Ducks are what started us on our homesteading journey. Three little Rouen ducklings came to live with us six years ago, and we’ve never been without them in our backyard since. They are a constant enjoyment, and a useful addition to any homestead, big or small.
Here are some reasons why you should consider adding ducks to your backyard.
- Ducks are amazing foragers. Given the opportunity, ducks can dig and forage for most of their own food. They are great to have in the garden to eat up slugs, snails and other garden pests. They will also eat mosquito, flies and have been known to eat small rodents. Ducks graze on top of the grass (unlike chickens that scratch and dig the ground), leaving excellent fertilizer as they go.
- They provide eggs. Duck eggs are bigger than chicken eggs and some people would say tastier. The eggs are amazing to bake with and many pastry chefs prefer them because of their higher protein content.
- Excellent meat source, knowing where your food comes from is important and keeping your own supply of organic meat (if you choose to raise them organically) is very cost-effective. If your plan is to raise ducks for meat, you can buy day old ducklings like you would chicks, without having to have a breeding pair of ducks.
- Ducks are hilarious, they are funny birds that like to have a good time. While they are especially fond of water and love to swim, most ducks do not need swimming water (although they may be happier with it). In the past we have used kids swimming pools for them to play in (making sure that they have a ramp both in and out of the water), they are especially fun to watch splashing around.
- They are economical and easy to raise, because of their great foraging skills if ducks are able to graze they will only need to be supplemented with a good quality feed (more during the winter months). They easily adapt to their surroundings, whether you have a large pond or a small backyard. Many breeds make great mothers, and can easily raise 12 ducklings once or twice a year doing all the work for you. You can then decide to raise the ducklings to sell or keep them, and raise them for either meat or egg production.
- Ducks are cold-hardy, having both chickens and ducks I can tell you from experience, ducks handle the cold winter months much better than chickens. In fact, our ducks like to go outside throughout the winter to sit in the snow on sunny days. They have an extra layer of fat on them that protects them from the cold when they are in water, and this helps keep them warm in the winter.
- Ducks are generally healthier and have less diseases compared to chickens. As long as they have a dry shelter, clean water and access to food they will be happy and content.
Just like chickens, different breeds of ducks are suited for different jobs. Khaki Campbell’s are known for their egg laying capabilities while Pekin ducks are more commonly raised for meat or pets. If you are looking to raise meat birds I wouldn’t recommend call ducks, but if you wanted to breed show birds, call ducks are a great choice.
We have Rouen ducks, they are a dual-purpose breed that resemble large mallards. Our girls lay very regularly, each giving us one egg a day during the laying season (early spring to late fall). They make great mothers and given proper shelter will do all the work of raising the ducklings.
We also have Pekin ducks in our flock, we hope to eventually use them for raising meat birds.
Now that you know some of the benefits of keeping ducks in your yard, here are some tips on getting started.
- Ducks prefer company, so get at least two.
- Ducks can make a mess of their water, to prevent this try putting a block of wood (untreated) in their water dish to prevent them from climbing in. We also do not feed and water the ducks in their coop at night (except in the winter months), this greatly reduces the amount of bedding we go through.
- If you want to breed and raise ducklings, consider getting a trio, one drake and two hens.
- Ducks are comfortable in almost any shelter, as long as they have somewhere dry to go they will be happy.
- They need protection from predators, make sure they are protected with appropriate shelter and fencing.
- Even though ducks don’t need swimming water, they love it. Consider getting a kid pool to let them splash around in. Keep in mind that some larger duck breeds mate easier in water than on land.
Do you have ducks in your backyard? What breeds do you have?
I’ve been doing some research on ducks and am very tempted. Predators are the big deterrent for me. My chickens were all killed in spite of my efforts to keep them safe. I do love reading about and seeing pictures of yours!
Sorry to hear about your chickens. We had a fox around last year and ended up losing ducks and chickens. That’s why we have decided to no longer let them free-range.
Great post. We have two Campbells: one white and one khaki. I wish we had as much space as you as we’d love to have more! We love being near them as almost everything they do is interesting or funny. We like adding moss to their run with meal worms in and watching them forage around for them.
Great idea to give them moss, I will have to try it and see if our guys like it. Thanks for the reblog 🙂
No prob! Never reblogged before but felt like the right time 😉
Reblogged this on allthewrightwords and commented:
I’m a beginner with ducks but a big fan. My wife prefers them to our hens and I can see why. They are awesome and just like Twin Acres Homestead I’d want to encourage anyone thinking about getting ducks to go for it.
Our homesteading journey started with guineas because they eat ticks. We haven’t added ducks to the farm yard yet, but you do tempt me. Thanks for the list, and joining the Homestead Blog Hop! Great post!
I stumbled upon this article in perfect timing. We have chickens and are in the process of building a better coop in hopes of adding to the group after the last coop was destroyed. I semi-jokingly told my husband the other day that I need to have ducks now after hearing their adorable peeps and seeing some in Tractor Supply. He seemed all for it and now we’re just waiting until we can finish the coop 🙂
Exciting, enjoy them! 🙂
I am just about to add chickens to my backyard and I almost started with ducks first. They are definitely on my list for next spring. Thanks for sharing!!
Awesome, enjoy and thanks for reading 🙂
Nice article! Our ducklings are about 8 weeks old now, Pekins! They make us laugh everyday! While I could never eat my pets, I am really looking forward to having fresh duck eggs for baking!
Thanks, we are hoping to hatch some ducklings in a few weeks. They are so funny.
You really are not kidding on a free source of meat that the mother ducks raise for you. We started with 6 ducks a few years back and that year they raised 18 chicks. One of them raised two broods even in our short Vermont summers. From those 24, we kept 16 in our flock total, and they raised 26 chicks the next year. From those 42, we kept 22 and 11 of them are currently sitting…guessing about 50 chicks this year on top of our 22 adults. They’re almost keeping up with our rabbits…
That’s amazing. We don’t raise that many at a time, but love that they forage so much of their own food and raise their young so well.
I have really enjoyed your article.. I have thought about getting ducks for a long time now.. I do have chickens and a potbellied pig..