Great info here. Thanks Josh for the duck info.... what are the downsides to them, if any?
Around here people by their chicks from http://www.orschelnfarmhome.com/. Since I eat a doz eggs a week, I've been considering getting a few.
Maybe some of the pro's can weigh in on this, as I've heard lots of different reason. Exactly what makes the yolk of an eggs deep orange vs a a pale yellow?
There are a few downsides:
It takes them about 8 to 10 months before they start laying. For us, their longer laying life overall and better health made this no issue. Of course, you could get older ducks that are ready to lay.hermes god
They are messy. Ducks drink lots and lots of water, which leads to watery poops. I've read smell complaints, but we haven't had any issues using the deep litter method. We turn their bedding every day or two and add a fresh layer of straw when we get a whiff of duck poo.
They are dabblers, which means they will turn the area around a water bowl into a mud hole. We just wrote off that section of their enclosure and throw straw over it if it gets too muddy.
Some ducks quack, a lot. We have one girl that is a quacker. Fortunately, our neighbors like to hear her and think it's neat to have ducks. If you want a quiet duck, Khaki Campbells are known for quacking less and less loudly.
Hardware disease is a major issue with ducks. This is where they eat something inedible, such as a screw, and it gets lodged in their gizzard or throat. Ducks mouth everything to see if it's edible. With kids in the yard, we have to enforce a strict rule of keeping non-food items away from the pen area and run area.
Can't clean up kitchen scraps as well as chickens. They can eat a lot of scraps, but some vegetables and fruits can harm them in large quantities. Backyard chickens has a good list of what to avoid.
Benefits:
Few if any parasite or illness problems. We do sprinkle their bedding monthly with diatomaceous (sp?) earth to keep parasites at bay, since we can't turn the bedding as often when it's freezing.
You don't have to heat 'em. Ducks generally can survive temperatures down to 0 F if they have a dry place out of the wind. We do stick a couple of hot water bottles in the house at night when it's in the teens to help them warm it up until their body heat does the job.
They can lay year-round (except for maybe the month or so they are molting). They need light to lay during short winter days. They are located by a patio , so we have the light set on a timer to trick them into thinking the days are longer.
Good egg production. A runner or campbell can lay 300+ eggs a year. The first year we would get 7-9 eggs a week per duck. The second and third we have gotten an average of 6 a week, but they all still sometimes lay 7 each week.
Pest control. I live in the Pac NW -- aka slug central. Slugs are attracted to duck poo, and slugs are a duck's favorite treat. My garden survived this year with no slug control needed, which is a beautiful thing!
Ducks are just plain fun and they have awesome personalities. We call them our yucky duckies. They follow us around the yard like a dog hoping for treats when their pen is open. They are hilarious to watch in the water. They play with each other. Give them watermelon or peas, and they are just funny to watch as they are in ducky heaven. They chase butterflies. They preen, pose and argue with you. They aren't flighty at all. They run to you, not away from you. There pen door folds down, making a ramp. Last year during a deep snow, we'd open the door and they would run down the ramp, tucking up their legs at the last minute so they could slide across the frozen snow. The did it over and over, for hours, having the time of their life. It was great!