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Author Topic: Starting off with ducks??  (Read 2372 times)

Connor

  • Joined Jul 2013
  • Northern Ireland
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Starting off with ducks??
« on: March 09, 2014, 05:36:00 pm »
I currently keep just chickens some for eggs and other for breeding/showing. I had seen people selling ducks and i want to get a few myself!! Is there much work in ducks and can i make them profitable i would use them for their eggs and selling the ducks offspring?

What breeds are small and lay well
Should i get a drake and how many ducks for the drake?
Basic care for them what type of house do they need? thanks
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goosepimple

  • Joined May 2010
  • nr Lauder, Scottish Borders
Re: Starting off with ducks??
« Reply #1 on: March 09, 2014, 05:53:42 pm »
We keep Muscovy because they roost, we can't house ours here as our pond is big, so Muscovy for the most part suit us as they keep away from ground level at night when predators are around.  They are genetically nearer to a goose and only lay from Feb through to August.


Ducks can't jump up to levels like hens so a flatish entrance to a house is needed.  They won't automatically put themselves to bed like hens so you'd have to do it.  For that reason they are very likely to be taken unless you do it every night.  Sods law if you miss a night that'll be the end of them.  They lay at odd times of day so bushes etc nearby are good. 


They totally love to dabble, it's their favourite thing.  Wet, muddy ground is great, puddly areas fab.  We had a 2x1m pond but it proved a hassle, if you do it this way then clean it out say every month but you must must keep a bucket (or two better) of fresh water every day they can drink from and douse themselves with.  We have a big pond and river and once you see them swimming on the pond you realise how rubbish a wee bath is.  They love swimming. 


I use mixed grain or pure maize and put out half an iceberg lettuce each week, bread should ALWAYS be given wet, and must be brown, white will be like glue in their system and will stick in their gut.  Worm them every 3 months, a mucky backside, a limping duck, worm them and they are almost always fine in a few days.


Why not try call ducks which are cute (but noisy) or runners are funny.  Ratio of a drake to 4 ducks is good.  You can sell the eggs and the offspring - people will buy male runners because they look funny but you might find it hard to sell drakes of another breed.  As for making money, keep up the day job.  It might earn you bob-a-job money and if you're lucky you'll get back what you spend.


Duck antics are great though, they are good fun.  Some males can get quite aggressive though.  Do your research and think about what type of duck would suit you.  And give them space, they are messy.  Tell us how you go!  :&>
registered soay, castlemilk moorit  and north ronaldsay sheep, pygmy goats, steinbacher geese, muscovy ducks, various hens, lots of visiting mallards, a naughty border collie, a puss and a couple of guinea pigs

HesterF

  • Joined Jul 2012
  • Kent
  • HesterF
Re: Starting off with ducks??
« Reply #2 on: March 09, 2014, 09:06:14 pm »
How much space have you got? Ducks are much messier than chickens and they dig up grass like crazy. Mine have turned over an area about 20m by 20m this winter. It will come back but it's not great to live with if that's your whole back garden.

There's also less money in ducks. Personally I find duck eggs harder to sell although I charge a bit more for them. And I guess it depends on the breed vs. the breed of chicken but I pay (and therefore sell) about £35 per hen (£10 per cockerel) but would be pushed to get £20 for a good quality, pure bred duck.

Maybe 3 ducks per drake? I do have a pen with four drakes and five ducks and that's working OK at the moment (although one of the drakes thinks he's a cockerel so that helps) so you can keep them together unlike my experience of cockerels.

Have a search around the miniature duck breeds. Call ducks are really cute but very noisy too. You can get miniature Appleyards (I have the large version). I also like the look of the Black East Indie ducks which are gorgeous (black with a green sheen all over in the sun) - I have Cayugas which are big ducks with the same colouring.

More info on breeds here: http://www.ashtonwaterfowl.net/bantam_ducks.htm

shygirl

  • Joined May 2013
Re: Starting off with ducks??
« Reply #3 on: March 09, 2014, 09:13:25 pm »
we have had muscovies, khaki campbells and indian runners - all were delightful.
we used a natural pond but opted for a plastic paddling pool in the end as it was much cleaner.
muscovies graze like geese. we fed layers and mixed grains. kept in a hen house overnight.

our runners decided they preferred our neighbours big pond so kept running away so they got snaffled by a fox in the end.  :'( :'(

 

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