Ducks

RubyRoo · #1 (**permalink**) 17-10-2007, 03:13 PM

Anyone have ducks? We're thinking about getting a couple.... DH had thought they'd be great in the vegie and herb patches to eat the snails, but I think they'd just trash the vegies and herbs. We're wanting to plant an orchard soon, so I think they'd be great foraging around in there.

We had chooks up until recently, and are also thinking of getting more of these. Do ducks and chooks co-habitate well? Can they share the same shelter at night? Do ducks need to have a wing trimmed to stop them flying away? Is it best to get a male and female, or same-sex? (suppose it depends on if we want ducklings!)....

Hoping someone might have some answers to these questions?

TIA!

Rinelle · #2 (**permalink**) 17-10-2007, 04:12 PM

We're planning to get ducks as soon as we get settled in our new place. I had them as a kid, but not more recently, so my answers are based on that, and what I've read since, not personal experience yet.

Unlike chooks, ducks don't scratch as much, so are definately gentler on vegies. Don't know if that means they'll be fine, or just not as destructive as the chooks, you might have to find that out by trial and error.

I'm pretty sure they'll be fine in with chooks, we're planning on having ours all in together. They are messy though, and will foul their water quite quickly, so it will need to be changed regularly. I think they would need a wing trimmed, yes.

Not sure if any of that is any help or not, but that's about all I know yet.

DePome · #3 (**permalink**) 17-10-2007, 04:47 PM

I have certainly read that they are just as ruthless in the vege patch as chooks even if they don't s scratch around as much (their feet don't make it quite as easy)!

Jakaluma · #4 (**permalink**) 17-10-2007, 05:50 PM

Oooh go the ducks. We had khaki campbell and they lay prolifically (more than most chooks, over 300 a year). They are a mix of Indian Runner, Mallard and white domestic. They make the most beautiful quack sounds and if you get them young they'll bond to you well.

They need water, and while it can just be a bucket to dunk their head in, after you've seen them with a decent bath, you'll want to give them more. We would fill up a clam or a baby bath, and it wasn't really enough so I was digging out a pond for them (but they got eaten by foxes :( well killed and not even eaten which is worse). We once took one of them (when it was just him) to our neighbour's pool and that was wonderful to watch (don't know that I'd do it regularly with the chemicals, although there were wild duck on the pool every morning think same couple.)

They were fine with all our plants apart from some ferns they decimated. That said, I'm particularly bad at growing veggies, so not sure if they would have eaten them if they'd looked more enticing.

They are also just wonderful companions when you're gardening - specially weeding - they come and work alongside you eating whatever they can and quacking gentley.

possum · #5 (**permalink**) 17-10-2007, 05:53 PM

I would choose chooks over ducks for the vege garden, chooks dont tend to eat the plants as they are more interested in the bugs Ducks will strip the leaves off plants they would be great in a orchard. They really are smelly mucky creatures they poo is somewhat liquid and stinks to high heaven (sorry if TMI) As for male or female, like chooks you will get eggs even if you dont have a drake they just wont be fertile drakes can be really cranky so i would stick to females,unless you want chicks. At work we have some miniture ducks which are nice about the size of a chook so much better for kids. And yes you do have to clip there flight feathers

DePome · #6 (**permalink**) 17-10-2007, 08:51 PM

Our chooks destroyed our vege garden over and over. They left the silverbeet looking like skeletons (ate all the green, left the white veins) and even attacked the potato foliage! The most annoying thing though is how they kick everything around which means mulch on your lawn and not on the veges. They are hilarious animals but you can't have nice gardens with them around. I'm sure the same goes for the ducks!

We haven't clipped our chook's flight feathers either. They are less flighty breeds so we haven't felt the need, though one has flown over the 6' fence of their run on one occasion (in about 3-4 months of being here).

RubyRoo · #7 (**permalink**) 18-10-2007, 12:49 AM

Thanks everyone for your replies! I love the sound of the ducks being companionable- weeding would be so much more interesting with a duck to talk to !

Think we'll definitely keep them out of the vegie and herb patches though. Will also have to come up with a way to keep them off the verandahs- that used to really get to me with the chooks- especially when hanging out washing while having to dance btwn chook deposits!

Wondered if anyone has actually had both chooks & ducks at the same time.....mainly because I know the chooks "hen-peck" each other pretty badly, and wondered if they might do that to the ducks.....or maybe they save it for their own species only?

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At work we have some miniture ducks which are nice about the size of a chook so much better for kids.

What breed are these? I thought the Khaki Campbells were pretty small? Rinelle- do you know which type you're going to get?

As for the eggs, anyone eaten them? How do they compare to chook eggs? Are they a stronger flavour?

Rinelle · #8 (**permalink**) 18-10-2007, 08:15 AM

I'm thinking of Khaki Campbells. I don't recall eating duck eggs, but I would think they would have a stronger flavour. I believe they're also higher in Omega 3 than chook eggs.

Jakaluma · #9 (**permalink**) 18-10-2007, 08:50 AM

We had chooks and ducks, even slept same house at night, and they were very happy together. Had the chooks already when we got the ducks, but don't think it would be a problem whichever way round you got them. They pretty much ignored each other

the eggs didn't really have a stronger flavour either - lot more yolk proportionally was biggest difference.

And the poo wasn't a problem - we'd thought it might be, but apart from a bit on bricks it was all nice kinda messy backyard with lots of undergrowth and things, and never had issues.

DePome · #10 (**permalink**) 18-10-2007, 12:40 PM

You could try reading some of the threads in the Backyard Lifestock forum at www.aussieslivingsimply.com.au as there has been plenty of talk there about chooks, ducks, housing etc. There is also a Pets and Native Animals forum which might have more info.

I have a great book by Murdock Books called Eggs, from Benedict to Brûlée. It says, of duck eggs,

Quote:

Larger and stronger in flavour than hen eggs, duck eggs are extremely rich, with quite gelatinous whites. Although they are sometimes cooked on their own, such as in omelettes, their richness means that they are best used in custards, pasta dishes and cakes. Duck eggs are unsuitable for making soufflés or meringues because of insufficient globulin, necessary in egg whites to trap and hold air when whisked. Duck eggs have a pretty pale blue or white shell.

I have heard that duck eggs are better than hen eggs in baking. It would be difficult to substitue though due to size. However I feel that hen eggs are getting smaller and smaller, and supermarekts are calling eggs that look small 'large eggs'. Perhaps your average, older recipe expects a bigger egg than we generally have available now anyway. Until we got our chooks a few months ago I was buying 'large' for eating and 'extra large' for baking as I just didn't have the success rate when baking with so-called large eggs. Now we have 2x2 chooks with the 2xwhite laying smaller eggs than the 2xbrown. So we try to eat the smaller white eggs and leave the larger brown eggs for baking.