Ducks

There is an awful lot to appreciate about ducks: their gracefulness on the water, their agility in flight, and of course, the magnificent beauty of their feathers. Ducks, whether wild or domestic, come in every color of the rainbow and patterns ranging from the subtle to the mesmerizing. Some of them are a riot of … Read more

Do you have ducks? I’m sure you do, that’s why you clicked on this article. Have you ever struggled to name them? I’ll bet you have, again, the reason you are here… But don’t worry, you’ll struggle no more. Naming your ducks is one of the most important parts of keeping them. A duck without … Read more

No matter what sort of animals you keep on your homestead, illness is always going to be a fact of life. Animals get sick just like people do, and also just like people, some of them are more prone to bad health than others. Luckily for us, if we own ducks, they have proven to … Read more

Ducks have been domesticated for ages, but only recently in the past year or two are they starting to come back into style compared to chickens. And to be honest, it’s mostly because of their productivity when laying eggs. Ducks typically start laying between 4 and 8 months old, and can crank out an egg … Read more

Ducks are once again becoming popular as livestock, especially on the small scale for homesteaders, but we’re also starting to see a lot of interest in them as pets. It might seem strange, but they have a lot to offer: ducks are intelligent, friendly, playful, and tend to be quite healthy. You’ll see plenty of … Read more

If you own ducks you probably already know that they’re quite self-sufficient. They are seemingly impervious to wet and cold weather, and that means it’s easy to keep them in a wide variety of environments, even ones that are truly frigid! But ducks aren’t invincible, and they still need a warm, safe shelter to stay … Read more

There are many varieties of ducks out there. Big and small, black, white, brown, and every color in between. If you are a duck fancier, there is a lot to love. But if you want an especially fancy duck, you might want to look at a crested variety. All crested duck breeds have a spray … Read more

Whether you keep ducks as pets or just as productive livestock on your homestead, I have little doubt that you care for your flock with all the love and diligence they deserve. And that’s why it’s such a tragedy when you come out one day and find one or more of your precious feathered friends … Read more

If you love and care about animals, it’s heartbreaking to imagine life without them. Once you invest your blood, sweat, and tears into raising them and caring for them, they can start to feel like a real part of you. But, sadly, death is a part of all life on Earth, for humans and animals … Read more

The most precious, adorable time in a duck’s life is when it is still a fuzzy little baby duckling. I’m telling you, there’s nothing on Earth cuter! But, they really do grow up fast and as much as we might want them to stay small and fuzzy forever, getting their feathers is an important milestone … Read more

No matter what you do in life, if you want to get good at it you’ve got to pick up a new vocabulary. Call it lingo, shop talk, vernacular, whatever. Sometimes it’s complex enough to border on a different language! Surprisingly, or maybe not, it’s the same with ducks. If you’ve ever listened to two … Read more

Understanding various developmental benchmarks is also crucial for timing when your ducks can go outside and for how long. Speaking of benchmarks, ducklings don’t cheep and peep for very long, either. When exactly do ducklings start to quack? Ducklings will start to quack anywhere from 3 to 8 weeks old. Various breeds develop at different … Read more

Ducks are always in chickens’ shadows when it comes to poultry. Though they’ve been domesticated for ages, the greater productivity of chickens in terms of meat and eggs saw ducks relegated to the specialty market for a long time. That status is slowly changing today since folks are coming to appreciate the richness of duck … Read more

Ask anyone who’s ever gone duck hunting, or even tried to photograph ducks, and they will tell you: these birds seem to have supreme eyesight. The slightest movement, even a little something out of place, and they will fly away. It’s amazing, but it can also be completely befuddling: how can any bird’s eyesight be … Read more

If you want to raise ducks, keeping the right ratio of males to females is crucially important both for the well-being of your flock and your own sanity. If you want lots of eggs, you’ll need plenty of females, but getting a good return of meat is best done with a flock that has more … Read more

I don’t know about you, but I can honestly say there’s nothing cuter than an adorable baby duck. That’s reason enough to get them if you ask me! But ducklings will eventually grow up into adult ducks, and if they’re going to get there, they need lots of help from you… Ducks are notable for … Read more