Thinking of raising ducks

I have been reading on here about people with ducks. Can you tell me a little about them? I was thinking of maybe getting two. Do they require water for swimming? How do they handle the cold weather. Would they be able to stay out in the winter time like my chickens do? Do they eat the same food as the chickens, or is it a separate food? Thanks!! -Jaime

our muscovies forage for them selves, they love tall grasses, even as ducklings! they don't require a pond, and they love the cold, the rain, the snow, the ice!

somewhere i have a photo of Popeye eating the icicles off the picnic table!

You have snow in Texas? I didn't know that. You have to post that picture so I can believe it. LOL

GG

I was google-ing some info last night on ducks and one of the sites said you had to be careful because ducks can give diseases to chickens. It seems like alot of people on here have ducks with their chickens....... If I got a duck, it would only be one or two and for pet purposes only, just for fun. I would like a breed good with people, kids, ect., and flightless. Dont really want to do the whole wing clipping thing. Any recomendations for breeds?

Ducks would require shelter in NH during the winter and to protect from predators. Your chickens stay out all winter with no coop?!

Ducklings should be started with duck starter then grower but could be switched to a chicken layer formula when older.
Too much corn or scratch feed can cause fertility problems if you decide to breed them.

There are alot of helpful articles online re. raising ducks.
Google raising ducks.

I have a coop for my chickens. I def. wouldnt have any chickens left if no coop. Lots of predators around here! Even with a coop, and coop closed in with plastic, still gets pretty cold. Just wanted to make sure that would be appropriate for a duck. I imagine just like with chickens, there are some species that are more cold hardy. I want to make sure I am well educated with this before I venture down this path! I also have to find somewhere I can get either 1 or 2 ducks. Most of the feed stores sell in sets of 6. I know I dont want 6! I also want to figure out if I'm better off getting 1 or 2 I want it to bond with us, so I am worried if I get two, they will bond only with each other.

good point, then i would just get one. you can keep it in the bathtub till it's ready to go out to the coop!

my chickens get tested every year, and the health guy said he didn't need to test my ducks becasue they were not likely to get pullorum or typhoid, or to carry it. i don't know what disease could be spread between them, but if your chickens are healthy and you raise a healhty duck then don't worry about it.

everybody needs a duck in their life!

Personally I wouldn't house my chickens with my ducks but I know alot of people do. Ducks are also very wet and messy and could bully your chickens.

good point. liekly depends on how many of each you have and who was there first.

we aren't too thrilled with the white pekins we picked up on a whim. [never a good idea!]. they pretty much don't go in the henhouse now. they appear to all be males and sleep outside with the geese...

hmmmmm, what to do, what to do......... I like the dark brown duck on the thread about puddles and aflak. I think I remember seeing that breed last night when I was looking them up. It was a khaki something. Will have to look it up again. Cant remember the details about it. I really appreciate all of the information.

still researching which breed to go with.

janastasio, if you are thinking of the Khaki Campbell Duck--go for it! It was first bred as a table duck (meat) but according to "Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds" "by the 1920s the Campbell became known as the most abundant layer in duckdom, pumping out as many as 340 medium size eggs per year." It is also on the conservation "watch" list and is suppose to be a good variety to breed if you want to sell ducks because they are rare and in demand. If I could have a duck I would get one!

good article...

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/09/26/Neighborhoodtimes/Ducks__big__mean__def.shtml


beautiful & informative:

http://www.geocities.com/raptoria98/

a nice plug for my favorites:

http://geocities.com/MUSCOVYDUCKS/yard_ducks.html

& another: http://geocities.com/MUSCOVYDUCKS/

i am not finding the page i was looking for, may not exist anymore, but this is likely the best link of all i posted....

http://www.waterlandfarm.com/muscovy_ducks.htm

Thank you for the information. Its not so easy to find ducklings around here! I dont really want to have to drive a distance, since we just did that for the silkie chicks. The local feedstores seem to be sold out right now. Most chick and duck orders are placed in advance. Our local AGWAY has extras sometimes, but prob. wouldnt be able to request a particular breed. The local feedstores also have mimums that have to be placed. I'm thinking I prob. will only want one duck. I think I definitely decided to get one though, so I'm pretty excited!! Managed to convince my husband too without too much work!!! Well, worked a long day, I'm off to bed!

I thought I might only want one at first but I did some research and found that since they are such social animals they'll need company unless you plan on spending a lot of time with it. I found this site helpful. http://www.thegoosesmother.com/id47.html I can't see myself diapering my ducklings though.

And don't forget the bantam sized ducks. I think they are call ducks among others. I know a lot of people that post on the vermont bird fanciers club yahoo! group raise them.
I wanted ducks but I heard they need to be housed by themselves because of their messing ways. I am leaning toward peacocks next year. I just need to start my research so I can built the right size house this year. Oh another thread!

Cool, Lora looking forward to that thread!

Jan, consider that perhaps in your area there are some Muscovies that need to be rescued. there is more info at those sites...

they are less messy, less noisy, and eat less!

Yes! There was 200+ ducks taken from a very unhealthly home, check petfinder.com for ducks they have bunch in Mass.

We had one black chicken(never knew what breed) that would get picked on by my RIRs. A couple of times they picked a couple of places raw so I would put her in with my Pekin and calling ducks. the second time I put her back with the other chickens, she paced back forth just staring at the duck pen! I ended up letting her stay with the ducks! They were quite happy together.

I've read most of the above posts.....Khaki Campbells are GREAT and are awesome foragers (most ducks are)....a fun pair would be the Cayuga ducks. They're black - but when they turn and the light hits them - they are an iridescent green. I miss my pair (one went to a snapping turtle...other became dinner b/c of too many males) I will say that I absolutely LOVE my Pekins. They're so funny and always look like they're smiling and up to something. Golden Cascades are nice....but nothing to write home about.

All my ducks come running when I call them. Mostly because I always have cracked corn for them to eat. I don't feed a ton....with 17 ducks I probably feed 2 cups of corn when I call them.....so they're having to forage for corn too! lol Anyways - I'm in Michigan - and they stayed outside ALL winter long.....and it was a harsh winter - I didn't lose a single one.

22 ducks are terribly messy.....somehow 17 isn't as bad! lol If they're allowed to roam - it's not as bad....but if they are in a pen - they're terribly messy. Then again....I've never had less than 13 ducks! :) Anyways - I'd definitely get a pair - they're so much fun to watch! :) Good Luck!

Alot of hatcheries and breeders ship ducklings.

bluesmaven that page gave me a good chuckle!

Jean529 how do you keep predators from your duck flock?

MollyD

Great, boy sounds like ducks are very popular! I did check with the local feed store today, they can order moscoveys in multiple of 4 or more. I guess 2 would prob be better since I work most of the day! Dont want the little guy getting lonley, and chickens arent always great company! I put a call into someone today who raises aracauna ducks. Havent heard of them. Person at the feedstore gave the name of the person. He said they are a rarebreed duck. Tried to google it, but came up with nothing. I'll see if she call me back. Maybe I misunderstood the name. I will look at Petfinder.com also. I hadnt heard about the 200 ducks. Poor things. My little black hen that was getting picked on hasnt come home in 2 days. She was out with all the other girls on Sunday. She looked terrible. She was standing with eyes closed, then she would walk somewhere else in the yard, same thing. When I put the hens in at dusk, she wasnt around. I called her that night and the last 2 nights, and nothing. I feel really bad. I should have separated her and not let her out. I was hoping wih the nicer weather she would perk up. :(

Maybe Ancona Duck? " They lay white, cream, tan, blue, green or spotted eggs, and they are good layers with a long productive season. Known as excellent foragers, they are hardy and produce a nice carcass that is a little less fatty than birds of some of the other breeds. They are also suppose to be less vulnerable to predation than some other ducks because they tend to be homebodies, not wandering far from their nighttime accommodations." from "Storey's Illustrated Guide toPoultry Breeds." They are spotted white and one other color (it varies). Very cute!

Aracauna's are chickens

Molly I close my ducks, geese and chickens is EVERY night no matter what to protect from predators.
Read my "Tips on Raising Waterfowl" page on how you can train them to come in at night even if you have a pond.
http://www.freewebs.com/cottage_rose_birdsnblossoms/

Rose thank you! I'm over there reading right now. Your page reminded me to call my post office (which Ideal had mentioned) and I got someone there who said I didn't need to call them in advance. That did not make me feel good! He says they will call around 6am when they arrive.

Now back to reading!

MollyD

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah.......I spoke to the lady that I was given the number to. It is Ancona Ducks (good call catscan!), she has eggs in the incubator. If all goes well, I may have 2 ducklings in 2-3 weeks! Also, she heads the local 4-H for this county, so she will be my contact person for signing my daughter up for that in the fall! All around, all good! I cant wait to get my baby ducklings!

Congrats janastasio on your future babies! I got my 4 ordered today too.

MollyD

Yeah for duckies! I'm remember reading you were getting some, were they called cayuga? My husband sounds just like yours. Got to wear em' down!!!! Dont think I'll ever get the goat though! Maybe someday when my kids are bigger and less time consuming! Or when I win the lottery! That famous saying. We rarely ever buy a ticket. My husband says if we were to ever win, he would buy a house just to keep all my animals at! Ok by me!

LOL I get that lottery speech here too! We rarely buy any lottery tickets so our chances are really low of ever hitting it!! LOL.
Yes they're Cayuga Ducks. Breed originated somewhere in NYS so they're very hardy.
I find it's all in how you present it to them ;-) If Paul thinks we might make money on something he gets all gungho and I get it LOL. I'm the more realistic one so I tend to see the practical pitfalls of all the dreams.

MollyD

Ah, our families sound opposite. My husband is the practical, I'm the sales person, wanting to find ways to make money. My husband usually just shakes his head at me, and usually ends up being right about it in the end! I guess thats why we make a good team! When will your ducks be here. I think you said you added them to your order today? I had checked ideal, but didnt find a breed I was definitely sold on. I'm happy with the choice I made. Hopefully the eggs she has in the incubator will hatch something. I dont think I can wait alot longer! When I said my mind to something, I do it. Bad habit! Sounds good on somethings, but on the animal aspect when I decide I want something, look out! Like with the whole duck thing, I decided on this about 5 days ago, didnt get a strong objection from hubby, so I started researching it. The longer I research the more I wanted them! I have researching and looking to buy from somewhere over the last 4 days non-stop! This is my other obscessive hobby.....

"Everybody needs a duck in their life!" says TamaraFaye. Thank you,
TamaraFaye, for that vaildation.

So here I am with four duckies growing up in a 10 x 20 foot pen that
contains a coop with heat light and a kiddie wading pool that I fill
with fresh water every morning. Don't know what kind they are. The
feed store just mixed several kinds in one big batch, and I picked them
out by fuzz color.

I have free range chickens who come to roost each night, where I
shut them up for safety. I came here to find out if ducks will come
home at night. What I found here is that I should feed them only at
their sleeping station, and only at night, so they will come and can
be penned for safety. So I guess that I could make a door in their pen
so they can get out, and then they will come back for food. As they get bigger and more able to support themselves, I will gradually reduce the food in the pen until it is only there at evening. Right?
And I will secure them in the coop.

Are there any more suggestions??

Thanks for info!
Fitsy

janastasio,

When I spoke with Kibbie at Ideal I was told all of my babies would ship 5/5 which is next week.

Not to throw a wrench into your plans but have you looked at Cottage_Roses's page? She has the most beautiful geese called Sebastols that look like their wearing lacy clothes! Check it out:
http://www.freewebs.com/cottage_rose_birdsnblossoms/sebastopolgeese.htm

MollyD

Oh I just love the look of the Sebastols!

Aren't they gorgeous? Maybe someday. I've got enough on my plate right now.

MollyD

The SebastoPOLS are very intelligent and friendly when hadn raised but I won't have anymore available this year.

Wow, those are really pretty birds. What incredible feathering!

My ducks are the best little critters on our place. I have 4 females, khakis and cayugas, and one male 'crested" duck. He is very handsome with his white "topknot" atop his head. They are very social, funny,friendly and industrious little characters. They eat buckets of bugs and lay loads of luscious eggs. We are in East Tennessee and the winters can get cold, but my ducks prefer to stay outdoors no matter what the weather. They will not go under a shelter.All my girls lay their eggs in the same nest ( I guess they take turns) But I am convinced that a duck without a constant water source is a very unhappy duck indeed.... DUCKS LOVE WATER! They love mudpuddles, rain and swimming. We are fortunate to have a running creek thru the property, but a large plastic pool will do. Just keep in mind it will need to be cleaned about every two days because they will get it filthy in no time at all. Ducks are worth the effort, they will bring you much happiness if you love animals.

bluebunn--I love hearing about people with animals that they love--despite some inconvenience. Everyone I know gets so put out when animals "mess up" their yards--as though you don't have to work with them to make everyone happy. My friend had two chickens until she claimed "they poop everywhere"! When I suggested she just fence them away from her patio and pool, she said that was too much work and the chickens would have to go. So sad. They were very nice chickens:0(.