So, Do Ducks Need a Pond?

Pekin ducks in pond on the homestead

Ducks need water – ducks love water … it is just that simple. Whether or not they need a pond is the one question most asked by potential newbie duck keepers. These cute egg birds are a great addition to virtually any homestead. This begs the question: do ducks really need a pond? No, ducks … Read more

Buff Orpington Duck Breed Guide – Start Here

buff orpington ducks

Buff Orpington ducks have an extensive history of being both high quality meat, and egg birds. These hardy beauties cannot fly away and can thrive both on large homesteads and in small town backyards. Ducks of this breed are affable, docile, and bond well with their keepers. In addition to being used just for their … Read more

Winter Care for Baby Ducklings

baby ducklings in brooder

Caring for ducklings in the winter is not necessarily a difficult task, but does require the following of some specific husbandry techniques. Ducklings are, of course, baby ducks. And like all babies, they are fragile, vulnerable, and depend entirely on the help of grown ups (either feathered or human) for their survival. Both ducks and … Read more

The Ultimate Winter Care Guide for Ducks

four Pekin ducks in snow

Ducks are far easier to care for during the winter months than chickens, according to my years of personal experience. If you start preparing for the coming months of frigid cold in the fall, just as you do for firewood and hay bales, keeping your duck flock safe, healthy, and laying eggs will be a … Read more

10 Pros and 10 Cons of Raising Ducks

a flock of Pekin ducks free-ranging on the homestead

There are pros and cons to raising any animal, ducks included. But, from my many years of personal experience, the pros far outweigh the cons when it comes to duck keeping. Ducks, like chickens, can be kept not only on spacious rural homesteads, but in suburban or urban areas as well. A small flock of … Read more

Should You Really Get Ducks?

Pekin ducks foraging

Buying ducks can be an exciting, rewarding, and fun experience. But, keeping ducks might just not be for everyone. While duck keeping may involve a bit more space than keeping chickens, these egg and poultry birds can be kept not just on large rural homesteads but in the small-town backyards, suburbia, and sometimes even by … Read more

Homemade Duck Feed: How to Grow Your Own

four Pekin ducks

Growing your own duck food may not only save you an enormous amount of money over time, but will also provide both a sustainable and more natural diet for your meat and egg birds. It is possible to do away with store-bought commercial feed entirely if you cultivate aquatic and ground food plots for your … Read more

What You Can and Cannot Feed Ducks

Rouen and Pekin ducks

What you can and what you cannot feed your ducks is a topic that can elicit heated debates, as it often does when the same question is posed about any type of livestock. Searching online for answers to safe duck treats vs. toxic duck treats can be quite a frustrating endeavor. One website will have … Read more

Raising Ducks – The Ultimate Guide

Rouen and Pekin ducks

by Alina J., and with many thanks to Tara Dodrill for contributing to this guide Homesteaders have long raised flocks of chickens for eggs and meat, but now a growing number of folks are adding ducks to their barnyard as well. Ducks make cute farm pets that are entertaining to watch waddle around, but they … Read more