like this. Dogs and ducks can coexist just fine if they're introduced early and often. Have 19 ducks free roaming in my yard now and 3 dogs- 2 pitties and a shepherd mix, no issues ever.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

While I agree 3 is ideal...I will say I think calls can do better in pairs than the standard size duck.
Especially if your talking about just having a couple of drakes.
The main concern with a *pair* is over breeding of the female.
But my first calls were given to me as a pair and the drake was extremely gentle with her and they were super bonded and did not have an issue being kept as a pair at all.
The other problem is if you lose one..then you have the whole process of finding it a friend and getting them to accept each other.
I have also noticed that within my flock of calls that are all cooped together..they tend to pair themselves up and hang out primarily with their best buddy. Wether that's a Drake and a hen or two hens or two drakes.
I haven't observed that as much with the Cayugas.
When I've had more than one Drake they spend all their time fighting over breeding rights.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

@WVduckchick do you notice pairing up in your flock as well? Yours have more roaming space than mine.
I also notice they sometimes like to hang with ones their own color.
Does that happen at your place too?

 

[WVduckchick]

@WVduckchick do you notice pairing up in your flock as well? Yours have more roaming space than mine.
I also notice they sometimes like to hang with ones their own color.
Does that happen at your place too?

Most definitely! Mine seem to stick with the group they hatched with until they are adults. Then they do pair up or get in small groups of 3 or 4. I usually have a group of bachelor drakes also. They just try to run from girl to girl to girl with whoever they can catch.

 

[Alex the Chicken]

The difference in handling 2 or 3 ducks is negligible.. they stick together, so they're pretty easy to corral. I agree with the others about 3 being the absolute minimum.

Not to be rude, but it really sounds like you're not ready for ducks. I suggest reading/ researching about them more first, and not just on a forum like this. Dogs and ducks can coexist just fine if they're introduced early and often. Have 19 ducks free roaming in my yard now and 3 dogs- 2 pitties and a shepherd mix, no issues ever.

Well, okay thanks! Maybe I'll stick to chickens. And then again it all comes down to availability. I've been doing a lot of research lately too.