Lazy Gardener's Little Town Farm

[Mini Horses]

Seems you have it under control. LOL That is, IF there is "control" at this stage of our lives.

I'm pondering the egg hatching. Waiting for broodies to get going, then I'll decide on eggs. Last few started pullets I've bought are great and has been an economical buy. New blood, always good. Now I am working at culling.....and even IF I want to have more. Weather & work make you rethink.

What kind of duck do you actually want?

I haven't had ducks in over 20 years. Pond back then, none now. Not doing ducks.

 

[baymule]

I have 14 Easter Egger pullets to start the year with, but I am ready for a new breed. I just don't know which breed. If I could make my own chicken, it would have the color of a Jubilee Orpington, the meat of a CCX and the egg laying ability of a red sex link. I want a trio of Jubilee Opringtons, but as I understand it, Orps aren't the best layers. Chickens eat every day, I want an egg every day! LOL

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Seems you have it under control. LOL That is, IF there is "control" at this stage of our lives.

I'm pondering the egg hatching. Waiting for broodies to get going, then I'll decide on eggs. Last few started pullets I've bought are great and has been an economical buy. New blood, always good. Now I am working at culling.....and even IF I want to have more. Weather & work make you rethink.

What kind of duck do you actually want?

I haven't had ducks in over 20 years. Pond back then, none now. Not doing ducks.

It doesn't matter how old we are... It's a fallacy to think that we are actually in control of our lives! Yes, we can make wise choices, informed choices, choices that match our personalities, wants, desires, but ultimately, each of us is a single breath away from a dramatic, profound and permanent change in the direction of our lives. I yield control to God, knowing that He knows the number of my days, what my future holds, and is always GOOD.

Yep, new blood in any animal flock is always a good thing. Every few years, I've brought in birds that bear the genetic traits I want to breed forward in my flock: colored eggs, small comb, and especially NO FEATHERS on feet or shanks, and, at least first generation sex linked.

I would love Magpie, or Indian Runner, last choice: Khaki Campbell. I know I can get Welch Harlequin eggs.

I don't have a pond, plan to set up gutter/rain barrel system from eaves of new coop, with overflow into concrete mixing tub for ducks. We'll see how the duck thing goes. Hoping it goes well. Unless I try... I'll never know if they are more bother than benefit. Winter keeping will be the deciding factor. Always up for a new experiment! I'm rolling the idea around in my head to make a passive solar water heater for the winter sun room of the new coop.

I have 14 Easter Egger pullets to start the year with, but I am ready for a new breed. I just don't know which breed. If I could make my own chicken, it would have the color of a Jubilee Orpington, the meat of a CCX and the egg laying ability of a red sex link. I want a trio of Jubilee Opringtons, but as I understand it, Orps aren't the best layers. Chickens eat every day, I want an egg every day! LOL

Have you tried Dixie Rainbows? They are a nice meaty "free range" bird that grows out in about 12 weeks. They don't have the genetic issues of the CCX, start laying early, and are prolific layers. The down side of them from ME: feather quality is not the best, b/c IMO, they put more effort into egg production. I would not keep a DR roo in a mixed flock of chickens b/c they are HUGE. A good trait: from ME, with the strain I had, they can be gender ID at hatch. Pullets were varied shades of red, with willow colored legs, cockrels were tan/white cuckooish pattern with yellow legs. I've never been impressed with Orps. I think their egg size is lacking, and don't care for their broody nature. But, IMO, Black Australorpes are a nice bird.

@Beekissed would tell you that a good strain of White Rock is closest to what you are looking for.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

I'm gearing up for an other hatching season. Hoping to hatch some ducklings, but... may not be able to find eggs of breeds that I want to hatch. So... here are my ?'s of the day:

1. How many readers have ducks now, or have had them in the past?

2. What breeds?

3. What did you have for housing? Standard coop or other? Pond available? Or did you go the kiddie pool or other smaller splash party option?

4. Did you keep ducks separate from chickens, or house them together in coop or run?

5. Comparing ducks to chickens, what are your opinions regarding: ease of keeping, egg production, noise level?

6. Most importantly: Have you had hatchery ducklings shipped, and if so: What hatchery did you use? What was the viability/quality of the ducklings when you received them, and how would you rate the genetics of the breed you got?

 

[baymule]

As I understand it, if a drake mounts and breeds a hen, he can drag out her reproductive organs with his penis. Rooster and hens "kiss vents" with no damage. Look up pictures of duck penis and you will see what I mean. Many people keep ducks and chickens together with no problems. For the short time I had ducks, I kept them separate.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Yes, I've had ducks before, and seen a drake (neighbor's bird) traipsing across my yard with his junk dangling in the grass. No... I'll NEVER, EVER have a drake in a mixed poultry flock! What I am hoping to do is: renew my flock by hatching ducks and chicks, then, culling to end with a flock of 3 (female) ducks, and 6 - 8 pullets. If there are aggression issues between species (no drakes!) I will be set up to segregate.

Bay, did you find it easier to keep chickens? And, tell me please... what was your opinion of duck performance compared to chicken performance: Wear and tear on the yard/garden, laying ability, personality, and any other details you would care to share. I've not had ducks for decades, and have NEVER kept them through the winter.

 

[baymule]

I grew to intensely dislike them. Messy. Muddy. In your winters that would be a problem and they must be able to dunk their heads in water. They don't go back to the coop at night like chickens and I had to round them up. They don't sleep at night like chickens and they NEVER SHUT UP. An acorn fell-QUACK QUACK QUACK! Anything and everything set them off, they were annoying. It may not make me popular with duck lovers, but give me chickens any day over ducks. I don't how cute or funny they are, I would never have them again unless I had a pond for them to live at and I would go toss them feed in their own habitat.

 

[Beekissed]

Could be the breed(s) you had, Bay. Every time we've had ducks it's been a positive experience. Quiet, industrious, no issues with the chickens or each other.

My current ducks~Indian Runners~ return to the coop each night and sleep in the bedding beneath and to one side of the roosts. They are habitual, so once you train them to a certain area, it's easy to get them to return there at a certain time each day. The male is quite mild, not overbreeding the females and quite attentive to them and they flock separately to the chickens, though they join them at feeding time.

They do like to rinse their beaks in every bucket, pan and drinker they encounter, so they can mess up a lot of drinking water for the rest of the animals. I'd love to have them their own pond or water feature that could be for duck use only, as I feel they are most healthy when kept where they can bathe frequently...they like to breed in the water, eat in the water and even sleep in the water, so it would be nice to have the right kind of water they could enjoy.

They were wonderful in the garden this past season, cleaning up the millions of squash bugs I've had for the past few years now and so they will be living in and out of the garden this year as well, on an as needed basis. They forage MUCH better than my chickens, don't get into things they aren't supposed to like the chickens do~never found them on the porches, tearing up the flower beds, flying into the garden when they are not wanted there, nor stealing the cat's food yet, and they are quiet. They also seem very intelligent, wary of aerial predators and are graceful and amusing to watch.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Thank you both for your perspectives. There must be more current or past duck owners out there. Let's hear it from you. Please?

 

[baymule]

I had Pekins and runners, the runners were better than the Pekins. The pekins went to freezer camp and I found a home for the runners.