Hi there! I've had chickens for about a year now, but my husband and I are moving into our first house in the spring, and it has a pond... so now of course I'd like to get some ducks! However, I have absolutely no idea what they need. Can anyone recommend websites or books that might help me out? A few specific questions I'm pondering are:
1. What do I do in the winter when the pond is completely frozen over, as it is now? Do I need a heated pool for them?
2. Do I need to do anything to the pond once the ducks are living in it? aka will they destroy the pond if I don't intervene with annual (or more often) cleaning or other maintenance?
3. What sort of housing will they need? I'll have my chicken coop, and the property has a small barn on it too, but I've heard ducks are extremely messy, so will I need a separate duck house?
4. What breeds would be good for a Vermont climate (long, cold & snowy winters and short, warm/hot summers)? Ideally I'd like a heritage breed good for both meat and eggs.
5. What are the space requirements per duck?
Ok, I can think of a million more questions, but I won't keep listing them! Thanks in advance for any help!
1. What do I do in the winter when the pond is completely frozen over, as it is now? Do I need a heated pool for them?
2. Do I need to do anything to the pond once the ducks are living in it? aka will they destroy the pond if I don't intervene with annual (or more often) cleaning or other maintenance?
3. What sort of housing will they need? I'll have my chicken coop, and the property has a small barn on it too, but I've heard ducks are extremely messy, so will I need a separate duck house?
4. What breeds would be good for a Vermont climate (long, cold & snowy winters and short, warm/hot summers)? Ideally I'd like a heritage breed good for both meat and eggs.
5. What are the space requirements per duck?
Ok, I can think of a million more questions, but I won't keep listing them! Thanks in advance for any help!