gettin ducks!

[ohiogoatgirl]

i'm about to get 6 mallard/khaki mixes. tradin milk for ducks

so i'm new to ducks. these will be my first. they are all from the same place and free range the yard there. I know I have coons that will attack here so i'll be putting them into a very large hutch with a run onto it.
the ducks were hatched out by one broody duck early this spring. the person doesnt really sex them generally, they say the louder ones are ducks and the quieter, raspier sounding ones are drakes.. thinks there is 2 or 3 males and 3 or 4 females.

so for anyone else on here with ducks..

1)when abouts should they start layin?

2)mallards are seasonal layers and khakis are year round layers so I got 50/50 chance of havin good year round layers I guess. hopin for year round. and mom raised em so hopin for at least one broody one later on!

3)sexing tips would be super helpful. i'll be keepin the biggest healthiest drake and any other drakes will be my first butchers. see if I like the meat.

4)links to duck recipes! I've never had and if i'm gonna have some then i'm at least gonne try the meat. I've heard its greasy so I was thinkin it'd probably be good on the fire. i'm plotting... er.. ahem.. hoping to help sway my dad into duck submission by him liking the duck meat from the extra drakes. :mrgreen:

5) RJ said on an old duck thread that her ducks gobble down rabbit poo and spilled feed. would a run underneath my rabbit hutches be a good way to go then? for now i'll be putting them in my big big hutch. its about 4x6ft total and pretty tall inside.

6)any links to feeding them naturally as possible. person i'm getting em from free ranges them and they get some chicken feed and whatever other critter feed they snag. (also have horses, goats, couple hogs).

that's all I got for the moment thanks everyone!

 

[Secuono]

Drakes have a raspy quack, but more wild ones can have little difference. Drakes also have curved tail feathers, can be seen once the adult feathers come in.
I think they start laying around 4mo, but they can skip the year they were born and hold off until next spring.
2 isn't a Q, but yes. Mine laid year round, the pekin were even better layers.
3 was mentioned above.
no recipes, I just cook em plain with spaghetti types or breaded.
They won't eat rabbit poop, that's disgusting and something you need to stop if they do start. Ducks will bully their way into rabbit feed, destroy feeders, find a way into tractors, ect. They are pigs!!!!
You can free range, but always best to supplement, you can buy organic feed, you need to make sure they get calcium.
You can train a duck to a nest on the ground. Use a large plastic dog crate, cover with tall grasses and weeds, make a grass/hay nest and then put more grass/hay on the opening to make it look more natural and hidden. If you place it in a crevice, they are more likely to use it.
Ducks are loud! They will learn who brings the food and where it comes from. Keep food secure in bins, not bags.
They are gross and messy, they will turn a small amount of land into nothing more than mud in no time. They will not eat stink bugs, there are many look-a-likes that they will eat.
They need and crave water. They can, however, breed on land, just not as common. Water pools need to be changed often!

 

[JessicaR]

I will second that ducks are loud and messy, and eat like pigs!! I have 4 pekins, 2 drakes and 2 girls. Too bad you aren't closer to me, I would gladly of traded the ducks for milk!

I really should butcher them but I keep putting it off, not looking forward to plucking :x

 

[caroline]

I LOVE ducks!
They are endlessly entertaining and the eggs are delicious! Richer than chicken eggs and great for baking.
My ducks are in a pen at night. They are easy to train with a little scratch thrown down at might.
Mine are free range during the day and I only give them the scratch to get them in at night.

They have free access to the rabbit areas during the day and they do clean up ALL spilled grain and feed. Yes they will eat out of the feeders if they can but I have secure tops [made out of beveled scrap 2x4] on any they can reach so they only get what's spilled.

They also range in the garden and I have low portable rolled fencing around the beds that keeps them out [chickens would just fly over but the ducks don't] They have eaten all bugs that ever THOUGHT about coming near the garden.

I'm definitely a duck convert and don't ever plan to have chickens again.

The only thing that I regret is that I haven't been able to get Anconas yet. But I love the Welsh harlequin, Khaki Campbell and Swedish ducks that I do hve.

 

[Oceanrose]

I have 5 ducks and I love them. Mine free range over a 1/2 acre yard. I have a pen I can lock them in at night, they go there automatically if scared, or once it gets dark. They do a major number on slugs, and while I've lost a few veggies to them, nothing bad. They are not smelly, or messy if given enough room, just like any other animal, a small pen and large #s increase the smell. Their pen is sand, so it drains. And is 10X25, so they have plenty of room even if locked in. They are very easy maintenance. I have 2 pools, a small one in their pen, and a large one in the yard. We clean them every few days as needed.

Mine are 4 months, and so I still free feed them crumble, but they eat out of the yard for the majority of their feed now.

They can quack of course, but now that they have the run, mine are really pretty quiet. Most of the time they chuckle and talk to themselves. It does vary by breed, I have 3 Welsh Harlies and 2 Cayuga. The Cayuga are louder than the harlies in my case. I love them, they're so much fun to watch play, I notice a major lowering of the # of slugs, and they are beautiful too.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

I will second that ducks are loud and messy, and eat like pigs!! I have 4 pekins, 2 drakes and 2 girls. Too bad you aren't closer to me, I would gladly of traded the ducks for milk!

I really should butcher them but I keep putting it off, not looking forward to plucking :x

how far are you? i don't remember.. I would love to trade! <br /><br />__________ Thu Aug 22, 2013 12:44 am __________<br /><br />probably pickin em up tomorrow. I worked on the hutch a bit today that they will be in. at least until they learn to stay around. i'm gonna be hopefully building a fence around the one creek area for them. that will be good. eat lots of bugs and crayfish.

 

[JessicaR]

I will second that ducks are loud and messy, and eat like pigs!! I have 4 pekins, 2 drakes and 2 girls. Too bad you aren't closer to me, I would gladly of traded the ducks for milk!

I really should butcher them but I keep putting it off, not looking forward to plucking :x

how far are you? i don't remember.. I would love to trade!

__________ Thu Aug 22, 2013 12:44 am __________

probably pickin em up tomorrow. I worked on the hutch a bit today that they will be in. at least until they learn to stay around. i'm gonna be hopefully building a fence around the one creek area for them. that will be good. eat lots of bugs and crayfish.

I am in Tiffin, which is about 2 hours north of Columbus

 

[Cottie]

1) Next spring
2) Mallards are broodier than others, khakis have had it bred out for the most part but are known to do it. Khakis are excellent layers, with up to 320 eggs per year. Mallards, not so much. It's all going to depend on how the genetics play out.
3) Usually drakes have a rounded tail feather. They are also quieter. It will be pretty obvious once they're older.
4) Can't help ya there.
5)

They won't eat rabbit poop, that's disgusting and something you need to stop if they do start.

Actually, they WILL eat rabbit poop, it isn't disgusting, and there's no reason to stop them from doing it. My Pekins have a tendency to gobble it up, particularly the droppings after a green feeding.
6) Mine eat layer feed since they live with the hens. They love Japanese beetles and will fight with the chickens over them. It will be hard to natural feed over the winter. Ducks are omnivores and enjoy a lot of protein. Here's a link on their eating habits: http://birding.about.com/od/birdfeeders ... ks-Eat.htm

 

[JDWest]

Ducks are great! We have Rouen Crested crosses. But they are very messy, especially overwintering them. I love their eggs though, so it's worth the extra work and mess to me.
Our young guys were hatched in july and the females started to quack last week.

Some Khakis will go broody (but not very often) depends on the hen. They are also more skittis like Runners. But then Runners are in their ancestry. VERY good layers.

I prefer a more laid back duck. My Rouens arent the biggest layers so i covered them with a Crested drake. Hoping their offspring lay a bit more, as i like to bake with duck eggs. So far the rouen/crested offspring are very friendly.

 

[luvabunny]

Hubby is disabled and enjoys looking out at the bird feeders. A pair of ducks, evidently displaced by the tornado, showed up and floated in the ditch, and ate bird feeder food. Stayed for several weeks.
Knowing absolutely nothing about ducks, I assume she laid eggs somewhere again, and they moved on. But it was fun watching them while they were here.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

I am in Tiffin, which is about 2 hours north of Columbus

darn that is pretty far....

__________ Thu Aug 22, 2013 9:47 pm __________

1) Next spring NOOO DONT SAY THAT!! in that case I may end up butchering all the drakes and get one I really like in the spring...
2) Mallards are broodier than others, khakis have had it bred out for the most part but are known to do it. Khakis are excellent layers, with up to 320 eggs per year. Mallards, not so much. It's all going to depend on how the genetics play out. dad to all is a mallard. mom is khaki. guess will have to see... I seriously hate waiting..
3) Usually drakes have a rounded tail feather. They are also quieter. It will be pretty obvious once they're older. I was just readin about the curled tailfeathers on drakes. thankfully I think I can tell the difference in quacks though.
4) Can't help ya there.
5)

They won't eat rabbit poop, that's disgusting and something you need to stop if they do start.

Actually, they WILL eat rabbit poop, it isn't disgusting, and there's no reason to stop them from doing it. My Pekins have a tendency to gobble it up, particularly the droppings after a green feeding. hooray for less duck food buying and less under hutch cleaning! :lol:
6) Mine eat layer feed since they live with the hens. They love Japanese beetles and will fight with the chickens over them. It will be hard to natural feed over the winter. Ducks are omnivores and enjoy a lot of protein. Here's a link on their eating habits: http://birding.about.com/od/birdfeeders ... ks-Eat.htm
awesome. they will probably run the garden sometimes then!
I am hopin next year I will be able to set away decent amount of veg and all to at least make a decent dent in feed costs. duckweed and minnows/goldfish are on the to-do list.

__________ Thu Aug 22, 2013 9:49 pm __________

I brought home two today. the others were not havin any part of being rounded up so the person is settin a trap for them tonight and will be bringin em round to me.

but the two I have, I believe one is a duck and one is a drake. one is definitely a defined quack and the other is very quiet, not really makin much sound but when it does it is raspy and quieter and much less defined.

I also noticed one has a more orangey beak and the other has a more greenish brown beak. cant remember which had which at the moment. be getting pics soon.

 

[JessicaR]

I think ducks are beautiful, but maybe its just mine, but they are not as friendly as my hens. They was raised in the house handled daily for 1 month, then outside, still handled daily. They do not want anything to do with us! I will probably keep the 2 girls for eggs.

What I really want is some call ducks, they are so cute and tiny!

 

[Cottie]

I think ducks are beautiful, but maybe its just mine, but they are not as friendly as my hens. They was raised in the house handled daily for 1 month, then outside, still handled daily. They do not want anything to do with us! I will probably keep the 2 girls for eggs.

What I really want is some call ducks, they are so cute and tiny!

I really want Indian Runners. I was going to get some from a lady in Central Illinois, but with school starting I could never find time to make a 2.5 hour drive. I can only go during the day, and she's only home at night. I'm really sad about that. =(

We're getting muscovies today. I'm contemplating building a little garden house for them for warm weather.

 

[JessicaR]

I think ducks are beautiful, but maybe its just mine, but they are not as friendly as my hens. They was raised in the house handled daily for 1 month, then outside, still handled daily. They do not want anything to do with us! I will probably keep the 2 girls for eggs.

What I really want is some call ducks, they are so cute and tiny!

I really want Indian Runners. I was going to get some from a lady in Central Illinois, but with school starting I could never find time to make a 2.5 hour drive. I can only go during the day, and she's only home at night. I'm really sad about that. =(

We're getting muscovies today. I'm contemplating building a little garden house for them for warm weather.

maybe you can get them shipped to you, I know most hatcheries will do that. Also I don't know if your TSC (if you have one) has them, but ours has runners in the spring along with pekins and chicks of course.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

I really want some runners too! they are adorable!