# Help Ducks...lol



## lauraanimal1 (Sep 5, 2013)

:help: Hello all, Im in need of some guidance here. We have had about 30 chickens however my Lovely Hubby decided we needed more, I really didn't mind it, but with the 10 new chickens we got 10 New ducks:wallbang:, all are grown. We have some blue/black Swedish ducks and some Cayuga's....

I have raised chickens before but never ducks, what do I do? They was housed with the chickens and some turkeys as well as genies, so I have them in with the Chickens. What do I feed them? What do they need period is what I need to know. I know I can eat there eggs? and eat the ducks too like a chicken but what else are they good for?:shrug:
Thanks all


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## AmyBoogie (May 20, 2013)

They can eat the same mash you feed a chicken but they need lots of water. You can house them together but make sure the chickens have some place to escape the wet mess of the ducks.

A duck you can put in the garden to eat pests. They won't demolish the garden like a chicken will. They will eventually root in the soil for bugs destroying the plants but they want to eat snails, worms, and beetlea.


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

yep, same thing you feed the grown chickens. They will make a horrid mess with water. We have a kids wading pool in the chicken yard that we even float a tank heater in during the winter for them. I use the duck eggs just like any other egg....eat them, bake with them, etc. They are a little richer tasting so when you cook them, be prepared for that....and the shell is harder to crack and break open. I don't know about anyone else, but I have always had a horrible time with them laying their eggs anywhere and everywhere. They just drop them wherever they happen to be....in the middle of the driveway, the corral, the goat pen, just wherever (unless they are broody and then they will build a nest) Duck meat is a dark meat and tends to be really, really greasy. Make sure when you cook it that you have a way to drain off the fat or you may not like it. There are a lot of recipes out there. The pin feathers are harder to remove too....someone says butcher them at 9 weeks and you can avoid the pinfeathers....


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

I have one of my chicken pens w/ a pair of guineas and my pekin ducks. I have roosting spots for the birds and the nest boxes, I throw straw down and the ducks settle there for the night, 2 of them waddle under the spot where my two layer boxes are. I feed them all a layer pellet, have chicken waterer and a little blue kiddy pool for the ducks (yep even in winter I just leave the hose trickling so it doesn't freeze). I've also started fodder and the ducks love it!! Chickens are getting use to it.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

One of those kiddey pools will work for them. I have my ducks loose and they are awesome about eating flies. They usually just hang out with the goats and they also eat the grain and such h that the goats spill out of the feeders.......but they poop A LOT!!!


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Ducks do need more Niacin than chickens...and higher protien, turkeys do too...but can survive on chicken feed....if they graze they should be able to get what they need from bugs, weeds and roots..


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## lauraanimal1 (Sep 5, 2013)

Thanks for the info, we already had one of the kiddy pools in the chicken area that was there when we got it. But so far they wont go in the coop. We often get free the bagged salads you can by at the store that they no longer want, (NOT MOLDED or anything I make sure its all good) and feed to the chickens and the goats for a snake here and there. The day we got the goats we happened to get a whole box full of them so we put it all out like we normally do, it was gone within a few minutes with the ducks , compaired to the hours it normally does with Just chickens. My main concern right now is we live in Wyoming and last night we had a few inches of snow, the day before was beautiful, I live in a trailer so I cant afford my pipes to freeze up and I don't think leaving the water hose on would keep from freezing in some of the -negative temps we get. SO Im worried I wouldn't be able to get them enough water threw out the winter.


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

My ducks refuse to go inside a building...even in the middle of a blizzard. The kiddy pool is for them to play in. Just make sure you give them some water a couple times a day and they will be fine


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## Stacykins (Mar 27, 2012)

lauraanimal1 said:


> Thanks for the info, we already had one of the kiddy pools in the chicken area that was there when we got it. But so far they wont go in the coop. We often get free the bagged salads you can by at the store that they no longer want, (NOT MOLDED or anything I make sure its all good) and feed to the chickens and the goats for a snake here and there. The day we got the goats we happened to get a whole box full of them so we put it all out like we normally do, it was gone within a few minutes with the ducks , compaired to the hours it normally does with Just chickens. My main concern right now is we live in Wyoming and last night we had a few inches of snow, the day before was beautiful, I live in a trailer so I cant afford my pipes to freeze up and I don't think leaving the water hose on would keep from freezing in some of the -negative temps we get. SO Im worried I wouldn't be able to get them enough water threw out the winter.


I'd suggest getting a heated hose. You plug it in 20 or so minutes before you actually want to use it, so it can thaw out.

OR you can drain the hose every night. Unhook it, then walk along the hose, raising it up high as you go. When you reach the end, repeat so as to get all the water out.


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## lauraanimal1 (Sep 5, 2013)

Where can I find a heated hose? That would be so nice in many ways!!!! For now I am trying the let it continue trickling when not in use. I cleaned out ALL the waterer's yesterday including the pool, by the time I started filling the pool up ALL the other water buckets needed fresh water again cause it was all icky...couldn't even see threw it! Where they get all this dirt on them for as much as they bathe!!! Ended up dumping and refilling everything 5 times before I gave up! Glad there not going into the shed, at least I can make sure the chickens and the goats have fresh clean water.:eyeroll::kidblack::hammer:


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

Just dont eat em... I just had my first taste of duck (went out fowl hunting for the first time this morning) and YUCK! Tasted like liver and something else even worse.


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## GoatieGranny (Jul 26, 2013)

Duck eggs are alkaline which is very, very good for your body. They like to lay eggs in deep, private places. If you provide them a good place like that, you will be able to find their eggs and use them. If you don't they will lay where ever they find a place that feels safe. Just this week we had a broody duck hatch a chicken. LOL. So cute. The duck quacks and the chick runs to her. This should be interesting.


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## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

Congrats on getting ducks! They are cute and so much fun! I like them better than chickens in some ways.


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