Ok Tell me about ducks

[capall beag]

I am curious about ducks.

We are hoping to get chicks this year BUT I cannot keep a rooster, becuase the neighbours will be unimpressed

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So I was considering ducks because I don't think a drake would be loud?

My concern with the chicks is that I want to order some unusual breeds and most are not sexed prior to arrival so I may pay for and end up with a bunch of roosters I can't keep.

Can you use duck eggs much like hen eggs? Don't think I have ever tried a duck egg?

Any info on this appreciated .........It is probably very obvious that I have little knowledge about ducks

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[Sterling]

I have and raise Call Ducks. They are the "miniature" of the domesticated ducks. Fairly small, easy to keep and fun to watch as they waddle around the property. Only thing about ducks is that they are somewhat messier than chicks and stinkier. The food/mash when it gets wet for the ducklings definitely gives off a peculiar odor that I liken it to an almost "fishy" kind of smell. Water...they need plenty of water, not only to drink but to play around in and keep themselves clean and preened. Clean water is a must. Here I clean our water containers once or twice a day. Depending on which breed you get you may want to trim at least one wing so that they cannot take off in flight. Call Ducks are very good fliers and altho I sometimes monitor their wing growth, they do fly around the farm but always come back to their coop...their little "haven". They're let out of their coop almost daily and get to graze in the grass and forage around.

As far as the eggs are concerned....yes people use ducks eggs...moreso for baking as the duck eggs can be stronger than brown chicken eggs. Me being a person that does not like the taste of eggs to begin with, I usually sell them to bakers (they say duck eggs make excellent baking eggs) or when I had my females I'd let them set them or put them in the incubator.

Drakes "burp" while hens "quack". The drake definitely has the softer of the voices. A hen will quack a high pitched non-stop quack that can give headaches!!

: Gotta love those little boys that are so soft spoken. It's unfortunate that ordering the fancy chicks they only sell straight run. I just ordered a bunch of banty fancy breeds that should be arriving here in April...yea they're strait run. But I'll weed out if I get too many roosters and sell them on. Don't let the sexing of the hatcheries fool you. I once ordered 5 Brahma roosters and 20 Brahma hens. Out of that lot I think I got maybe 6 hens...the rest were roosters...and that was not the only time. Needless to say I've since changed ordering from that hatchery.

 

[ChrystalPaths]

Wellllllll...they quack and waddle and like the water.............sorry couldn't resist. I have always wanted the Peking White ones but with the foxes here..forget that! They are super for baking and cooking but eating..not so much but I am not an egg eater.

 

[capall beag]

:lol: I know Debs! I was thinking the same typing my Q!

Thank you Sterling for that info, that really was very helpful

Maybe I should start off with my chicks and see how we go! I hope the fox steers clear!

 

[Reble]

We used to raise Muscovy ducks for meat, and some drakes can be nasty.

Also had mallards, we gave them all away, but the drake and he was too fat too fly, but after a few years going down the creek with the wild females he lost weight and off he flew...

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[Mercysmom]

Duck eggs are more strong flavored than a chicken egg but certainly flavorful enough to be consumed... (our Pekins and Runners laid clear eggs as in not fertilized)...

Kept our pond weeds down but in winter were not smart enough to come back to the barn for safety - coyotes/foxes ate two... 3 remaining members of our flock became Christmas dinner for our neighbors...miss having them but wish they could be smart enough not to be coyote/fox bait as they were too expensive to feed to become just coyote/fox dinners!

Had Muscovy and Pekins in a suburban neighborhood as a kid... ducks are smart and will bond to you under the right conditions....

I love ducks and geese... under the right conditions I would have them again as pets if they were smart enough as the Muscovies and Pekins I had as a child to not want to be so independent that they labeled themselves as dinner!

Denise

Silversong Farm

 

[Boinky]

OHHH Fiona you should raise runner ducks! I'll buy some off you! i'm always looking for them. they are one of the better herding breeds of ducks but they are so hard to come by and when you do they seem to get snapped up before you can get them! they don't fly and walk like penquins. they are a really neat breed. I guess they are supposidly a good meat breed and they are excellent eating egg breed. MIne didn't last long enough to get eggs. I got them in november (i think they all ended up being males too not certain) and i fed them well all winter and the first warm day of spring the fox came and took one. second day he took 2 ..and the third day he took the last one! lol i didn't even get to work the dogs on them!!! they were nice plump ducks too! I decided if i ever get them again they wont be free range like before.

The research i did said they were great for baking as they make things "fluffier and lighter". i've never tried duck eggs but i was more than willing to try!

SERIOUSLY think about getting into runner ducks!!!

 

[capall beag]

Thanks for all the replies! Lots of great info!

You know Hillary, that is funny you should mention them!

I saw some show last fall about Maine poultry shows and saw the runner ducks for the first time! Fascinating little things they are! They do walk like penguins!

Now you have me thinking!!!!!!!!!! Maybe I should get some runner ducks.........did I hear you say you would take some off my hands???

I have also seen dogs herd ducks and find it fascinating THAT and that our local convenience store owner has the most wonderful border collie that I am kind of drawn to

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He is so fixated on his tennis ball, reminds me of my Molly who died last year :no:

If I have some runner ducks I might need to get myself a herding dog to herd them

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So funny how my rational works

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[sdmini]

My husband is a "poultry" man and has a few chickens and ducks that roam the yard.

I love the ducks, there fun to watch at night as we have a large yard light and they sit in it all night and chase bugs.

They are very messy creatures when it comes to the water tanks though. A friend, who has about 50 roaming ducks, fashioned a cover for the water tanks and cut a whole just big enough for his cows to drink out of and that solved that problem.

Every now and then they are singing outside my window in the a.m. but it's not that loud where the whole neighborhood would wake up.

 

[Boinky]

LOL absolutely i'd take some duckies off your hands! lol I've thought about just ordering some.. BUT the problem with that is they aren't old enough to herd with for several months.. and it just seems like such a long time to raise them when i can't use them that long..LOL and with my luck i'd go to all that time and they'd get eaten somehow..LOL you raise em..and i'll buy em

 

[Sunny]

Oh, I LOVE my ducks!! We have Muskovies, seven of them at the moment, but with three males and four females, I expect our numbers will be going up before long!

There are so many things I like about these ducks! I love to just watch them move around the place. I find them very relaxing. The females make this lovely little noise in their throats that I refer to as coooing, but that's not the right description at all. Maybe someone else has a better word for it. All but one of our ducks are either "black" (actually a very dark irridescent green) and white or just solid white, and of course the red on their faces. Two of my favourite colour combinations. They eat flies and mosquitoes, and even the little babies can pick the flies off the walls by the time they're just a few days old. And the babies are the absolute cutest little darlings I've ever seen!

Our ducks are quite tame, but we've never touched them or picked them up. They get along well with the cats, dogs (for the most part), and horses. I'll never forget one year one of the females made her nest in the back corner of my Cloud's stall. While she was waiting for her eggs to hatch, she and Cloud would often share Cloud's breakfast, quite contentedly. And even when Cloud's filly was born and the ducklings were hatched, they would still eat together. (But did I EVER bring my camera out at that time of day?? Duh, no!)

These ducks can fly but just short distances, so I never worry about them leaving. They don't quack and are usually very quiet, but sometimes they all get into this big conflab and make these weird, loud, hissing noises and bowing movements. (I still haven't figured out exactly what that means.) That can get a little annoying sometimes.

I only feed them rolled corn, but they eat all manner of other stuff. That's part of the reason we don't eat the eggs, but also because I don't always know how long it's been since they were layed. My dad and his wife eat duck eggs exclusively because apparently they're much lower in cholesterol than chicken eggs. My dog loves to eat them, too.

When we get overpopulated, we just give the extras to friends. This is the only breed we've had so I can't compare them to any others, but I certainly can't imagine my barn without them. It would definitely be cleaner, but it's a small price to pay for the pleasure they give us.

 

[Boinky]

sunny..now that you mention it.. I think your right that they are lower in cholestorol. I think i remember reading something about that when i was researching the eggs and stuff. there were several very valid reasons for eating them if i recall. It actually had me convinced..lol but i had a whole flock of boys as i think it turned out (either that or they just werne't nesting yet)..lol

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Duck eggs are "heavier" they have a larger yolk/white ratio and you cannot make meringues out of them.

They are difficult to cook cakes with but once you are used to it they do make incredibly rich cakes- better for a heavy cake like a Madeira than a sponge.

Ducks are really messy- say goodbye to clean water buckets- they will mob anything that is handy.

They need to have water to feed- they feed through it, and I have had up to ten swimming on my troughs before now!!

They drove me batty, I have to say, and I gave away the Appleyards, in the end , as they were so stupid- I have a RIVER and they would not leave the barn area!!

I have had Muscovies- which are not true ducks- and they were the most intelligent, and could fly well- you do have to teach them!!

You really should never, NEVER allow Domestic Mallards to breed with wild Mallards- they are different and they will weaken the strain.

The funniest Ducks I have had were the Aylesbury, real Jemima Puddleducks- they were comical but again not very bright.

They make good eating!!!

 

[lovinarabs]

This thread has been so helpful! Keep the information coming. We have chickens and the for their birthdays this spring, Libby wants goslings and Sophie wants ducklings. Lots of good info here!

 

[capall beag]

I agree Lovinarabs this is great!

OK....so another naive Q will they jump into the horses water trough( it is a bath tub)? If so, how do you stop them? I wouldn't want them doing that all the time

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OK Boinky How about I buy 'em and Raise 'em and sell them to you :lol: :lol:

 

[Boinky]

sounds like a plan fiona! lol Mine never got in my water trough.. though runners aren't the most "nimble" jumpers and certainly can't fly.. i think mine panicked and launched off the ground a couple inches a few times when i worked one of the dogs on them in the winter. i dont' think they could jump or fly high enough to get into the 100 gallon stock tank. I always put down a rubber bin for them filled with water to bathe in and play in... course you have to remember i had them in the WINTER.. lol so that was about the only water around except in my big tank. they were funny to watch. t hey duck their heads and i and throw it up on their backs and splash ect. AND i dont' know if you know this but i have a paranoia of birds. I only got mine because i wanted to herd so bad.. i actually liked them. Mine were timid birds. i think they were more afraid of me than i was of them. I really kinda liked them and they were "cute" not like chickens who have BD eyes and pointy beaks that peck you (i think i was traumatized as a child to chickens..i HATE them). I wouldn't mind having more ducks again but i'd never have chickens.. ugg!

 

[Sterling]

Will they get to water if given a chance and a way...YOU BET!!!

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: They can SMELL water from a distance and even tho it's not their designated water troth...they are'nt picky! Many a time I've had to scoop little duckies from out of my horse troths and ponds. Now I kind of "duck proof" my barnyard if I don't want them in the clean drinking water areas. Our pond we now have is slightly raised above ground so it's not that much of an invite anymore, but if they are really persistant can hop-fly ontop the slate rocks we have around it and go for a swim. They have'nt yet...but it's a possibility. I just make sure I keep enough water stations around to keep them entertained to their ground level and discourage them from getting up in my horse troths and pond.

Here are a few of my duckie pictures:

This here's Aflac. Hubby raised this little boy from an egg. He was the only egg left that did'nt hatch out and momma abandoned it ...so I scooped it up and incubated it. The first face he saw when he hatched was hubby's....from there it was hubby all the way and that's all she wrote! He turned out to be a solid white with blue eyes.

Aflac, following hubby around the farm while he did his chores and stopped for a pat.

Baby Aflac relaxing with us while we watch TV.

Aflac's Mom & Dad. Porcelin and Alfie. Alfie is the patriarch of the ducks on the farm. He is pushing 15 yrs. old. All the babies we have had have been his.

Onyx...Alfie's son.

Orpington hen Belle with her duckling charges. She hatched them out and raised them.

This is what'll happen if you have a nice tempting pond. You'll find ducky butts bobbing around looking for stuff! (Baby Aflac searching for food)

 

[ForMyACDs]

We had several breeds of ducks, but our favorites were the Muscovies. The swedish and khaki ducks were just plain stupid, runner ducks were just TOO flighty for us and ALL of them except for the Muscovies made SO much noise!!

The Muscovies were perfect! They were quiet (no quacking) and EXCELLENT layers of eggs. They were also VERY broody and if we wanted to hatch anything out we always set it under a muscovie (chicks, ducks, turkeys or what have you). They are also GOOD eating if you're interested at all in that. Their meat isn't greasy like most duck meat. It's a lot like dark turkey meat and very dense (almost steak-like). We LOVED it! I FAR prefer duck eggs to chicken eggs anyday. They're richer and denser (less water to them). It's like the difference between skim milk and ice cream! Ours did fly and could fly quite well. If we wanted to keep them penned we just trimmed wings occasionally and it did the trick. I loved, loved, LOVED my muscovies!

 

[Frankie]

I am so jealous, I have wanted Ducks forever.

Hubby says no. But they're on sale at TSC for $1.29, what's the big deal. I think that makes me cheap, that's all I want.

And while I'm at it.

I have no idea how to care for them.

Ok, I go to TSC and buy 2, they need a friend, right?

What else I gotta have,,,,,,,and can I handle it?

Everytime it rains, we get a lake or two that seems to hang around for a while.

What do they do that's GOOD? So I can tell my hubby how good they'd be for us??? :bgrin

 

[Bluerocket]

If you have ducks, geese and a REAL POND - beware of resident Snapping Turtles --- they will get the babies and sometimes the parents too.