Is this the best website for ducks? owning etc.? or is there another forum you all might recommend? We have chickens arleady but are gettting 2 ducklings in march. thanks in advance! andrea
I believe this is the best. There are others but none have as much information and nice, caring people that BYC does.
Quote:This board is a good place to start. As others above have noted the people are nice caring people and many are at the same stage as you are with some experience with chickens and just getting started with ducks. HOWEVER as someone that goes back 50 years with waterfowl I feel I must warn you that there are a lot of old wives tales and just plain missinformation posted on this board passed down from newby to newby. If it doesn't sound right to you keep asking. Of course there are some real experts here too the trick is finding out who is which!
Quote:Can you list a few of them? I'm still new to caring for ducks and would like to know if I'm misinformed about anything. Here are the one's I know of: 1. Myth: medicated feed is dangerous. Truth: Ampro is safe and the most common medication in duck feed available today. 2. Myth: layer feed is dangerous for drakes. Truth: The extra protein and calcium poses no danger to drakes. 3. Myth: all foot/leg problems are related to niacin deficiency. Truth: A niacin deficiency can affect leg development but there are many other reasons for foot/leg problems in ducks
I would have to say I've learned a lot from this site about ducks. It is good to look everywhere for information though. Not necessarily a myth, but a controversy is why ducks get angel wing. (Not trying to start a debate, just putting it out there.
I'm a noob, don't even have ducks (yet) but one thing I've learned is the bit about all ducks being loud quackers... not true... some breeds can't quack at all... in some males are noisy girls are not or vice versa... I figured as much, but it's so nice having experienced people to talk to. You can learn a lot from books and google, but nothing speaks like experience. And, a book isn't going to be much comfort if you have a sick/injured animal... it's really nice that even at 3am you can ask for help and get it here... lot harder to catch a vet or librarian then. Plus so much info on the different breeds. From laying to mating to pen design to feeding to flying habits to predator control... so much more info overall and by breed then I've found in all the books I've read put together!! And the fact that all these folks are NICE and are totally willing (in fact quite thrilled) to share their experience with new people is so wonderful!! WELCOME!
I have raised ducks and geese for 25 years- but am still learning. I have visited a few forums and joined two. This is by far the better for waterfowl. I have read so many books and websites, and asked so many questions, and there is conflicting information in some areas. But if you have the basics right- food , water, adequate shelter, you are off to a good start- and there are always people on here only to willing to help out with advise.
