Hi Lisa,
I enjoyed your article. I have raised one or more kinds of poultry most of my life and my experiences with ducks and chickens has been much the same as yours. Both are great, both are easy to raise, but like you said both have their unique requirements and idiosyncrasies. If you want a sustainable meat bird, IMHO you can't beat a duck. Unless you get broilers (which are hybrids, won't breed true even if they could breed), I've found that even large breeds of chickens like Brahmas and Orpingtons are, well, "chicken-chested". More bone than meat, especially the breast. You get much more bang for your buck with a medium to large duck breed like a Muscovy, Rouen or Blue Swede. I mention those three because I've raised them.
Hi Lisa,
I enjoyed your article. I have raised one or more kinds of poultry most of my life and my experiences with ducks and chickens has been much the same as yours. Both are great, both are easy to raise, but like you said both have their unique requirements and idiosyncrasies. If you want a sustainable meat bird, IMHO you can't beat a duck. Unless you get broilers (which are hybrids, won't breed true even if they could breed), I've found that even large breeds of chickens like Brahmas and Orpingtons are, well, "chicken-chested". More bone than meat, especially the breast. You get much more bang for your buck with a medium to large duck breed like a Muscovy, Rouen or Blue Swede. I mention those three because I've raised them.