Why do people...

[Chicalina]

I strongly recommend pet insurance for anyone who has ducks as a pet. The bills all add up.

The bills all add up.

 

[Chicalina]

I am a duck quitter so thought I'd add my story to explain.

I kept and hatched runner ducks for years. Loved them and their little quirky ways, the way they moved, how i could feed them peas from my hand, their gentle ways, the joy they got from a simple muddy puddle or the discovery of a slug.

First to go were the drakes. They kept mating my chickens and that can damage them internally. Not to mention it was like watching serial rapists every day, both with the hens and ducks. They were pets and not dinner, so they went to good homes.

I had just female ducks left, but eventually after another very wet amd cold winter I decided to rehome them to a local farm. Reason being that in the limited space I had available I just couldn't make the dual bird arrangement work to the benefit or at least not the detriment of one species. The ducks created mud, and they compacted the ground so the water didn't drain away. The chickens wallowed in duck heaven, but chicken hell. If I separated them then each bird would have less space. All in all, we preferred eating hens eggs compared to duck eggs. So the chickens won. And the ducks went to live in a great place where they had direct access to a river, which was far better than the little pool I had for them.

I would have ducks again in a heartbeat if I had a bigger place with more land, and could keep them separate from chickens. I would have a little flock of cayugas this time because I think they are absolutely stunning.

 

[KaleIAm]

I am a duck quitter so thought I'd add my story to explain.

I kept and hatched runner ducks for years. Loved them and their little quirky ways, the way they moved, how i could feed them peas from my hand, their gentle ways, the joy they got from a simple muddy puddle or the discovery of a slug.

First to go were the drakes. They kept mating my chickens and that can damage them internally. Not to mention it was like watching serial rapists every day, both with the hens and ducks. They were pets and not dinner, so they went to good homes.

I had just female ducks left, but eventually after another very wet amd cold winter I decided to rehome them to a local farm. Reason being that in the limited space I had available I just couldn't make the dual bird arrangement work to the benefit or at least not the detriment of one species. The ducks created mud, and they compacted the ground so the water didn't drain away. The chickens wallowed in duck heaven, but chicken hell. If I separated them then each bird would have less space. All in all, we preferred eating hens eggs compared to duck eggs. So the chickens won. And the ducks went to live in a great place where they had direct access to a river, which was far better than the little pool I had for them.

I would have ducks again in a heartbeat if I had a bigger place with more land, and could keep them separate from chickens. I would have a little flock of cayugas this time because I think they are absolutely stunning.

Sometimes it is for the best to rehome animals.