Lwooster
In the Brooder
I wish I'd known the correct, safe, and healthy ratio of drakes to ducks and also ordered, or kept, just one drake of a small breed (like a Khaki Campbell). My flock size and makeup is good now (6 ducks, one drake) but my large Saxony drake prefers my small American Buff duck so I have to give her hiding spots. It was heartbreaking to cull the eight (!) drakes from the straight run I ordered two years ago. I never knew the process of ducks' mating was seemingly so brutal. I recommend paying extra to order just one (small breed) drake and a minimum of six ducks of any breed, instead of a straight run. Other than that, everything else about ducks is great. I keep their water and food separate from their duck house, although they have 24 hr access. I set their food up on a wooden pallet that I can hose off every day when I refill their food. I sealed all openings in their duck runs and the duck house with 1/4" hardware cloth. I bought a seventy gallon black plastic pool from a big box store that I can fill and dump myself so there is never overnight standing water. Their water buckets are plenty deep so they can completely immerse their bills and give themselves bucket baths. I use straw for bedding and in the runs using the deep litter method. I started them as ducklings on Mazuri waterfowl feed but switched to an pelletted organic chicken layer feed when they started laying. I give them cracked corn only in the winter when the nights go below zero. I put a tablespoon of brewer's yeast with garlic in their feed every day.
