# Anyone have ducks?



## kids-n-peeps (Aug 24, 2009)

Any of you have ducks?

If so...what breeds do you like?
what do you like/dislike about having ducks?


----------



## ProctorHillFarm (May 15, 2008)

We do!
We have a pond on the property- so naturally one day when they were selling ducklings at the feed store- we had to bring some home! 
We have had several breeds- Indian Runners, Blue Swedish, Khaki Cambells, and even Mallards
They warned us the mallards would probably fly away- and sure enough.......so wouldnt waste any money on them again....
I really like the blue swedish- they range in color from gray silver to black and blue, pretty neat.
Indian Runners are also super funny to watch!

Ours free range- during the warm weather they spend most of their time up at the pond- we dont even feed them
During the winter once the pond freezes and they become prime coyote bait- they have all gotten smarter and come down to the horse paddocks and scrounge on manure and horse grain/hay I always toss them a little bit of whatever horse grain I am feeding and thats it- they do just fine looking for their own goodies

They are really annoying in the winter though- always under the horses feet- and if you feed the horses down on the ground in a bucket- they are all sticking their heads in it eating- even if they have their own somewhere else
some of the horses shoo them away- but others stand back and let them take their food.
So now I make sure that all my horses buckets are tied up high

They are pretty funny- We wont buy anymore- just letting nature take its course. We had 4 ducklings born this year, and we were up to 10 ducks for awhile, but now we are down to 8 (some of them just arent very "street smart" and get snatched by the coyotes!)
But it usually just takes one getting snatched up and they all wise up and come down to the barn.


----------



## kelebek (Oct 5, 2007)

I just got two muscovey girls and love them - they are a hoot.

After talking with the guy at the feed store - he said that the muscovey are the only one not originated from the mallard that are common to get as hatchlings. They are from South America so they need to have good bedding and a little more caution taken on getting to cold.... but they are supposed to be good layers and great meat birds also.


----------



## SDK (Jun 26, 2008)

i've had ducks, pekings and i just rescued a pair of what we think are mallard hens. I don't like ducks all that much, they stink and are very noisy and messy, and get piked off really easy and fast by coyotes and hawks.

My pilgrim geese are really quiet unless we have an intruder in goatland, and for the most part are pretty clean, their pond is the only nasty part, and i don't have to worry about predators all that much, the hawks dont bug them and dogsare scared of them, so i just have to worry about big cats, but weve never had any (knock on wood)


----------



## bheila (Jan 10, 2009)

We've had khaki campbells, blue swedish, cayuga's and muscovies. I loved the khaki's because we got eggs everyday. The blue swedish and cayugas are pretty to look at. Our muscovies are by far my favorite. Great mothers (protective) and yummy meat!


----------



## nutmegfarm (Dec 23, 2009)

I have indian runners. They are the most entertaining little things you'll ever see!! Always running around as fast as they can, they look like bowling pins! The problem with the breed personally is that they are hard to tame, they are very fast and once you get a hold of them, they're awkward to hold because of their shape, but I love them!! They are by far my personal favorite!!

http://nutmegfarm.webs.com/


----------



## logansmommy7 (Nov 11, 2009)

deleted whoops


----------



## logansmommy7 (Nov 11, 2009)

Yeah you need some ducks...they do well with 40 inches of snow!!!!!!!!!!!! :slapfloor:


----------



## kids-n-peeps (Aug 24, 2009)

logansmommy7 - I don't know what you are talking about. Snow? What's that? It's a duck paradise over here.


----------



## logansmommy7 (Nov 11, 2009)

kids-n-peeps said:


> logansmommy7 - I don't know what you are talking about. Snow? What's that? It's a duck paradise over here.


Oh yeah-I forgot. I think we might bring our brood over there then. Can the kids and I stay too?


----------



## AlaskaBoers (May 7, 2008)

we used to have a few mallards. theyre pretty neat, though their poo is extremely messy!! I personally prefer turkeys.


----------



## kids-n-peeps (Aug 24, 2009)

Sure, logansmommy, pitch a tent at the pond, pretend you are ducks, and then tell me if you think they would like it here. Sounds like a plan


----------



## logansmommy7 (Nov 11, 2009)

Think we might stay here.... :ROFL:


----------



## 4kids (Jul 21, 2009)

We used to have muscovoy's. They are good pets but they can fly and do and well... they stink! If you have a large property it is okay though!


----------



## kids-n-peeps (Aug 24, 2009)

Thanks for the honesty everybody. It has helped me to decide that, although I'm sure ducks can be wonderful to keep, I'm not sure they are the best fit for me.


----------



## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

we never had great success with ducks -- owls always killed them

so unless we build an enclosure for them like the chickens we wont ever get ducks again. 

I think they are cool birds but I hate the mess -- if we had a pond though I think I would consider it --- they make less mess on the ground because they are in the pond all the time :thumb: 

I wouldn't get more then 4 at a time though -- they stink worse then chickens.


----------



## SterlingAcres (Oct 19, 2009)

We had Cayugas and Blue Swedish ducks. I  ducks, seriously. They are soooo fun to watch, so cute to hatch and their eggs make baked goods 10x better. Alas, I have a duck egg allergy apparently... so my stock was sold off a few weeks ago  

I also enjoy quail, chukar, pheasants, turkeys and guineas... and we've owned them all at one time. I'm thinking about Royal Palm turkeys this year, though I'm concerned that they can fly. Might just end up with some BBB's instead. :sigh: lol


----------



## SDK (Jun 26, 2008)

if you liked ducks eggs.. try goose eggs  talk about awesome


----------



## SterlingAcres (Oct 19, 2009)

I'd love to have geese, but dh has condemned them because he's told they bite. lol


----------



## kids-n-peeps (Aug 24, 2009)

LOL, last night as hubby and I were ruling out ducks, he said he'd prefer to have geese, but since our pond is at the bottom of the property and close to 2 neighbors, he was afraid the neighbors would not care for the idea . . .


----------



## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

Geese are cool -- we had 2 at one point and they were quite the watch geese - always let us know when someone arrived.

One even begged to be petted. She wouldnt let you leave her she would nussel your arm and then lay in your lap. it was to funny. Never heard of that happening before with a goose.


----------



## nutmegfarm (Dec 23, 2009)

I had geese too, they were actually very sweet and tame. You could hold them and pick them up. One afternoon I went out to feed them and they were stolen...talk about mean :veryangry:


----------



## SDK (Jun 26, 2008)

okay some geese fallicies here.

I have currenly 6 geese, i have never been bitten by ONE of them, its all about being in contact with them, a biting goose is pretty rare, i'm not saying it doesnt happen, but the ones who bite bite people who they know are afraid.. just like other animals would do.

and the only actual time my geese are noisy are when they're hungry, or an unfamiliar person/animal is around. i have 3 new ones so everyone/thing sets them off, but they get quiet after a bit. my two duckie residents right now are NOISY

my geese are super weeders/guard geese. the dogs at the property dont come near goatland anymore :greengrin:


----------



## logansmommy7 (Nov 11, 2009)

Oooo..I like the idea of no dogs in goatie/chicken land...maybe we need some geese. Do they have to have a pond?


----------



## SDK (Jun 26, 2008)

no, i have a30 gallon rubber tub that they can go it, since idont own the land i cant put a pond in , but it works well enough for them, planning on getting them a little plastic pool in spring/summer


----------



## SDK (Jun 26, 2008)

i think this picture tells you about my geese's personality.

this is Pain, she's a pilgrim goose, hatched last may. my favorite

and you can cath a glimpse of their tub


----------



## DebMc (Dec 11, 2009)

<lol> I think I've kept about every breed of domestic duck there is. I also raise some exotic breeds of waterfowl and will attach some pics of my normal Mandarin ducks and a pair of Greater Magellan geese, along with a photo that shows some of my miniature ducks.

Geese are my all time favorite animal...magnificent creatures and so, so intelligent, that is providing they are raised by their own kind. I treat mine with respect and they return the favor so I don't have aggression issues w/any of my geese. That means I only handle them when absolutely necessary and I never, ever hand feed them.

We have to keep all of our birds weighing less than 12 lbs in fully enclosed habitats or aviaries in order to keep them from being preyed upon by raptors. And all our birds, regardless of size, are locked up at night. Every group has it's own night bunker, even the goaties. :laugh:

( *)> Wack, wack! >(* )

Deb Mc


----------



## logansmommy7 (Nov 11, 2009)

Well I was considering a LGD but I think an LGG might be better...heehee-


----------



## SDK (Jun 26, 2008)

LGG's are alot cheaper to maintain..

I like those magellan geese, I reallly like teh egyptian geese too, but the pilgrims are my favorites, i need to find a pure gander


----------



## kids-n-peeps (Aug 24, 2009)

I don't think I've heard of geese biting people, either, but I have heard of them playing watchdog, alarm-calling, etc. That's why hubby thought the neighbors might not be too happy


----------



## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

SDK said:


> i think this picture tells you about my geese's personality.
> 
> this is Pain, she's a pilgrim goose, hatched last may. my favorite
> 
> and you can cath a glimpse of their tub


YES I think thats the kind we had! Samantha was her name and she had that same face coloring etc


----------



## SDK (Jun 26, 2008)

kids-n-peeps said:


> I don't think I've heard of geese biting people, either, but I have heard of them playing watchdog, alarm-calling, etc. That's why hubby thought the neighbors might not be too happy


i would think the neighbors would like the warning system.. maybe you should ask them. males are alot noiseier than the females too

stacey, pilgrims look alot like toulouse geese as well, except the female pilgrims get white on their heads, and toulouse get dewlaps..

but i love them


----------



## SterlingAcres (Oct 19, 2009)

DH listens to my Dad and Grandfather too much  Pop has a 1500 acre spread about an hour away that has about a 4-500 acre lake on it. It's filled to the brim with Canadian Geese every year, so they're thinking about how nasty they get when you try to catch their babies... don't ask. lol


----------



## kids-n-peeps (Aug 24, 2009)

Shell - good for your Pop keeping his land! I imagine developers in that area would be all over that amount of land with a lake.


----------



## SweetSaanens (Mar 6, 2011)

We have Mallards, Back Sweedish, Rouens, acnd call ducks.

Likes:

Ours live in the greenhouse doing a great job at keeping slugs away
They are fun to watch
The kids love to feed them treats
Newly hatched ducklings are SOOOOO cute!
Poop fertilizer EVERYWHERE
Overall great for gardens
mine are great layers

Dislikes:

life is cruel in the world of mating ducks, watch as a poor duck tries to run away as a drake tackles her down and has his way....or worse when the drake holds her head under water while having his way with her (sometimes drowning her!!!)

I once had a bunch of Sultan chicken eggs in a incubator and one day my daughter came running in with a duck egg asking if we could see what happens if we put it in the incubator, so in the incubator it went and it was the ONLY egg that hatched. We had no other young chicks or ducklings to put it with so the result.........................see pic below.

He eventually moved himself outside with the other ducks but is still a VERY friendly duck.


----------



## kitten6500 (Dec 31, 2010)

I have/breed/raise Ancona ducks. They are a wonderful breed! Friendly, not loud, good egg producers, and I hope good meat as well (I'll know soon...). They are spotted like Holstein cows and each duckling is uniquely patterned. I would recommend them to anyone interested in a nice all around backyard breed.


----------

