Ducks

[SueSteve]

We are thinking about getting ducks, very early days!
We got some more chickens yesterday and they had ducks, we thought wouldn't it be nice to have ducks too! But we don't know the first thing about duck keeping.
Any advice please?

[greenorelse]

Ducks are pretty easy to keep. They do a fair bit of sleeping and foraging. Khaki Campbells are king (and queen) slug busters but all ducks love slugs.

They like routine, don't like strange things, are easily spooked. But they're more fun than hens, making a racket sometimes and following each other around, doing what ducks do.

Ours sat out (in a pen strewn with straw) even during the extremely cold weather, they don't seem to mind very low temperatures. The only real rule is ducks need constant access to water. We feed them an organic pellet plus mixed corn during winter. And, of course, they get all the slugs we can lay our hands on. Beware, they'll eat frogs too.

Get a couple of females - they're always easy to give away if they don't fit in with your lifestyle.

[SueSteve]

Thank you.
Our garden is 64m square, we currently have 7 chickens. We were thinking about 2 or 3 ducks, I read somewhere that they get on better if there are 3.
I am trying to find out about housing and space needed, thinking about making a simple pyramid/triangle house and then if they had at least half of the garden, plus patio and a alley down the side of the house whether it would be enough room for them. You say they love slugs, would they wreck a flower bed in finding them - as in if the chickens get in the flower bed, there is nothing left of the flowers!
I was thinking maybe galvanised bath for their washing. Can you use rain water from a butt, or does is need to be fresh tap water?
Do they eat the same pellets are chickens?
Sounds silly, but where do they lay, do they need an egg port like chickens?
Thanks, Sue

[indy]

ducks are far less damaging, mine are in the garden all the time, admittedly a little flat footed but they just squash things not damage them, rain water is perfect for them I use it all the time. I do have a large pond but they seem to be equally happy in an old washing up bowl that they found full of water in the garden lol. My ducks do eat the same layers pellets as my chickens and have done for 5 years with no issues

[greenorelse]

Ours are in straw, in a little open-fronted house, in a compound, except when we let them into certain areas to forage for slugs. They lay in the little house. They love rooting through straw - just dump it down in the compound and they scatter it everywhere, having a great time.

Rain water is fine.

They will make a mess of veggies, so maybe flowers too, I dunno.

I prefer to restrict them to specific areas - changing it as time goes by - as otherwise they tend to stick to one spot if you give them a lot of room, if you see what I mean.

We feed them an organic pellet which is for 'poultry' but it's not more specific than than.

[Millymollymandy]

Mine are big white ducks and they don't make too much damage to my flower beds although if I've just planted something small I will protect it otherwise they have a tendancy to squash things! I feed mine duck/goose feed. They get shut up in a shed at night and have a corner there behind the feed dustbin which they made into their nest for laying. They always go in there to lay apart from the occasional egg which pops out unexpectedly!

Mine are totally free ranging and have to be as we have a big pond so they just go about where they please during the day but can be a bit spooky and nervous, so putting them to bed is not as easy as the chickens. They have to be enticed in with food.

However, they are very poopy and make a lot of mess so you will have to clean out their sleeping quarters every day - the plus side is a lot of nice compost material.

[greenorelse]

However, they are very poopy and make a lot of mess so you will have to clean out their sleeping quarters every day - the plus side is a lot of nice compost material.

Yeah, should have said this - one of the reasons I corral mine is the poop, which is everywhere if you let them roam free. Giving them plenty of room behind a semi-permanent fence during the day is my answer. The sleeping quarters get messy but, as you say, loads of compost stuff.

Ducks are fun. They're a bit thick but they always seem purposeful.

[darkbrowneggs]

Ducks are fun and excellent slug eaters for the garden.

I have kept quite a few varieties and it depends what you want them for. If it is eggs to eat then apparently Khaki Campbell are the best, though I bought some with the intention of extra eggs through the winter, and not only did they not lay in the winter they didn't lay much at any time, but perhaps I was unlucky

If it is for eating then a commercial white cross pekin/aylesbury type with grow fastest, and Cayuga taste nicest and grow pretty quick.

If it is for looking pretty and eating garden slugs without too much damage plus a reasonable quantity of large ivory white eggs in the spring through to summer - then my final choice (after many years of trying) are the rather rare Miniature Crested Apricot. I find them quite calm (for ducks)and moderately intelligent (for ducks) plus quiet and easy to tame

They are a bit bigger than call ducks but a lot quieter, and unless disturbed don't quack too much at all. They are really good workers out in the garden, and again, being on the small side, don't do much damage and are slighly less messy. They lay in one place, and if allowed will go broody and raise ducklings and are very protective mothers.

Mine have an open front shelter built on a pallet, so a lot of the watery mess goes though the straw and the house stays drier that much longer

I will now try and attach some photos

All the best
Sue
PS mine are fed on breeders pellets in the spring as I hatch the eggs, and straight wheat plus free range for the rest of the year, and a child's paddling pool or bath is plenty for them to spalsh in

[SueSteve]

Thank you very much. I think the Mini Crested Apricot sound ideal.
We want them to look pretty, for eggs, and pets. (To live alongside 3 cats & 7 chickens).
We have never wanted a male before, but now considering it, does the male make a lot more noise though, as I don't want to upset the neighbours.

[Millymollymandy]

My white market bought so Aylesbury/Pekin/whatever cross laid really well, never stopped for winter and have laid for about 3.5 years and the last one is still laying after about 4 years!

Like those crested ones.

[darkbrowneggs]

Thank you very much. I think the Mini Crested Apricot sound ideal.
We want them to look pretty, for eggs, and pets. (To live alongside 3 cats & 7 chickens).
We have never wanted a male before, but now considering it, does the male make a lot more noise though, as I don't want to upset the neighbours.

It's the females which do the quacking in the duck world. The males just seem to make a hissy rasp type noise. It is the one foolproof way of telling girls from boys.

[SueSteve]

hehe! Still not got them yet. Just thinking that they can't make as much noise as dogs! So neighbours can't really complain! The place we thought about getting them from have the Indian Runners, Aylesbury and call ducks.

[greenorelse]

It's the females which do the quacking in the duck world.

Hmmmm.....

[darkbrowneggs]

hehe! Still not got them yet. Just thinking that they can't make as much noise as dogs! So neighbours can't really complain! The place we thought about getting them from have the Indian Runners, Aylesbury and call ducks.

I think runners can be good layers if they are from a good strain. Most Aylesbury are commercial Pekin Meat crosses, and you can tell by the colour of the beak, which in a proper Aylesbury is pinkish. Call ducks wouldn't suit me, as they were bred for their incessant quacking - hence the name "call" - the endless quacking attracted wild mallard in which were then shot.

[red]

we've done a few rearings of white ducks (in the freezer now)

and our trio of muscovy ducks are doing well - we had a hatch of 8, and they are huge now at 12 weeks ol - really attractive, quiet birds