Hey duck people...

[lavandulagirl]

Will the ducklings figure out that they want to coop-up at night like chickens do, or am I going to be chasing them all over the place if I let them free range?

[ozarklady]

My ducks sometimes wander around at night the same as by day. They do not go to roost in any particular place. The muscovey hens used to get on the gazebo roof at night, but they came up missing, maybe an owl? I don't know they were simply gone.
But, no my experience with ducks is... they sleep wherever they want to, unless you pen them up.

[flowerpower]

My Muscovey takes herself into the coop at night to bed down. But the Pekins I do have to chase in every night. They don't give me too hard a time though.

[bunkie]

hey lav, the ducks we had before would come running into their pen when i shook the feed can. so would the wild pheasant, etc... around here. the rattling of the food can gave everybody notice. we had no trouble, (we penned them up at night), till the 'girls' started nesting. they'd make nests outside the pen and wouldn't want to leave them.

the babies we have now have a nightime pen and a daytime pen. they're too little to roam outside on their own now. we have a very simple run connecting both pens, with no top, just sides. they seem, like our other ducks, to be on a time schedule. when the sun starts going down a bit, they want in their nighttime pen for food and last water for the night. i've been closing them up in a little cabin ed built for them, just cause they were little and extra safety.

i also taught them the words 'night night', and they know that means bedtime. they will connect words with actions. repitition is important.

[lavandulagirl]

I have noticed that the three older ones start looking towards the house at the end of the day, as if to say "Hey... it's getting dark! We can go in now, right?" Eventually, they'll be living with the chickens. (I know, I know, it can get messy. However, I have a predator proof coop, and that's a good thing.) I'd like to move all five ducks in at once, though, to keep the trauma to a minimum. So, for now, it's bigger ducks in the garage, smaller ducks in the house. Until they start to get too smelly, Then it's the garage for them, too. Currently, they spend the day outside, in side by side playpens. The Blue Swedish are too big to be together with the little black runners, yet. I'm afraid a poorly placed bullying hit might break a little neck!

[nedwina]

So.... why ducks? Are they easier than chickens? Better & more frequent egg production?

[lavandulagirl]

Egg production is comparable. Plus, ducks seem to be hardier. I still have chickens, too. My flock is up to a whopping 10 birds, now. And there won't be eggs from the ducks for months yet. BUT... as the chickens slow down in production, (they are all over 2 years old, except one) the ducks will gear up. Then, perhaps next spring or summer, I'll get more chickens.

[nedwina]

Thanks~

[bunkie]

Jul 23, 2010 16:28:40 GMT -5 nedwina said:

So.... why ducks? Are they easier than chickens? Better & more frequent egg production?

we prefer the duck eggs for eating...but like chickens too. you can eat one duck egg and it's like 1 1/2 chicken eggs! ;D

we also think ducks are hardier as lave said, and a little less skittish.

lav, we had 2 boy ducks and 2 girl ducks and 2 banty girls and one banty rooster who all lived great together...till they started laying. one morning woke up to squawking and found the male ducks and roosters chasing one another. thought it was the rooster chasing the duck, but it was the duck chasing the rooster!!! only thing to watch out for is the rooster's talons and their pointy beaks.

[flowerpower]

I see someone giving away young Indian Runners. Is it true that only the hens can quack? Any other way sex them? I'm looking at pics and there doesn't seem to be any real difference in the tail.

I am down to 2 ducks. One of the Pekins died from some sort of internal injury. I am not sure if the fox grabbed at her too, or if the other Pekin hurt her badly by stepping on her. But the Pekin hen keeps quacking and waiting for an answer. The Muscovy doesn't make any loud sounds. So I need a duck that can quack, so this one shuts up.

[lavandulagirl]

I think it is true, FP, that the females are the only ones with a true quack. Not sure how young you can really distinguish between them any other way. Both my Runners are females, so I have no great insight. How old are the ducks you're looking at? My Blue Swedish are about 7 weeks, and I can totally hear the voice difference between the drakeling and the others. He almost sounds like he's wheezing, instead of quacking.

[flowerpower]

Unfortunately, the ducks were taken. But I've let a bunch of people know I am looking. I'll just keep checking the papers and online ads.