Posted: 4/15/2011 6:05:13 PM EDT
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rough and void of polish, but here it is.
Khaki Campbells - awesome. forage themselves, very friendly, follow me around, big enough to eat, lay eggs like chickens, NOT LOUD, and tan in color and can somewhat hide from predators. my number one homesteader's duck! Buy from Metzgers or Dave Holderred. ***one thing I must point out about Khaki Campbells - they tend not to go broody! What this means for us homesteader self sufficient types, is that we have to put the eggs under a broody buff orpington to get them to hatch! KCs generally won't procreate adn hatch their babies. This is a big deal for off grid folks with no incubators. Pekin ducks - so pretty and friendly, fairly decent at foraging, follow me but a little aloof, LOUD AS HELL your neighbors will hate you, and bright white so they are the first thing the fox sees.... Coyuga - Black with green/blue sheen gorgeous little black duck to look at, very friendly and follows me with the khaki campbells. very quiet. Needs shade in hot weather. runner ducks. So cute but very fragile in every way - fragile diet, fragile body, dietary needs, forage well but just not a good homestead duck for me. won't be getting any more. Muscovy ducks - picked on by every other bird. large male turkey murdered one with his penis. (and by resting his 27 pounds on top constantly) very skittish, wanted nothing to do with me. I really liked these birds and if I could only have one bird these would be it, but they don't interact well with other birds. I have geese chickens and turkeys too if you guys are wondering. |
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What feed do you supplement with? Protein content? Other supplements like oyster shell as for chickens?
How much water do they need compared with chickens? Do they need a special waterer or does the metal 5 gallon chicken one work? Have you eaten any of them or just have them for eggs? If so, taste, texture, etc of meat? Issues with any flying away? Do they roost or snuggle up on the ground at nigt? Do they need supplemental light in the winter? How susceptible to cold are they? I have had upwards of 50 chickens at a time, never ducks though. Thanks! Edit - We demand pictures for better screen rivetation. 
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Quoted:
I hate muscovy ducks... dumb and ugly... I believe you may have expressed this opinion before.... not dumb by any means, but that carunkle ontheir face is ugly like the snood of a turkey. Muscovies have their advantages but they can fly away if you don't trim the 10 primary flight feathers on one wing about 2 times a year.
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Quoted:
What feed do you supplement with? Protein content? Other supplements like oyster shell as for chickens? when they are young, you have to supplement with niacin or they will have crippled legs. then the other ducks laugh and call them names. How much water do they need compared with chickens? ducks need to dunk their heads in water to drink - small kiddie pool is ok, medium kiddie pool is better. they also get in water to mate. Do they need a special waterer or does the metal 5 gallon chicken one work? Have you eaten any of them or just have them for eggs? If so, taste, texture, etc of meat? tastes like duck. Kind of oily/moist depending on how you cook them. Great question for Chef if he is near.[/red ]Issues with any flying away? [red]Only mallards and muscovies. The rest don't fly. Can be airborne for 5-7 feet or so but that's it. Campbells don't fly.Do they roost or snuggle up on the ground at nigt? Do they need supplemental light in the winter? No How susceptible to cold are they? Are you kidding ? Waterfowlers bundle up to get in the duck blind and the ducks are happily splashing in water just above freezing!! they love cool weather, not fans fo hot weather. I have had upwards of 50 chickens at a time, never ducks though. Thanks! Edit - We demand pictures for better screen rivetation. |
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Quoted: Quoted: What feed do you supplement with? Protein content? Other supplements like oyster shell as for chickens? when they are young, you have to supplement with niacin or they will have crippled legs. then the other ducks laugh and call them names. How much water do they need compared with chickens? ducks need to dunk their heads in water to drink - small kiddie pool is ok, medium kiddie pool is better. they also get in water to mate. Do they need a special waterer or does the metal 5 gallon chicken one work? Have you eaten any of them or just have them for eggs? If so, taste, texture, etc of meat? tastes like duck. Kind of oily/moist depending on how you cook them. Great question for Chef if he is near.[/red ]Issues with any flying away? [red]Only mallards and muscovies. The rest don't fly. Can be airborne for 5-7 feet or so but that's it. Campbells don't fly.Do they roost or snuggle up on the ground at nigt? Do they need supplemental light in the winter? No How susceptible to cold are they? Are you kidding ? Waterfowlers bundle up to get in the duck blind and the ducks are happily splashing in water just above freezing!! they love cool weather, not fans fo hot weather. I have had upwards of 50 chickens at a time, never ducks though. Thanks! Edit - We demand pictures for better screen rivetation. We currently have 9 ducks, a mix of mallards and muscovy. FG pretty much nailed it. We just fed our ducklings chick starter and they all are healthy. Only one of ours has ever flown away, a muscovy male, that we did not raise. No of the ones we got as ducklings have ever flown away. We have three or four kiddie pools spread around the pasture. The ducks are fun to watch when you wash out and fill the pools with fresh water. They will jump in and dive down and swim around. They also flap mad emptying half the pool. Contrary to what others have said, our ducks are not skittish. They don't even move as you walk through the pasture, unless it's our 7 y.o. son, but all the animals move when he's around. We had one set of Muscovys, that we raised, that you could pickup. The ducks are a whole lot smarter than chickens, and are actually enjoyable to watch. Our ducks will occasionally give us eggs and they are similar to chicken eggs, but need to be cooked longer, and seem to be more oily/slimy. We moved part of our garden closer to the house and pasture and plan to let the ducks in to eat bugs. Chickens and guineas dig up the plants, whereas the ducks don't. ETA: our ducks don't generally bother any of our other fowl. Our guineas, however, seem to enjoy harassing our chickens. |
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Quoted: Indeed. As I mentioned, in my earlier post, I actually enjoy the ducks, they are fun to watch. Way more personal than the other birds, our goose would come in a close second - she has her days though, where she's just in a hissing mood.One more thing about ducks - they give me immense pleasure. So cute, friendly and want to follow me. Very unlike every other bird in my orchard. Little friends. tasty friends. |
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Thanks for the replies to my questions.
My in laws had a couple of ducks and at least one wound up with a leg problem. I'll ask if they supplemented niacin. We have considered ducks for eggs as my wife does a lot of baking. The primary drawback that I see is I don't have a water point convenient to where I would be keeping them and my excuse has been that I don't want to haul a couple of wheelbarrow loads of water a couple hundred feet each day out to the kiddie pool. It wouldn't be a problem spring summer or fall, but it is not something I want to deal with in February with two feet of snow on the ground here in MI Thus the question on how they taste. I used to duck hunt some and I've eaten lots of wild duck. I imagine the breast meat is more tender than blue wing teal or bufflehead. Duh on my part asking if ducks have a problem with cold  ... I was thinking of some of my chickens that have gotten frostbite on their comb during bitter cold spells.
I'd appreciate your insight on dealing with ducks during winter. How many weeks does it take to go from duckling at the farm store to laying eggs or ready to eat? |
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i have khaki campbels, 9 of them, mine are extremely skiddish and scared of me.  I have 3 and have the same problem. I've tried spending time with them but they just remain very frightened of me. I'm not looking for them to follow me around the yard but it would be nice if they didn't try to run like hell when they see me. |
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Quoted:
Thanks for the replies to my questions. My in laws had a couple of ducks and at least one wound up with a leg problem. I'll ask if they supplemented niacin. We have considered ducks for eggs as my wife does a lot of baking. The primary drawback that I see is I don't have a water point convenient to where I would be keeping them and my excuse has been that I don't want to haul a couple of wheelbarrow loads of water a couple hundred feet each day out to the kiddie pool. It wouldn't be a problem spring summer or fall, but it is not something I want to deal with in February with two feet of snow on the ground here in MI I ended up renting a trencher, running a waterline couple hundred feet, then putting a frost free hydrant. this is not only for ducks, but geese and watering the garden. For me the whole system was intended to work together - let's see in practice if I am right. Thus the question on how they taste. I used to duck hunt some and I've eaten lots of wild duck. I imagine the breast meat is more tender than blue wing teal or bufflehead. Duh on my part asking if ducks have a problem with cold ... I was thinking of some of my chickens that have gotten frostbite on their comb during bitter cold spells.
I'd appreciate your insight on dealing with ducks during winter. How many weeks does it take to go from duckling at the farm store to laying eggs or ready to eat? Now that I don't recall off hand as I was keeping them nto for eating right away. i will but I want to learn to raise them first. |
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I like shooting ducks with a 12 gauge  less damage if you put them upside down in a traffic cone, then slit their throat on both sides and let the blood drain slowly as they go to sleep. No flapping as the cone holds them still. When held upside down they calm down. |
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Thanks for the info Ford Guy. My wife has been looking hard at getting chickens but after reading your post I'm thinking ducks might be a better option. I have a few questions for you.
- In my backyard I have a creek that opens into a wetland/swamp. If I got ducks what is the likelihood they will swim off to find a new home? Maybe the better question is do you have to keep them penned? My yard is pretty big if they free range. - What kind of structure/roost would I need? - How much care and upkeep is required with ducks? - Any recommended web pages out there on "How To"? |
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Quoted:
Thanks for the info Ford Guy. My wife has been looking hard at getting chickens but after reading your post I'm thinking ducks might be a better option. I have a few questions for you. - In my backyard I have a creek that opens into a wetland/swamp. If I got ducks what is the likelihood they will swim off to find a new home? Maybe the better question is do you have to keep them penned? My yard is pretty big if they free range. - What kind of structure/roost would I need? - How much care and upkeep is required with ducks? - Any recommended web pages out there on "How To"? if you have never had birds, can I recommend just going with the chickens this year? maybe add ducks next year? Your wife will want eggs, no doubt and my RIRs beat all for eggs. ducks will likely swim off to be eaten by foxes and coons. Any poultry you have must be confined, and protected. Chicken wire is useless for fowl. it keeps them in, but doesn't keep possums adn dogs out. my ducks roots ont he ground, but a smal doghouse will be fine. |