Lets talk about Ducks
Discussion
Who here has experience with them?
Many years ago, we had a pair of mallards that started to fly into the garden of my mum and dads house , for a good 4/5 seasons or so. One year they actually laid eggs ( we still had no idea where the nest was ) the hatched then f
ked off under a fence and never saw them again. Year after year they came back and found home in a reasonable size pond they have.
Now, i see people having them as "pets" as such in gardens, and wondering if anyone on here houses them as sort of domestic pets in their garden. Its something that could interest me, but i'm looking at info on the net as to what sort of sizes would be sufficient.
Coupled with that, is the point where they decide to flap some wings and sod of and you never see them again, is the ultimate answer but how could you stop that as such?
Answers below, cheers.
Many years ago, we had a pair of mallards that started to fly into the garden of my mum and dads house , for a good 4/5 seasons or so. One year they actually laid eggs ( we still had no idea where the nest was ) the hatched then f
ked off under a fence and never saw them again. Year after year they came back and found home in a reasonable size pond they have. Now, i see people having them as "pets" as such in gardens, and wondering if anyone on here houses them as sort of domestic pets in their garden. Its something that could interest me, but i'm looking at info on the net as to what sort of sizes would be sufficient.
Coupled with that, is the point where they decide to flap some wings and sod of and you never see them again, is the ultimate answer but how could you stop that as such?
Answers below, cheers.
I keep ducks, chickens and quail at home. I live in a mid terrace cottage with a reasonable sized garden. They are very easy to keep and great fun. The ducks produce eggs every day. They are callled Khaki Campbells and are bred not to fly much. I have had them a year and they haven't escaped yet. I have a 4ft tin bath that they bath in and keep them overnight with the chickens.
mybrainhurts said:
I fear you have a brace of fighting Scotsmen there, sir, not ducks.
Ha ha, yes, it sounds like that's what they are.http://www.backyardchickens.com/products/khaki-campbell 
No special license is needed. They are kept in an aviary overnight which I had built on the side of the house. In the aviary are their houses. You could however just keep a duck house outside in the garden. You will have to lock them in the house at night to protect them from foxes, and let them out each morning. They roam the garden all day.
Edited by S6 Devil on Tuesday 2nd December 08:03
We used to have ducks when I was growing up. Unlike chickens they are very bad parents and forget about their babies. We had Aylesburys which are big and white, like small geese; bred for eating. We also had our pond settled on by lots of Mallard families. If some flew away more would fly in, attracted by a good size pond and lots of food.
Foxes will kill them, which might be obvious, but so will Moorhens. Evil little things they are. They dive under and drag the ducklings to their deaths. To prevent this you need to be willing to shoot and kill every moorhen that lands on your pond, and their babies too. An air rifle is sufficient.
Foxes will kill them, which might be obvious, but so will Moorhens. Evil little things they are. They dive under and drag the ducklings to their deaths. To prevent this you need to be willing to shoot and kill every moorhen that lands on your pond, and their babies too. An air rifle is sufficient.
JackP1 said:
Well thanks for the answers. Looks like i'll be doing up my unused shed into a coop!
This is a useful site for info. Some good ideas on housing etchttps://www.thepoultrykeeper.club/
Gassing Station | All Creatures Great & Small | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff