[JACDORE]

Thinking wen our last hen goes (Hope its ages away) of getting ducks.  Seen the clip on here and looks like our garden will be suffice.  How easy are they to keep, what else do they feed on, wat illness are they prone to etc and do they live happily with dogs and cats? Any help would be appreciated, thanks guys 

[joyfull]

they pooh an awful lot but just love slugs 

[JACDORE]

thanks joyfull , pmsl, u obviously keep ducks, wat do u feed em on, are they prone to illnesses and how friendly are they? more info is appreciated please

[Indiana]

I have Muscovies, they live quite happily with the chickens, horses and cats, they make very little noise, the drakes hiss and the girls have a little chirp.

and yes, they do pooh liberally!

they don't need a pond, but like water to bathe and clean themselves in, enough to submerge head and nostrils. I use a plastic cement trough, about 1 metre x 70cm by nearly a foot deep and they will go in every day and throw water everywhere!

I feed them on duck poultry mash

[RichardA]

less illnesses I think than chucks but they do poo. Eggs bigger and in my opinion richer, feed on layer pellets or corn just like chucks. Also eat weeds and kitchen scrap greens etc. Where are you roughly ?? If near North Lincolnshire you are welcome to come and see our set up for 6 ducks.
R

[JACDORE]

thanks guys, your making me so want some.  Silly niave question, but can they get in a hen house and live in the house with a chook?  The house used to house 4 chooks.  Do they lay eggs everyday?  Whats the best age to get some, that ducks age not mine, lol

[Tattyanne456]

Just a word of warning, they are sooo messy! Smelly too, I frequently have to go hose down the pen, and they just love mud! Wouldnt be without them tho!

[orchardlady]

If you are going to have ducks in a hen house that is fine while there is only one or maybe two hens. Just bear in mind that being pooped on from a great height is not something any of us would enjoy so make sure there is an are of the hen houses floor that will be poop bomb free. Of course you will need to make the hen house accessible for the ducks with a ramp or some such.
I now have 3 Kaki Campbell ducks but up until very recently 4 (one died, not of illness but of being egg bound with the hugest egg stuck inside her poor girl). I do keep them in a separate house as I have roughly 40 hens. The drake I've noticed is very protective of his two girls and if a chicken comes a little too close he will chase them away. I think that the saying of 'Birds of a feather flock together' is just about spot on. The ducks keep their own company. I use a children's sand pit/ paddling pool for water and they have a wonderful splash around many times a day. I replace the water for fresh every day as the ducks love to dabble in soft ground and then 'sift' the mud through their beaks in the water. The eggs are indeed richer and since I've kept ducks only over the past year I must say that I now prefer them to the hens eggs. They are wonderful characters and really very comical to watch errr... that's the ducks not the eggs!
Bear in mind water disposal and supply especially during the cold (and potentially very muddy) winter months.

Orchardlady

Goo luck, you will love having ducks.

[Sassy]

I love my ducks and my hens and yes they are not as prone to illness as chooks and I did read they don't get red mite. If you have a drake and keep them with a chook the chook may be considered fair game!! :blink:

They are very messy and make more mud than chooks. I have a friend who is allergic to hens eggs even though she loves them but she has no problem with duck eggs.