Why does it seem ducks are hard to sell?

[njduck]

there is a local auction near me, so buying and selling is easy. just never know what you are going to get for the duck. Sometimes twice the market value sometimes $2

 

[Rosecomb-Ryan]

Quote:
I just noticed that too! Its kind of scary looking

Hey Watch it

It is awesome looking!

 

[NYREDS]

You said you lowered the price but you didn't say what you're asking for them.

 

[nwfl]

If you have an asian community or asian restaurant you might put the word out there. My regular duck customers want live young ducks and take all my males. They come to the house with boxes and pay 20-25 bucks for heavy, healthy 3-4 month old drakes. I've noticed they didn't seem interested in the craigslist ads. Maybe they like having a relationship and seeing the animals are healthy. Lord knows they could get cheaper birds elsewhere.

 

[lovesgliders]

I definitely feel your pain... I have tried to GIVE away these darn Silkies. I have 11 pullets and only 1 roo, so it's not that, and they are nice birds, 5 months old... and I can't find a place to take them *for free.* Boggles my mind! I feel dumb for paying ten bucks a head for them!

 

[Baralak]

A lot of the problem is the time of the year. Fall generally you will see a slight surge in chicks, ducklings, to point of lay. Winter and Summer have always been slow. Spring on the other hand, I generally have to order eggs, because my girls just can't keep up with the demand. People like to buy from other poultry folks. People that really like poultry don't like to buy from the feed stores..

It helps also to be NPIP Certified!

I wish I was close enough to get your runners.. I only have two right now, both chocolates, no drakes.

 

[spish]

i think people are put off ducks because they think you need a huge pond and stff for them...so i always try to include a basic 'needs' list in my auctions.

if they dont sell that way i couple them with some chickens and sell as a lot, this always works.
for example last month i tried selling scovy ducklings for €1 per duckling and just couldnt shift them, so this month i did a few poultry lots (eg 5 ducklings, 2 EE hens, 2 EE roo's for €40) and they fly out the door..i also use the same tactic for shifting extra Roo's.

 

[ZoeS95423]

Quote:
Originally I was asking 15 bucks a piece, or 2 or 25 because thats what I always see them go for around here, and what I have paid for them.
Now they are 8 bucks a piece of 2 or 14.


I might just have to put them up for free... I need to get rid of 9

 

[TDM]

So, you originally wanted $15 for a pekin drake? That's very high.

There is also no mention of age. Ducks over the age of two are useless to some people, as are mixed breeds. Many people also don't want to carry over non-laying birds through the winter. Meat ducks are typically eight weeks old for pekins, and twelve to sixteen weeks old for muscovies. After that, their commercial value for meat drops dramatically.

We maintain a laying flock of 60 ducks for egg and meat purposes. When they are retired at the age of three, their value is almost zero.

 

[ugly ducky]

I don't find ducks at all hard to sell, but I go to lots of swaps, and sell tons of them there. If I were you, I'd call around to anyone who has poultry, and see if you can't find out about the swap. Then go, and price them to sell...walk around and ask price on any ducks you see, then price yours accordingly. Don't get frustrated. Just keep trying. Good luck to you.