5 Reasons To Want Ducks

5 Reasons To Want Ducks

5 Reasons To Want Ducks

This is a short list of reasons why I love my ducks. Ducks are a wonderful addition to the farm. When people visit they are attracted to the ducks. We have three breeds on the far. It all started with a visit to the local feed store in the Spring time. My little girl just couldn’t go home without a duck. The baby Rouen duck was our first. Later we ordered the Australian Spotted ducks. As a bonus, Holderread Waterfowl Farm & Preservation Center included a couple Indian Runner ducks.

Here is the video produced on the Daddykirbs farm about our ducks.

Reason No. 1 To Want Ducks

Eggs! Yep we love the duck eggs. Of the three breeds we keep here on the farm, the Rouen ducks are the most consistent egg layers. The Indian Runners and the Australian Spotted ducks take long breaks from laying eggs. They primarily lay eggs in the Spring time. Rouen ducks take a short break in the Summer but lay most of the year otherwise.

5 Reasons To Want Ducks
Duck eggs are rich and delicious.

Reason No. 2 To Want Ducks

The ducks are really good at messing up a pool of water. For me this is really good. The nutrients that the ducks leave behind are great for adding to the compost pile or to the garden beds. This waste can be use for good. We let the ducks dirty up a pool for a few days then we scoop it out with our trusty kitty litter buckets to pour onto the gardens.

5 Reasons To Want Ducks
Duck poo in the water is excellent nutrients for the garden.

13 thoughts on “5 Reasons To Want Ducks”

  1. A few dumb duck questions.
    1. Same predator issues as chickens?
    2. More prone to leave? Do you have to clip wings?
    3. Do they “coop” with your chickens, or separate quarters?

    1. Not dumb at all.
      1. Yes, they are victim to the same types of predators.
      2. Ours have never left, but the little ones like to fly so we trim their flight feathers.
      3. Currently the big ducks have their own coop, but the little ones are living with Silkie chickens.

    2. We used to have ducks and keep them in the same pen as our chickens. They would sleep outside of the shelter rather than inside it; so, we’d have to put them in their and shut them in so they wouldn’t sleep outside the shelter and get eaten (we’re a bit paranoid when it comes to fowl).
      I looked it up, apparently ducks don’t have the instinct to go inside a shelter, which can make them more vulnerable to predators/the elements.

  2. Do you pour the poopy duck water directly on the plants you are growing? If you are, do you have any issues with plants burning from excessive nitrogen? Isn’t there an increased risk of sanitary problems?

    I hope you don’t take this as condescending. I am just genuinely curious because I’ve heard so many times not to put fresh manure in or on the soil because of said issues.

    Thanks for the short and concise article. I definitely don’t have space in my yard for ducks, but if I move to a larger property some day I may consider getting a few.

    1. I don’t take this as condescending at all. It’s good to question things. I’m very much in a phase of questioning lot’s of things in my life. My garden is an evolution of my questions.

      Yes, I have poured duck water directly on some plants… none for food plants. Yes, I have found that sometimes those plants suffer.

      Now, I pour duck water more off to the side of plants and find that they suffer less. When the water has time to soak into the ground and not directly on the plants root zone the results are better.

      Many times I chose to pour the duck water in the compost pile. This is a better pathway for the nutrients I think since I’m adding the nutrients to compost that will end up in the garden. The water is there to keep the compost moist and active.

      Thank you for commenting. I love the dialogue. 🙂

      1. I inadvertently placed out duck “pond” uphill in relation to our compost. Now, when we empty the water, gravity takes it to the compost for us 🙂 Won’t work for everyone, but it was a happy coincidence for us!

  3. We just brought home our first ducks. Three SIlver Appleyards. They are very cute and fun to watch. They are turning my already muddy yard in to a mud pit–I was hoping they would stay over behind the garden where I first put them but they seem to love the back yard. I am planning on them eating LOTS of slugs–they are abundant here in the pacific northwest!

  4. I finally convinced my husband to get chickens, but now I want ducks. Do yours stay around the yard? How do you put them in the coop at night? I know these are probably silly questions, but I don’t know anyone who has ducks, so I’m just trying to figure things out by ways of the internet.

    1. Some breeds tend to fly more than others. If yours get flighty and you want to keep them on the ground you can trim their flight feathers. I have a video about that on my YouTube channel where my daughter demonstrates the trimming method. At night they will go to their coop willingly… or with a little convincing with a scoop of food. If you feed them only in the morning and in the evening when you put them away then they will learn to go to the coop when they hear the feed can rattling. You can do it 😉

  5. Maybe it’s a dumb question , but do the chickens and ducks seem to get along? And have you butchard any?

    1. It’s not a dumb question at all. The ducks and chickens get along just fine. I have never seen any problems having them together except for when a male duck wants to mate with chickens. You have to keep those aggressive drakes off the chicken hens because they can hurt them. We have never butchered any ducks, but we have some of the chickens.

  6. I love ducks ! They always bring a smile to my face. To me it sounds like they have heard the best joke ever when they are talking to each other. I had around 35 ducks of different breeds but sadly when I was on vacation the person taking care of my animals didn’t shut the duck pen gate at night..after 8 days I no longer had ducks. Don’t know if it was 2 or 4 legged predetors that took them. I never had any trouble with them leaving the farm. I am getting new ducklings this May ! 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.