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Rikki



Joined: 09 Jun 2005
Posts: 35
Location: Bucks
PostPosted: Tue Jun 14, 05 6:25 pm    Post subject: Ducks Reply with quote
    

There's lots about keeping hens, and even geese, but I am interested in ducks - any one keeping them currently with advice.

Bugs



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

PostPosted: Tue Jun 14, 05 6:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Good question Rikki, I'm with you on this one! Do you have any experience yourself or are you looking in to getting your own?

I know that Beth and Percypony both keep them but neither have been about a lot recently, perhaps I shall prod them! Alison has some too...who else? Ooh, I'm off to revive another thread...

JonO



Joined: 05 Mar 2005
Posts: 119
Location: South Birmingham
PostPosted: Tue Jun 14, 05 6:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

We have 4 indian runners ?

Rikki



Joined: 09 Jun 2005
Posts: 35
Location: Bucks
PostPosted: Tue Jun 14, 05 6:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

No, I've no experience, I just think I'd find ducks easier to convince a sceptical other half to have in the graden. And geese would scare the hell out of our chihuahuas.

What are Indian Runners? a breed I'm guessing. There's a builder's van round here with a couple of asian lads. The logo on the side says: YOU'VE TRIED THE COWBOYS, NOW TRY ...

Bugs



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

PostPosted: Tue Jun 14, 05 6:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

gives our local hairdressers, Curl Up and Dye, a run for its money.

Indian runners are fantastic little birds, they are upright, tallish and thinnish, like little butlers (only they are often pure white but come in lots of colours). They are meant to be good layers too - I first came across them at a Country Show in south London, where a woman was using them to demonstrate her sheepdogs' prowess (presumably less trouble to transport than sheep!).

They're very high up my own list of "livestock I will one day have, I will, I will, I will". I think Mochyn is getting some soon.

Why and when did you pick them JonO?

Wombat



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 396
Location: SW Cheshire
PostPosted: Tue Jun 14, 05 6:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I have Indian Runners, 2 female & one male, all about 3 years old, plus 4 ducklings that hatched last week in incubator............photo's to follow when I can work it out
Great eggs, slightly blueish and very creamy taste.
They do make a mess with their craps, all runny and smelly
Fun to watch though, the way they waddle upright. They love damp areas, grass, woodland for insects.

Wombat

dougal



Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent
PostPosted: Tue Jun 14, 05 7:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Rikki wrote:
No, I've no experience, I just think I'd find ducks easier to convince a sceptical other half to have in the graden. And geese would scare the hell out of our chihuahuas.
What are Indian Runners?

I'd say ducks are more fuss than chickens, and not as good "pets". You really should give ducks some sort of "pond", and I think they need rather more space. Which usually means free ranging, until the fox comes calling. And in the case of Runners, isn't it supposed to mean a lot of damage to anything like a lawn?
As a starter, an Eglu might seem expensive, but looks to make things very easy... (and they do versions for chickens, ducks and rabbits). And (for other half) an Eglu is very 'contained'...

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator


Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism
PostPosted: Tue Jun 14, 05 7:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Don't mention Eglu

When I was a lad we had Aylesbury ducks and hens in separate pens. The ducks were great fun but they did have a pond of their own and quickly turned it a muddy mess. They also tend to lay all over the place and can eat all sorts of things such as frogs whole.

But they are fantastic animals and the eggs very good to eat and bake with, and even a couple of the surplus drakes were tasty.

I would say chickens are a bit easier but ducks are less noisy if you have a Mr.

alison
Downsizer Moderator


Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon
PostPosted: Tue Jun 14, 05 9:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I have to say I much prefer the ducks over the chickens.

OUrs do have a pond, of sorts. Big hole with water in anyway.

In the summer we have a couple of half drums near the tap that get filled as well as a childrens paddling pool on our own lawn if they want to come round to see us.

JonO



Joined: 05 Mar 2005
Posts: 119
Location: South Birmingham
PostPosted: Tue Jun 14, 05 9:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

We have them both and the chickens are far easier to keep and better layers. The ducks look by far the prettiest but ours are very skittish and not easy to handle. They do destroyed our lawn and caused us to fence them off in the end, but as far as ducks go these are flighless and don't actually require a pond, although they do love one !

Hopefully photo included.

Wombat



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 396
Location: SW Cheshire
PostPosted: Wed Jun 15, 05 6:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Hopefully these two shots show Ducklings hatching in Incubator and a young one that I had to help out, it just couldn't get out
Wombat

mrsnesbitt



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 1576

PostPosted: Wed Jun 15, 05 7:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

We kept ducks for years, along with chickens and geese. This little hen raised these two as her own.................but they were drakes and rogered the other hens. It was like something from Chicken Run to see the hens hiding behind the garage standing on each other's shoulders looking to see where the drakes were......

tahir



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45389
Location: Essex
PostPosted: Wed Jun 15, 05 9:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Great photos people, specially wombats newborns

beth



Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 52
Location: Milton, Cambridge
PostPosted: Wed Jun 15, 05 9:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Ducks are great. Khaki Campbells are what we have and they give us an egg each almost every day. Very comical, wonderful characters. But they can be right messy. Our's are on the same ground all the time and it's starting to smell abit. Ideally you need enough to be able to move them around. They dont need a "pond" but they do need water deep enough to get their head under water to wash their eyes. Our's have a baby bath we fill with water each day as well as a bowl of water.

Despite what the books say, Kahki Campbells can fly! Okay not when they are laying, but when you get them they'll go off for a while and thats when they fly. Clip their wings when you get them or they will be over the fence!

Here are some pic's
https://home.the-hug.net/photos/index.php?album=ducks_20041230

Beth
ps, yeah I'm not around as much as I once was. Too busy working for a living to do much else.

wellington womble



Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands
PostPosted: Wed Jun 15, 05 10:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I have a friend who's garden pond was adopted by a duck, she comes to lay every year, and eventually, my friend herds them down to the village pond after a bit. They are adorable, and there are no slugs in her garden, no plants either, but no slugs!

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