Chickens don’t like mud and prefer to stay dry. When you raise ducks, they have the ability to lay more eggs than geese and they are good sources of meat. Fine, powdery feeds should be avoided. How to raise ducks in your backyard starts with duck breed selection. We know them to be richer and creamier than a chicken egg, with higher amounts of Vitamin D, provided they are able to free-range. Raising baby ducks is easy but they do require special care. The next question you may have is what else can you have with your ducks? Duck eggs have a thicker shell than chicken eggs, meaning that they can stay fresh for longer. They can also overwinter better in colder climates as they have an extra layer of fat and don’t mind walking around in a bit of snow. And, while ducks are basically gentle, geese can be decidedly aggressive. Water containers do not need to be elaborate, although I do suggest that they be at least four to six inches deep to permit the ducks to clean their bills and eyes. The intensity of light required is low. Roosters not only crow before dawn, they make themselves heard throughout the day. Mature weights of the ducks and drakes are similar to that of Campbells — in the four- to five-pound range. With their well-oiled feathers and thick coating of down, ducks are amazingly resistant to cold and wet weather. They don't scratch like chickens or dabble like ducks, so they won't destroy your lawn, and because of their passion for dandelion greens, they will swiftly eradicate any of these tenacious plants that they find. The shells of duck eggs are slightly more difficult to crack and are pearly white rather than chalk white as in chicken eggs—but I can’t see these as disadvantages. In exchange, they provide you with delicious lean white meat at butchering time. For a larger number of birds, a three- to five-gallon bucket placed below a slowly dripping faucet or outfitted with a float valve works well. Small flock owners often ignore this requirement and end up being disappointed with their birds’ performance. If crowded in a small pen with a dirt floor during wet weather, they will turn their quarters into a muddy mess. Ducks eat quite a lot of feed (more than chickens) and they also like to eat lots of grass so having access to grass is important. You are going to quickly develop a fondness for adding them to fluffy cakes and omlettes. They have enjoyed raising and studying domestic geese and ducks continuously since 1961, specializing in purebred waterfowl that possess a unique blend of superb production and exhibition qualities. Pastured duck eggs also contain abundant amounts of vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, E, B6 and B12. For egg-laying needs, a Khaki Campbell duck is an excellent choice (there is also a white variety). You’ll have plenty of opportunities to enjoy all their antics of mucking around in muddy puddles as they use their bills for digging and bug foraging. In Storey’s Guide to Raising Ducks, Dave Holderread says “ducks can be raised successfully without water for swimming.” Nonetheless, ducks are waterfowl and still need plenty of water for drinking, bathing and playing. For starters, you’ll need two different drinking systems, whereas chickens take small sips, ducks … In summer, they keep cool by splashing in a pond or pool, or by simply laying in the shade. Individual females have been known to produce 360 or more eggs in a year’s time, although flock averages are nearer 275 to 325. You will need a brooder for them to live in, a heat lamp, a source of food and water, and bedding. Ducks are easy-going, tolerant to cold and resistant to diseases, allowing them to become the perfect forager on any homestead. It all comes down to space and housing availability. Therefore, during the short days between September and April, laying birds need supplemental lighting in most areas of the Northern Hemisphere. High-producing ducks need a constant supply of reasonably clean drinking water. Juvenile ducks (2 months old) need duck feed with at least 15% protein content. In my recollection, not once has anyone suspected they weren’t dining on chicken eggs until we told them otherwise. Male ducks, or drakes, hardly make a sound at all. Your email address will not be published. However, for top efficiency and year ’round production, Campbells, Welsh Harlequins, Indian Runners, Magpies and Anconas from strains selected for egg production are usually the best choices. Feed can be left in front of the birds at all times in a trough or hopper feeder, or it can be given twice daily in quantities that the ducks will clean up in 10 to 15 minutes. Pekin ducks are good seasonal layers of jumbo-sized eggs, but due to their large size and corresponding hearty appetites, they require nearly twice as much feed to produce a pound of eggs when compared to the above-mentioned breeds. While poultry researchers in North America have spent the last 100 years and countless millions of dollars on improving the productivity of chickens, ducks—for all practical purposes—have been ignored. When first exploring how to raise ducks in your backyard, you’re probably asking, “Okay, what are their drawbacks?” After raising and comparing all species of domestic poultry over the course of the last 20 years, I’ve yet to run across a major disadvantage in ducks under most small flock conditions. Cheryl Magyar is a sustainable life designer and environmental freelance writer with more than twenty years experience of living a simple life close to nature. For ducks in general, a windbreak that is bedded on the protected side with dry litter usually provides sufficient protection in areas where temperatures occasionally drop to 0º F. However, for laying ducks, feed conversion and egg yields can be improved if ducks are housed at nighttime whenever temperatures regularly fall more than 5º to 10º F below the freezing level. I wrote down a few … In essence, they are hardy birds, well suited to most climates. However, day length is extremely important since it is the photoperiod that automatically turns the reproductive organs of poultry on and off. They cannot swallow food without water, so make sure they always have access to those two essential items at the same time. For the homesteader, Muscovies are another excellent choice as they make for great free-range poultry. But, due to the larger size and greater number of eggs produced by ducks, trials have shown that with proper management, ducks are still more efficient when the quantity of feed to produce a pound of eggs is calculated. For example, Muscovy’s are half-wild and are extremely well-suited to free-ranging. © 2021, Countryside - All Rights Reserved, Ask the Expert — December 2014/January 2015, Ask the Expert —December 2015/January 2016. Chickens will roost for the night, ducks prefer a place to sleep at ground level. Ducks are very good foragers and enjoy eating grass and any bugs they might find while wandering your backyard. Despite all the attention chickens received, it’s unusual for a commercial flock of Leghorns to average over 250 to 280 eggs per hen in a year’s time. You can supplement this with grains as well as letting your ducks forage. They are active foragers, needing sufficient space to roam. Khaki Campbells are a cross between a Runner and a Rouen, laying up to 300 eggs a year! For just a couple of ducks, a gallon tin can will suffice—and is easily cleaned. Ducks are gentle on the lawn and won’t scratch it as chickens do, they are merely after the dandelions, chickweed and clover, as well as any insects that pass their way. Best Ducks For Backyard. I’ve even had Muscovy female ducks nest in the open and raise all their hatchlings safely to maturity. To reduce waste and prevent ducks from choking, pellets are preferred, but course crumbles normally work out okay. Ducks do tend to be healthier than chickens and are not as susceptible to Marek’s disease or coccidiosis – two diseases that often plague chicken flocks. It is true that, when raised in confinement, a 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 pound duck will consume 20 to 30 percent more feed than a similarly sized Leghorn. There are a few duck diseases to watch for, but generally, ducks are also incredibly resistant to disease as well as and cold and wet weather. Dr. George Arscott, formerly head of the Oregon State University Poultry Science Department, also urges that cottonseed meal not be used in breeding or laying rations since this protein supplement contains a toxin that can reduce hatchability and produce strange coloration in eggs, especially if the eggs are stored several weeks before being eaten. Raising ducks is entertaining, exciting and fun. Almost all breeds of duck are raised for meat including Pekins, Muscovies, Rouens, and Aylesburys. This means their brooder will need to be cleaned often. Recommendation 2 – Try and give ducks access to pasture or a grassed area for them to graze and forage. Raising Ducks In The Backyard The meat is on the leaner side, as far as duck meat goes. However, during the last decade, a growing number of us North Americans have been discovering what many Asians and Europeans have known for a long time: under many circumstances, ducks have advantages over their cackling relatives as producers of eggs. How To Raise Ducks For Meat . If ducks (or chickens) are fed a ration containing fish products or the birds are allowed to feed in bodies of water or pastures where they can pick up pungent natural foods, the eggs can be tainted. As your ducklings become mature, adult ducks, you’ll move them off of chick starter feed and and start feeding your ducks grower chicken feed—you probably won’t be able to find duck feed. Required fields are marked *. The Amazon Book Review Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. A diet that is high in energy, low in fiber and supplemented with ample of protein is considered ideal and wholesome to ensure the upward and steady growth of Ducks. They will also appreciate cut-up, or mashed fruits and berries in season (keeping in mind that ducks have no teeth). Ducks usually need nutritious food regularly to be healthy, happy and contended. Follow on Instagram and sign up for their newsletter for more inspirations on living a sustainable life. When duck and chicken eggs are produced with similar feeding and management, the taste of the end product is virtually indistinguishable. Under most circumstances, ducks should be locked up at nighttime in a yard that is tightly fenced with woven wire or netting at least four feet high. While producing, ducks are very sensitive to sudden changes in their diets. While they are in the garden, they will also be providing fresh fertilizer, providing a win-win situation. -Ducks LOVE, LOVE, LOVE water, so the ramifications of this are two-fold; the water in the brooder must be elevated and in a container … Their land and their life’s work is aptly named ForestCreekMeadows. Imagine you have at least five ducks… With so many eggs, you better love eating them. When you bring your new day-old baby ducklings home, you will discover that you need a few things for their happy survival: Chances are that you are interested in raising ducks for either their meat or eggs, sometimes both. that could be lodged in their nostrils. They are just keeping clean, only to get muddy again; just like children. I would like to emphasize that if you decide to raise ducks for the production of eating eggs, by all means, make sure you acquire birds that have been selected specifically for high egg yields. Copyright © 2021 Rural Sprout on the Seasoned Pro Theme. To prevent unsanitary mud holes from developing around the watering area, it’s advantageous to place all watering receptacles on wire-covered platforms or locate them on the outside of the pen where the birds must reach through fencing in order to drink. High-producing ducks need a constant supply of reasonably clean drinking water. Fortunately, there are several breeding farms and hatcheries in the U.S. today that are working with and distributing fine laying ducks. It can be a sensitive matter, introducing your ducklings to water. A drake and a rooster may, or may not, get along. They also help to boost our immune systems and metabolism, as they aid in strengthening our bones. The flavor of eggs is controlled by the diet of the producing birds. Give them plenty of space to roam, knowing that they will eat their favorites first (worms and slugs), then move onto most anything green. Currently she is homesteading in northern Romania, amidst charming haystacks, with her husband and homeschooled daughter. Ducks and chickens can get along just fine, provided that space is sufficient – keeping in mind that any animal in confinement can get upset. Relatively few people in the Americas realize that, on the whole, ducks are more proficient layers than chickens. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Ducks do not need bathing water to remain healthy. For this reason it is important to keep a balanced ratio in check. On various occasions, we have refrigerated well-cleaned duck eggs for four months and longer with no detectable change in flavor. Kale, romaine, lettuce, they love it all, but spinach is not recommended as it can hinder calcium absorption. Dave Holderread is the author of several books including Storey’s Guide to Raising Ducks and The Book of Geese, a Complete Guide to Raising the Home Flock, available from the Backyard Poultry bookstore, see page 16. A better system, and the one we have used extensively, is to purchase an automatic timer switch (small, dependable models are available for about $10 from most hardware dealers) that can be set to expose the birds to 13 to 16 hours of light daily by turning the lights on before daybreak and off after night fall. Here is a guide on how to raise backyard ducks for eggs. This won’t hurt chickens. Especially when you opt for a Muscovy. I usually let my ducklings enjoy their first bath three days after hatching. Ducks can not be called ducks unless it loves its food. She is an avid organic gardener who can often be found eating nourishing “weeds” and making herbal infusions, just as she can be seen planting native trees to help others around the world to lower their carbon footprints. Ducks and Other Fowl. And refrain from getting involved with your human emotions into their sometimes harsh mating behavior. In our backyard, we use a couple of different sources—an automatic waterer, a sheep dip for daily baths and an oversized kiddie pool for the occasional swim treat. It is paramount that the length of light never decreases while birds are producing heavily, or else the rate of lay can be drastically curtailed or brought to a sudden halt. Ask for a duckling-specific feed at your local farm and garden store. Some great news is that your ducks will not need a fancy home. Tall and slender, they have often been referred to as “Penguin ducks” due to their nearly vertical carriage. In terms of male versus female ducks, good flock makeups include three females (and no males) or a male with four or five females. The duck egg really is incredible! Ducklings must always have a clean source of water and food available for them. Do not try this at home if you are raising your ducklings by hand. In areas where thieves such as weasels, raccoons and large owls are known to roam, it is much safer to lock ducks in a varmint-proof building or pen at nightfall. Because ducks roost on the ground at night, they are susceptible to predators. When raising baby ducks, you can choose Read More Raising Ducks: The Care, Feeding and Raising of Baby Ducks They don’t make nests, so collecting eggs can become an egg hunt: leaving you to seek out shades of white, blue and green around the yard. Most chicken laying rations prove satisfactory, although those that are medicated have been suspected of causing illness — even death — in ducks, especially when birds are raised in confinement and cannot dilute the potency of the medications through foraging. However, laying birds cannot be expected to continue laying consistently, particularly during cold weather, if their intake of concentrated feeds is inadequate. I go through everything from having a water container to keep the brooder cleaner to building a duck coop outside using hardware cloth and tarps. Backyard Ducks For Eggs . To avoid throwing your birds into a premature molt and drastically reducing egg production, it’s wise to never change feeds while ducks are laying. On the other hand, Campbell ducks of good strains often average 300 or more eggs per bird during the course of 12 months. It is an experience that no homesteader should live without, at least for a year, or more. Whether your intention is to keep them for meat, eggs or as helpers in the garden, know that ducks are a great addition to any backyard or urban farm. Apr 7, 2016 - Learn how to raise ducks in your backyard If you want an economical and steady supply of homegrown eggs.Tips on feeding, watering, shelter, breeds and more. Most duck raisers will tell you that the eggs from their own ducks taste a good deal better than store-bought eggs. 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