CHICKEN FLOCK
Chapter 1What’s So Special About Ducks?
Chapter 3Brooding and Raising Ducklings
Chapter 4A Day in a Life with Ducks
Chapter 9A Clean Bill of Health
Chapter 11Cooking with Duck Eggs
INTRODUCTION
Raising ducks wasn’t part of the original plan when I walked into the feed store that fateful morning early in the spring of 2009 to pick out some day-old chicks to begin my foray into backyard chicken keeping. But when we finished picking out our selection of chicks and my husband said, “We’ll take two of those, too” and pointed towards a bin full of peeping ducklings, my heart melted; I couldn’t resist – especially after the feed store owner told us that raising ducks is exactly the same as raising chickens (which turned out to not be entirely true, but more on that later!). I had grown up around chickens and raised them as a child, so I felt pretty comfortable I could handle them; ducklings were another story. I had no experience raising ducks. Figuring it couldn’t be that hard, we put two of the fuzzy brownish ducklings into the box with our chicks and happily made our way home.
I spent the next few weeks scouring the Internet for information on raising ducks and read every book and magazine article I could get my hands on. As it turned out, for optimal duck health and happiness, there are a few things that don’t come into play in chicken keeping . . .
The first thing that became painfully obvious was that ducklings grow fast – really fast. Within a few days, the tiny ducklings that had started out the same size as the chicks when we bought them were towering over the poor chicks and trampling them. Not only that, the ducklings would immediately drain the chick waterer every time I filled it and the brooder was constantly a mess of sodden shavings. I switched to a shallow water bowl and the ducklings would sit in it and splash to their hearts’ content, not allowing the chicks near to get a drink. And that was the end of community brooding. The ducklings moved into a spare bathtub until they were ready to be outside, leaving the chicks alone – and finally dry and happy.
Despite that slightly rough start, I have enjoyed every minute of raising ducks. Those two Mallard ducklings, Puddles and Bob, were soon joined by three Pekin ducklings from a local farm that were supposed to be an Easter surprise for a buyer who never showed up to claim them. I started researching different domestic duck breeds and realized I would have to either order shipped ducklings or buy some fertile hatching eggs to get the breeds I wanted, since only Pekins and Mallards were available to me locally. That led to more reading and research into hatching duck eggs and soon I had several successful duckling hatches under my belt using an incubator. I even got lucky last spring and hatched eggs under a duck – my first broody duck ever!
Over the years, I have learned a lot about brooding ducklings and raising ducks through constant reading and my own trial and error. I use all-natural methods in raising our ducks, incorporating lots of weeds, herbs and natural supplements to help build strong immune systems and produce healthy eggs. Our grown ducks are raised alongside our chickens and they all co-exist peaceably, although the ducks now sleep in separate quarters for reasons that will be covered in this book. The ducks add so much personality and enjoyment to our little barnyard that I can’t imagine our chicken run without them.
I decided to write this book to share my experiences with anyone who is interested in raising ducks. As you have already gathered, whether or not you already raise chickens, there is a bit of a learning curve. Yes, the basics are the same, but I’ll show you some easy things that you can do to ensure the happiest, healthiest ducks possible! Backyard ducks aren’t nearly as popular as backyard chickens – yet – but hopefully after you read this book, you’ll fall in love with ducks as I have and decide to raise a few in your backyard, too.
Lisa
ADDING DUCKS TO A CHICKEN FLOCK
Do you already raise chickens and are thinking about adding a few ducks to your flock? It’s as easy as, well, adding a few ducks. I’ve introduced ducklings (at least 8-10 weeks old so they’re big enough to not be trampled or drowned accidentally) and full-grown ducks to my mixed chicken and duck flock – which includes both a rooster and a drake, by the way – and never had any problems.
I think the chickens instinctively know that ducks are no threat to their pecking order. My chickens have never seemed concerned about sharing space with ducks. As for the ducks, they don’t adhere to nearly as strict a pecking order as do chickens, and they seem to view new ducks as more pool party participants; there’s always room for a few
