Ducks are an excellent alternative to raising chickens. You can even have both free-ranging together on the homestead! Quack!
Ducks have a language all their own. Learning how to interpret both the sounds they make and their behavior can provide keepers with a keen insight in how the ducks feel, what they need, and if predators are lurking about. The verbal language ducks use can vary widely by breed among both domesticated and wild … Read more
Learning the sex of ducklings can be a puzzling yet entertaining endeavor. All of the cute little baby ducks in your brooder or incubator might look and sound identical at first glance, but there are slight but distinct differences between the future drakes and hens. Although there are several different visual and audio cues that … Read more
Feeding ducks should involve not only the use of a commercially manufactured feed, but fresh greens, vegetables, and foraged protein from insects and tadpoles. Ducks are incredibly economical to feed while maintaining proper nutrition levels, especially if the flock is permitted to free range. Ducks, like chickens, are omnivores. They will avidly consume protein foraged … Read more
Ancona ducks are both rare and beautiful poultry birds. These domesticated ducks have unique and broken – colored feathering patterns that makes them both easy to identify, and engaging to watch. Ducks of this breed are classified as multi-purpose or dual-purpose because they are raised for eggs as well as meat. The beauty and friendly … Read more
Raising ducks is practical as well as entertaining. Not only will ducks produce more eggs than chickens annually, the eggs are significantly larger. Unlike chicken hens, duck hens lay well into their sixth to even ninth year of life – making them perhaps the most sustainable small livestock one could keep on a homestead. Getting … Read more
When I was a kid, we used to go to this place in Johannesburg called Zoo Lake. It was a tea garden with a park playground, and a popular picnic spot. The highlight of these trips was always the lake itself, and the ducks and geese that called it home. We used to take bread, … Read more
Farm fresh duck eggs are creamy, delicious, and are typically more durable than the thinner eggs laid by chicken hens. Raising ducks for eggs is not any more time consuming or difficult than raising chickens for the same purpose. In fact, I truly believe it is actually easier to raise ducks for eggs – or … Read more
Pekin ducks are one of the most popular breeds kept in the United States both in backyards and on homesteads across the country. Pekin is a multi-purpose breed, meaning it has traditionally been raised both for egg and meat production. The fuzzy and completely adorable little yellow ducklings you see during “Chick Days” events at … Read more
Welsh Harlequin ducks are a relatively new breed when compared with those top meat and egg duck varieties that have been around for centuries. Their newness to the marketplace, and somewhat difficult to find nature has not hampered the ability of Welsh Harlequins to become an incredibly popular breed. Members of this duck breed are … Read more
Incubating and hatching duck eggs is vitally important if you want to keep your flock growing should the breed you are keeping be excellent layers, but lousy sitters. Some duck breeds both lay and sit their eggs well, but that is definitely not always the case. In such circumstances, investing in a quality incubator and … Read more
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