Undecided duck keeper

[auracana07]

Right now I really would like some ducks. I already have 6 chickens and I nead to first of all convince my folks to get ducks but I'm sure I can. What kind of ducks would you reccomend? I'm not interested in anything particular like egg laying, I just want some loving pets. Are ducks hard to take care of? How much room do they need? I've seen duck owners get big bowls of water for there ducks to swim in but I have a small 4 foot by 4 foot pond in my yard they could go in. Are they harder to keep than chickens? And lastly, are they expensive? Please help!:|

 

[shelleyd2008]

Sorry no one has answered you!!
My ducks are all layer/meat types, but they are still wonderful!! They started out with a refrigerator drawer as a pool until they were almost fully feathered. There were 4 in the beginning. They don't need much room, I don't think any moreso than a chicken would. Mine all live freely on the pond, and they do not wander far from it at all. They are not a bit hard to take care of, at least the kinds that I have. As far as if they are expensive, I have 10 ducks that are full grown size-wise and they eat about 50# of flock raiser every 2-3 weeks. That is a bit more than my chickens (per bird), but my chickens are all bantams!

Out of the three breeds that I have, I would recommend the cayugas or the rouens. The pekins are way too loud, and would probably drive your parents nuts!! If you were to get a pair or so for breeding, I would go with the cayugas. They are the best brooders out of the 3 breeds that I have. But I love all my ducks (probably why I have more drakes than ducks!), and wouldn't get rid of them for anything!

Another plus to the breeds that I have is the fact that they can't fly very well. They can fly short distances to evaid predators, but not so much that they will fly into the neighbors yard. Call ducks are the 'bantams' of the duck world, but it is my understanding that they can fly fairly well. The same with muscovies. If you are afraid of the predator problem, muscovies would be a good choice. They fly almost as well as a wild duck would.

 

[conny63malies]

I have six muscovy ducks right now. My original three (the drakes)were bought from a BYC member for 5$ a piece. My three girls are from a exhibitor at a fair , they were grown when i got them and i paid 20$ for all three, which is dirt cheap. THey are really easy to take care of . All they ask for are a few cups of feed and some fresh water every day. They have no pond and are just fine. They hang with their banty chicken friend in my small fenced backyard.And one more good thing : they kept my lawn mowed all summer long didnt have to cut it once. I think they are easier to take care of than chickens , but can be messier too. I clipped my ducks wings to keep them from flying around, not a good thing in a suburban area near the interstate. No predator probs here so far, since my dog is chained out in the same yard with them.

 

[ChickenToes]

A lot of people like Muscovies. I in particular love my Cayugas. I don't know why exactly, there is just something about big black ducks waddling around.

Raising ducks is a lot like raising chickens, but they are a bit easier. They need less heat in the brooder than chickens do. They are naturally disease resistant. They feather out pretty quickly and can go outside when they are only 2 or 3 weeks old. They are extremely cold tolerant. For instance, right now it's snowing here. My chickens are all huddled inside their coop, but my ducks are sleeping right out in the snow.

The one thing about them is that they are messy. Messy messy messy. They make messes with their water that you can't even believe is possible.

 

[auracana07]

thanks for your help you guys! Wow ducks sound very positive! Thanks again!

 

[Ivagrovegirl]

I have call ducks and they are really sweet. I'm not sure how much they eat because I have ducks,chickens and turkeys but I would guess that they don't eat more than 2 cups a day. I only have two right now. They breed really well and hatch at a good rate if you wanted to breed. I use either a black rural king rubber watering tub or a baby wading pool. They are wonderful birds and I would recommend them to anyone. Mine cost alittle more than average because I wanted them for show birds. I paid $50 for the pair. But you could easily get them for $5-$10 a piece.

Good luck,
Emily

 

[shelleyd2008]

The only reason I know how much mine eat is because they are the only ones that eat the flock raiser, except the quail, and they don't eat that much. But the ducks get a big coffee can of feed and a small coffee can of cracked corn everyday. And still they act like they are starving when I go to feed them!