What are the pros and cons about ducks

[Morgk]

I’m not sure if I should get ducks so I was wondering what’s the pros and cons that everyone has

 

[neo71665]

con, they are messy
pro, they can be funny to watch

Any one breed you interested in? Some breeds have issues other don't and it would be easier to narrow down.

 

[Morgk]

Khaki Campbell
Pekin

 

[neo71665]

Perkins are meat birds and sometimes have leg issues

Not really sure about the others as all I've raised were tame mallards and some muscovys. I'll never have the later ever again due to the mess they made on my pond. Honestly I'll most likely never have any breed again, the fox and coyote populations have blown out the roof around here lately.

Also why ya wanting them, meat, eggs, meat and eggs, or just pets?

 

[ShrekDawg]

They are veeeeeeeerrrrrrryyyyyyyy messy, smelly, disgusting, especially as babies, BUT they are also adorable, sweet, and very entertaining to watch. I think they’re way cuter and more fun than chickens. But I haven’t gotten any yet because of the mess haha

@Miss Lydia @FortCluck @honanbm @BantyChooks all have or had ducks and might be able to help. I think @rjohns39 @Pyxis and @DuckyDonna too.

 

[Conan]

Ducks are absolutely amazing...if you are set up for ducks.
Ducks are hardy. I have not lost any ducks to diseases, and their housing requirements are minimal.
Production ducks are amazing layers. They out-lay my chickens, easily.
They seem less susceptible to predation, but that may be coincidence.
They eat slugs.

I cannot express enough how important it is to have a good setup. Constant water source. Secure fencing. Secure pen for them to sleep in. This need not be weather proof, depending on your location.

My favorite ducks are Welsh Harlequins. They are calm, excellent layers, and beautiful.

 

[Soos-Quacken]

In the way of Kaki Cambel, mine is a tad on the skittish side but is by far a much better layer than any of my hens were

 

[ShrekDawg]

Ducks are absolutely amazing...if you are set up for ducks.
Ducks are hardy. I have not lost any ducks to diseases, and their housing requirements are minimal.
Production ducks are amazing layers. They out-lay my chickens, easily.
They seem less susceptible to predation, but that may be coincidence.
They eat slugs.

I cannot express enough how important it is to have a good setup. Constant water source. Secure fencing. Secure pen for them to sleep in. This need not be weather proof, depending on your location.

My favorite ducks are Welsh Harlequins. They are calm, excellent layers, and beautiful.

I knew you’d have excellent advice, as always.

If I ever got ducks, I think Welsh Harlequins would be the ones I got!! They really are so beautiful!!!

That or Swedish. Those are cool too.

And just out of curiosity, are ducks really as nasty as people say they are???

 

[Gallinarium]

Pros:
Khaki Campbells are very productive, three hundred or more eggs a year with winter lighting. Their eggs are much larger than chicken eggs. They are usually better foragers than chickens, especially if you have a pond. Ducks are hardier than chickens, they don't get parasites or illnesses nearly as much. I'm not going to say that they're friendlier, but they're less aggressive.
Cons:
The mess. Oh, the mess. They track stuff everywhere and their crap is more watery. They sell chicken food everywhere, but duck food is harder to find. They're more vulnerable to predation, they're literally sitting ducks. The only other con that I can think of is that they're more expensive to buy than chicks.

If they're the path you choose, good luck on your ducky adventure.

 

[neo71665]

Our mallards wasn't really bad but they tended to stay on the stock pond. You went down there to fish you had to be careful if you wanted to sit down. The muscovy on the other hand never stayed on the water and were worse than a cat about getting on any and everything. The front porch and on tops of cars/trucks. Of course they weren't litter box trained so with that came extra gifts beside scratched paint.

Now that was our fault because we had never heard of the breed when they were given to us. We heard ducks and sure we have 3 stock ponds they can live on. Didn't know they woulda been better off in with the chickens over being turned loose on a pond.