Things to Consider When Raising Ducks in Your Backyard
ADVERTISEMENT
I'm a first time duck and chicken raiser. Ducklings are so cute for about the first day. After that, you're cleaning their plastic enclosure at least 3 times a day. I put a baking pan of water in their bin so they'd have plenty of water. What I didn't know, was that they got in the water and splashed it and food and poop all over their bin. Well they're babies so you can't have them in wet bedding. So change all the time. Finally they got big enough to go out in the pen with the chickens. Chickens have an upstairs coop so the ducks don't go in there. They have not 1 but 2 enclosures. One is like a dog house, the other one is big enough for me to stand in. I read that that would need a big house for the winter. Not. They like being outside. They're in a covered pen but it's open wire. Totally happy. The windy sides have plastic sheeting on them, because the ducks and chickens don't like the wind much. Works fine. So I have Buttercup, now white, Matilda, now a Matt, and Cocoa, also male. I get one duck egg a day and that does not get given to anyone. Best tasting eggs ever. Big yolks. I have 9 chickens and 2 roosters, so I get a lot of eggs daily. I keep waiting for the chickens to stop laying for the winter, like everyone says. Hasn't happened yet. Learning to make egg casseroles. I freeze individual portions and they come out fine. I searched for more female ducks, but couldn't find any adults in my area. No more ducklings for me thanks. Yes the adults make a mess of their water daily. I have a heated dog waterer for their daily water. It's a mess instantly, but I change it once a day. Their preferred drinking water is a mud puddle. So I don't worry about whether it's clean all day long. By the way, the chickens are fine with the water. They don't need clear water as they prefer mud puddles also. Still cute though.
I want beige DUCKS with white ring around neck they are friendly for my grandkids can anyone tell the breed and where I may purchase I live in middle Georgia
Hi, I had an injured pekin duck arrive in my backyard possibly hit by a car. Over the past 4 weeks I have set up a old rabbit hutch and fenced a large area for him to run with a small 30 gal pond. My question is I want to get him a companion female but not really for any ducklings. Is there a good way to get him company without having broods of ducklings. Thanks for any help because I am new to this.
Hi Bill. I'm no expert but I've had ducks growing up. We had a female mascovey and a male mailard. Turned out ducks can breed with other types and produce babies. Are you sure you have a male? Males will hiss, females quack. So if it's a quacker you could get another female or 2. They will still lay eggs but they won't be fertilized. If it's a hisser then it's a male. You could try another male but I would go with one of equal size. Two males may not become buddies but with no females available, they just might learn to like each other. Good luck, Wendy
Happily raising both ducks and chickens. Ducks happily sleep in a run in all weather while the chickens put themselves to bed in the coop. I keep a waterer above the coop that the chickens can get to because the ducks will 'duck up' any water they can reach in 0 seconds. I've experimented with the head hole bucket solutions, which is better than open access, but because ducks 'sluice' water with their food, if you want the chickens to have clear water, they need a source that the ducks can't reach. That being said, I still see the chickens happily drinking from the common water as well. All low maintenance, though, and so beautiful and fun to watch in the yard.
Ducks can be LOUD. Really loud. Drakes make no real sounds but hens talk a lot. Muscovies are the quietest females. And good layers.
They should be separate from chickens because their water is messy. And they need water to wash down food or they can choke. I have had ducks since 2002. Mine pretty much stop laying for the winter.
They are great pets and I love having them. But they are not low maintenance. We use heated bowls in the winter and a safe birdbath heater in the pool in the winter along with flat bowls with hot water outside. They poop A LOT. And it’s messy.
Be sure you are ready for the work. If you are, ducks are so much fun and amusement. And they are so beautiful. But they need proper care and attention.
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.
What most people don't know is that the protein in the white of duck's eggs is different than the protein in the white of chicken's eggs. Why does this matter? Well, some people can't eat duck's eggs--stomach aches, upset stomach, on and on. Some people who can't for one reason or another can't eat eggs (chicken), find they can eat duck's eggs. Some can eat one or the other, some can eat neither, and some can eat both. Be aware! I set up a whole house, yard, pool, etc. for ducks because I wanted the eggs--and ended up having to sell all I got because even using them to bake with, caused me to have stomach aches--thus prompting research to find what I've just shared.
Can you house chickens and ducks together or do they need their own spaces?
Many folks keep ducks and chickens together without any problems, but it’s not quite as simple as throwing a few ducks into your existing chicken coop. You will likely have to make some modifications to your coop in order to accommodate ducks. For example, ducks prefer to sleep on the ground rather than in nest boxes or perches, so you’ll need to provide an appropriate nesting spot on the floor of the coop. Plus, ducks can also be quite messy when it comes to food and water, so it’s a good idea to keep these things out of the coop if ducks are going to be inhabitants, too.
These are just two things to consider before adding ducks to your flock, but there is a lot more to it! We would recommend looking on Google for more information.