Ducks a Beginners Guide
Feature by Rachel Sibbert
Keeping Ducks in your garden is becoming a growing trend, I can certainly see why having kept them now for a few years why people like myself have fallen in love with them. Ducks have huge personalities and are extremely entertaining to watch and they make wonderful pets.
The majority of people who start to keep ducks have kept chickens first. I have always loved them but thought I’d never be able to have any as I didn’t have a pond or lake for them. WRONG.. Ducks do obviously need water but not as much as you may think.
Domestic ducks only spend around 10% of their time on water so are fine with a plastic water container for them to regularly dip, clean their heads in, to keep their eyes clean and for preening as this keeps their feathers waterproofed; or a small plastic paddling pool that can be tipped out easily and refilled (do take into account they need to be able to get in and out of it easily). These are actually a lot better than a fixed small pond that will get full of Feathers, Muck and Mud.
If you are lucky enough to have a pond or lake, you will need to consider some security for them. Electric Fencing around the area or a floating house if the area is big enough for them. Ducks need to be housed at night, just like any other poultry, to protect them against prey may it be foxes, stoats, mink even rats.
If you already keep chickens a common question is "can you keep ducks with chickens?"
The answer is yes, however, there are things to be aware of.
Chickens beaks are sharp and can do severe damage, so you will need to make sure that you have enough feeders for them both without inferring with each other. Also, ducks will soon empty out a water container and make it muddy, so plenty of clean watering areas is essential. Hanging them up for the chickens works well as the ducks can’t access them.
Drakes can be very rough and if they don’t have enough ladies will try in on with your chickens and can cause damage. The ratio is 1 Drake per 6 females.
Adult ducks eat Layers Pellets just like adult chickens, mash isn’t really suitable as it gets clogged in their bills because it’s mixed with water.
They also eat wheat which is best served in a bucket under water.
This softens it and helps aid their digestion.
For treats they love peas, leafy greens and sweet corn. Bread is one of the worst things you can give a duck (I admit I didn’t know this until I started keeping them).
Ducks that do have access to dirt will pick up their own small stones, so don’t need any additional grit.
Ducks must be locked up at night, just like your chickens, in a predator safe house with ventilation exactly like chickens.
I do keep mine separate from my chickens for sleeping purposes only because they are messier and don’t need perches. They also don’t need a big ramp to go up like a lot of chicken houses have.
They LOVE rain and will quite happily sleep outside in it during the day.
I recommend the best bedding for ducks is a dust extracted horse bedding, it makes cleaning them out so much easier as they are messier than chickens.
Ducks won’t put themselves to bed like chickens but they are extremely easy to herd into their house using your hands and are quick learners.
Some good duck breeds for beginners
Runners, Campbell and Aylesbury Ducks are all good breeds to consider for the beginner, as they are fairly straight forward to care for and won’t fly off.
Call ducks are another possibility but they can be noisy and would need their wings clipped to keep them contained.
Duck Eggs
Duck eggs are delicious they are fantastic for baking too.
A Runner duck can produce 150-200 eggs over a season they tend to lay their eggs wherever they are so you may have to do some egg hunting.
Campbell lay between 75-150 eggs per season.
Aylesbury lay between 50-100 eggs per season.
Calls have a relatively low egg production between 25-75 eggs in the summer months only.
I do hope that you have found this introduction to keeping ducks of some interest.
