The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Connor on January 15, 2014, 11:06:16 am
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What breeds are best for showing and selling ducks and what housing do they need and feed
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Have you looked into the different breeds at all? How much space have you got? Do you want large ducks or miniature? Good layers? Meaty? Domestic or wildfowl? etc. I think this website http://www.ashtonwaterfowl.net/ (http://www.ashtonwaterfowl.net/) has a good overview of many of the domestic rare breeds. If you want to show, find a breed you love the look of, find a local breeder and go and visit them to get top tips and find out how to get great breeding stock.
I keep two duck breeds:
Silver Appleyard - I chose this one first because I think they're lovely looking and they're a dual purpose breed so they're brilliant layers, rarely broody and meaty enough for good eating.
Cayugas - These are stunning ducks - black all over but with a green/sometimes purplish sheen in the sun. Not such good layers (and mine have yet to start - I hatched them last summer) but OK and also good eaters. I chose them mostly because of their looks.
I do have a lone Aylesbury too but I wouldn't breed them - she's a little less agile than the others, the keel just seems to weigh her down a bit. I also have a yearning over Blue Swedish but more because we used to live in Sweden. I might get some hatching eggs in this year but not for breeding purposes, just to have them join the flock.
But each to their own and I think you have to look at breed pictures and see what you like the look of. I don't show but I imagine the most important thing is just that you become an expert in whichever breed it is so that you can select your best stock.
They don't spend any time inside in the day (except when I clean them out and then they have to go and investigate) but it's best to have a shed or house of some sort to keep them safe at night. They don't perch (except Muscovies???? - don't know anything about them) so they just need a deep layer of bedding on the floor. Decent sized door - I think they'd struggle with a chicken sized pop-hole - and good ventilation. Mine get Waterfowl finishers/growers when not in lay and Waterfowl breeders starting soon.
Chris Ashton (who website I linked to above) has written some brilliant books on keeping ducks so if you're keen to find out more, get hold of one of them.
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Should say as well that ducks do need quite a lot of space - more than chickens - because they do dig over grass, especially when it's wet. So you can't have them in a house with small attached run otherwise you'll have a mud bath in no time.
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Blimey young Connor, you're asking rather a lot there. The reply could make up the content of an entire book and that's exactly what you should do. Go out to your local library, go to the book shop or buy some poultry magazines and read up as much on the subject as you possibly can. :thinking:
I keep Indian Runners and Khaki Campbells but then every duck keeper has their own favourite breeds. When it comes to housing, my advice would be to make it as comfortable for the ducks and yourself. The ducks need to be dry and draught proof and you need to be able to get in there as easily as possible to be able to clean them out and collect eggs. Having to get on your hands and knees to achieve these tasks is not a good idea.(http://smileys.on-my-web.com/repository/Animals/animals-21.gif)
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Agree with Bodger there. When I first wanted ducks I bought what was called a duck shed - had to bend to get in it and only just was able to squeeze in the door. Mine are now in a normal garden shed - 6ft high, 4ft by 6 ft - plastic sheeting on the floor a dog basket for them to lay/
sleep poop in, and hay for bedding. A pop hole in the door lets them come and go during the day and it's lowered at night. They're in a large gravel run, with 7ft loose topped fencing, and when I'm here they have the run of a third of an acre grass paddock with a burn (gates ate each end so they can't swim off)
I had a beautiful Swedish Blue drake, a Khaki Campbell duck and their three daughters till a fox got them, which is why we now have the higher fencing/netting. My latest acquisitions are from Cameron and I think are a cross of Indian Runner and Khaki Campbell
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Is crispy duck a breed?
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Is crispy duck a breed?
Yes - 'Chinese Takeaway' :roflanim:
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I've got 3 white camp bells in an arc type house (triangular shape). They are on shavings… v messy and they compact it pretty quickly but every now and then the chickens go in and scratch it all up again. The house could probably fit 6 or 7 ducks in, I'm looking for some more but can't seem to find any white camp bells near me :(
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We had a duck called Chris P once..... and yes, like the rest of the ducks, he could be quite aromatic from time to time :innocent: .
One thing that's important to mention is how much each breed needs water. We have indian runners and welsh harlequins. The harlequins are always in and out of their bath, whilst the runners hardly ever seem to bother with swimming, as long as they can dip their heads in. If yours won't have access to a pond, that's a definite consideration.
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I've got a cracking pond for my ducks. Its a fibre glass boat propped up with a ramp up to it. it is of course full of water too. :innocent: I'll try for a picture of it with the ducks having a dip.
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I have a pair of Indian Runners and they live on the pond, they come up onto the garden and roost on and off during the day and to get their food but dislike the duck house. They splash around as much as my other ducks and bottom feed, I guess it's nature V nurture, they live with two other ducks and a whole load of wild ducks, but on saying that, they have always loved the water even from hatchlings! :thinking:
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I had a beautiful Swedish Blue drake, a Khaki Campbell duck and their three daughters till a fox got them, which is why we now have the higher fencing/netting. My latest acquisitions are from Cameron and I think are a cross of Indian Runner and Khaki Campbell
If you are ever in need of another Blue Swedish drake I have a some available.
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That's very kind of you, but one of mine is a drake unrelated to the four girls, don't think another drake would be a good idea. :innocent:
They are very young and very scatty, and scared - wish I knew how to calm them down other than just leaving them alone. :thinking:
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I am looking a duck that is a show type and that i will be able to sell the chicks that i hatch also are dog boxes good for them and what do they eat?
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I am looking a duck that is a show type and that i will be able to sell the chicks that i hatch
hatching chicks from a duck :o
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Read the replies above! You can show any pure breed duck - there are tens of different categories of show breeds so you need to look at a book or website to work out what is suitable for you. Ducks don't sell as well or fetch as much as chickens on the whole simply because fewer people keep them so there's less demand. You wouldn't be able to keep many large ducks in a dog house but it might be OK for small ducks like calls. You'd have to check it was well enough ventilated and could be shut at night. I said about food above too - I use waterfowl pellets but they also need access to lots of grass and foraging as well as water. There is no easy answer for you, you will have to read up on this.