on will drown. Ducks run an extraordinarily high normal body temperature of around 107°F, which makes their body inhospitable to most pathogens and resistant to disease.
Ducks are more heat-tolerant
During the hot and humid summer months when I lived in Virginia, our chickens would stand around panting, trying to stay cool in the shade. Ducks handle the heat quite easily by merely taking a dip in their pool to cool off. They paddle about contentedly, hopping out only to enjoy some chilled watermelon or other summertime treats.
Ducks are more cold-hardy
Ducks have waterproofing on their feathers to protect against the elements, as well as a thick down undercoat designed to keep them warm and dry in the water and rain. This makes ducks far more cold-hardy than chickens. In fact, our ducks actually prefer to sleep outside, even in the snow and inclement weather. Ducks also have an added layer of fat that chickens don’t have.
Duck eggs are superior to chicken eggs
Ducks lay eggs that are larger, richer in flavor and excellent for baking, due to their higher fat and lower water content. And duck eggs are slightly more nutritious than chicken eggs. Pastry chefs prize duck eggs because the large amount of protein in their whites adds heft and loft to baked goods. With their thicker shells and membranes, they also stay fresh longer and are less likely to break.
Ducks don’t mind being out in the cold.
Ducks lay more regularly
Our ducks consistently outperform our chickens in egg production, even through the winter without any supplemental light in their house. Most domestic ducks are also very unlikely to go broody (broodies stop laying eggs and therefore become unproductive, unless you’re trying to hatch eggs). Ducks generally lay productively into their fourth year and continue to lay for several years after that.
You get more eggs with ducks than chickens.
Ducks adhere to a far less aggressive pecking order
Drakes are not nearly as aggressive as roosters and rarely turn nasty toward humans. Ducks also don’t take their pecking order as seriously as chickens and tend to welcome newcomers far more quickly – and with far less squabbling than do chickens. Whether the newcomers are chickens or ducks, our ducks seem unperturbed by it all and seldom bother new additions to the flock. Ducks won’t bicker within the flock about pecking order or other issues. They are far more laid back in temperament.
Ducks are easier on your lawn
Ducks don’t scratch grass or plants down to the bare dirt like chickens do. They may trample your lawn a bit and will dabble in the mud around their water tubs or in the dirt looking for snacks, creating small, deep holes in the ground, but they won’t turn your backyard into a barren wasteland like chickens will.
It’s true that ducks can, and will, eat anything green within their reach, but . . . as long as you plant bushes and trees that are tall enough so that the ducks can’t reach the tops – or fence around your gardens and flowering plants – you can successfully landscape your run or backyard, even with ducks inhabiting it. Fencing around your gardens and landscaping doesn’t need to be much more than two or three feet high because most domestic duck breeds can’t fly, and ducks generally can’t hop or flutter and flop as high as chickens can.
Ducks are wonderful for pest control
Ducks will eat every slug, grub, earthworm, spider, grasshopper, cricket, and beetle they can find in your yard. Given the opportunity, they will also eat snakes, mice, frogs, and lizards. Ducks are wonderful for natural pest control, but be aware they will eat so-called “good” bugs and beneficial worms and toads as well.
Ducklings are adorable!
Okay, I admit this comes down to personal preference. As cute as baby chicks are, baby ducklings are irresistible. Those too-big-for-their-bodies webbed feet, earnest dark eyes and almost flesh-colored rounded bills steal my heart every time. As a bonus, ducklings grow up to be adorable ducks!
On the flip side, sure, ducks can be pretty willful and stubborn. They don’t automatically put themselves to bed at dusk like chickens do (although they can be trained to head to their house each night without much trouble). They also are messier than chickens when it comes to water and mud, but the ducks themselves are always pristine and perfectly clean, even our snow-white Pekins! I find ducks pretty unlikely to get their feathers ruffled for the most part. They are generally calm, alert, always happy and downright funny.
Are you considering a few ducks yet? You will want to invest in a few pairs of muck boots, most definitely, but it’s a small price to pay for the joy a flock of ducks brings. In my eyes, ducks win out as my top choice for a backyard flock and they will always be an important part of ours.
There is no such thing as an ugly duckling.
DUCKS VS. CHICKENS
TWO
HATCHING DUCKLINGS
Hatching your own ducklings is an inexpensive, relatively easy way to start or add to your backyard flock. It’s an awe-inspiring experience to watch the embryos develop and the ducklings hatch. I prefer hatching my own ducklings in an incubator. Not only is it the easiest way to add rare breeds to your flock that aren’t available locally, I believe the ducklings do imprint on me and end up being far friendlier than those I buy as day-old ducklings – or ducklings that have hatched under a broody duck. Domestic ducks rarely go broody (i.e., sit on fertile eggs until they hatch) anyway, so hatching eggs in an incubator is generally your best bet. Various types of incubators work slightly differently, so it’s important to read the instruction manual for your particular model. Here are some general tips for a successful hatch.
Obtaining eggs for hatching
If you have fertile eggs from your own ducks, you will likely have the best hatch rate. If not, be sure to order your hatching eggs from a reputable breeder or hatchery. If you can find eggs from a local farm, that’s even better. Shipped eggs are often jostled or subjected to temperature and humidity fluctuations and have a far lower hatch rate than eggs that don’t have to be shipped. An 80% hatch rate is considered very good; for shipped eggs, the norm is closer to a 50-60% hatch rate.
Most problems with eggs not hatching can be attributed to old eggs with low fertility, rough handling, eggs stored at an improper temperature, improper turning,
