[KirinChris]

Can anyone recommend a good starter book on raising ducks please?

My searches tend to turn up US ones so a more UK oriented guide would be great.

[macgro7]

To be honest you don't need any books on raising ducks - are planning to raise just some for eggs? Meat? Mostly pets?

Have you had chickens before? Or no animals (especially poultry/birds) at all?

Mine eat mostly chicken food (layers pellets), but will also free range and hunt for flies, slugs and snails - which is great for the garden.
 If free ranging they are fantastic, but in small spaces (like a small chicken/duck run) they will turn it into stinky mud bath in no time.
They obviously need clean water - at least a bucket - must be enough to submerge their head. My ones have a baby bathtub which is big enough to last them whole day.

What type of ducks are you looking for? Bantam size? Medium egg laying? Large ornamental/meat type?
I have kept exhibition Aylesbury, lots of muscovies (my favourite!), Khaki Campbell, saxons and others.

Watch some videos on YouTube. You will find more useful information on YouTube and this forum than you would in most books. Check in the library - you'd be surprised eat you can find - I read a book on ferreting in Leicester city Council library.

Hope this helps

[KirinChris]

But… I like books :-)

Anyway, no we haven’t had chickens. We are moving soon and debating what to have - chickens and Guinea Fowl have been on the radar but ducks have also been suggested.

Main purpose is eggs so i guess a medium laying breed. Pest control is a bonus so that’s good to know.

They will be able to free range although I understand the need to house them against predators. There’s a small beck nearby but we can also provide a water bath.

How are they in different climates was one question I was hoping to answer. We will be in the Durham Dales so I don’t know if hardiness comes into breed selection.

[macgro7]

I wouldn't recommend guinea fowl for beginners. They are suuuuper loud, not friendly like chickens, are not suitable for egg production (I mean they do lay eggs, but they tend to hide them and lay in a different place if you pick they nest).
Ducks and chickens are much more "user friendly".

Please make sure you have good fences - I'm sick of foxes catching my birds. I finally got an electric fence for my birds and I see foxes going past it and not being interested in the chickens (that look at the fox going past).

I like books too and I have bought some books on animal keeping, then realised its a waste of money as they don't answer all my questions. Much more info on Internet nowadays

[Richmond]

From a management point of view our ducks are the easiest of the poultry to deal with. They love a routine, and lay at the same time each day (early morning) which means when I let them out the eggs have already been laid and the ducks spend the rest of the day roaming about. I feed them when I let them out although they generally don't eat much in the morning and prefer to head off out into the fields. They come and quack loudly when they are hungry at teatime. They are easily herded back into the stable at dusk.

If you have sufficient space to let them wander then ducks make little mess. It's when they're restricted that mud patches are created. Ours seem to spend hours on end wandering about foraging, just coming back to the water (they have a couple of paddling pools) for a drink/bathe/sleep and then they're off again.

They are very hardy and tolerate most conditions very well. And they love rainy days! It's actually the hot dry weather they hate most.

[macgro7]

From a management point of view our ducks are the easiest of the poultry to deal with. They love a routine, and lay at the same time each day (early morning) which means when I let them out the eggs have already been laid and the ducks spend the rest of the day roaming about. I feed them when I let them out although they generally don't eat much in the morning and prefer to head off out into the fields. They come and quack loudly when they are hungry at teatime. They are easily herded back into the stable at dusk.

Yes, herding ducks is especially useful when you have to go out somewhere and you know you are gonna be late (after dark). My ducks were all trained to go in their coop as soon as they saw me in the distance in the evening - as I always fed them inside their coop.
Try to herd chickens! When it's evening they go home to sleep themselves, but if you need to lock them up before you will do a lot of running and swearing! Another reason I'm so glad I got the electric fence! I don't need to worry that fox will eat them if I come back home late- anyway "our" foxes come at all times of night and day (morning, afternoon, before sunset, etc)