Ducks are an excellent alternative to raising chickens. You can even have both free-ranging together on the homestead! Quack!
Indian Runner ducks are perhaps the easiest of all breeds to identify due to their unusual body style. Watching these attractive poultry birds run about while free ranging can be quite entertaining. They look like colorful penguins rushing around the barnyard. In fact, when members of this duck breed were first imported to America they … Read more
How much water does the average duck drink every day? It can vary depending on the breed and age of your ducks (as well as the time of year), but on average, each mature duck in your flock will consume roughly 0.25 gallons (1 liter) of water each day. Water isn’t only necessary for hydration, … Read more
Silver Appleyard ducks are sometimes a little difficult to find, but are an eagerly embraced meat and egg breed by both amateur homesteaders and commercial keepers. Members of this breed are classified as a dual-purpose or multi-purpose type of duck. Silver Appleyard ducks are also categorized as both Large Appleyards and Miniature Appleyards, basesd upon … Read more
You may have started out with just a few ducks, but at some point you will probably decide to add more. So if you keep ducks and you need to add new ones, you may wonder whether they will be accepted and not be bullied by existing members of the flock. The main thing you … Read more
Magpie ducks are among the most beautiful and docile of all domesticated breeds. Even though Magpies are not as highly kept as some other well-known breeds, the keepers who breed them and collect their eggs are highly devoted to preserving these enigmatic poultry birds. Ducks of this breed are multi-purpose birds. They are equally good … Read more
Cayuga ducks are a beautiful and wonderfully docile breed. They were once the most popular meat duck in both the United States and England. Sadly, these docile and lovely poultry birds were classified as “threatened”, but have improved their population numbers to the point where they now have just a “watch” designation. Finding Cayuga ducks … Read more
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? Well, they … Read more
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
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
There are pros and cons with 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
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 small town backyard, suburbia, and sometimes even by … Read more
Ducks must have access to water at all times, both for drinking purposes and to swim in. The members of your duck flock will need access to swimming water even in the chilly weeks of January and February. Keeping the water from freezing when the temperature dips below 32 degrees F (0 C) is far … Read more
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 what you cannot feed your ducks is a topic that can elicit heated debate, just as it often does when the same question is posed about any type of livestock. Searching online for answers to the safe duck treats vs. toxic duck treats can be quite a frustrating endeavor. One website … Read more
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