Pekin Ducks at Pig Pond
The ducks have just discovered the pond. We think of winter as only lasting four to six months but for the ducks it is more like ten or twenty years in equivelant life span. Most of the water they’ve seen was in solid form. They were here last year, but since then I used a bulldozer to raise the final dam of the pig pond, seeded and fenced it off from them as cold weather came. They were moved up hill to winter homes.
Now the first blades of grass are showing and I have reopened the pond so they can get down to the water. They were quite timid. I had expected them to dive right in.
Ducks, at least the white Pekin ducks we have, seem to simply lay their eggs all over the place rather than making nests. Occasionally I’ll find a nest of duck eggs but most of them are simply scattered everywhere. The geese did this too initially but then started nesting. I’m going to setup some simple shelters down by the pond with some hay in them in the hopes that the ducks will brood there.
We don’t sell duck meat. We don’t sell duck eggs. So what good are ducks the economic minded might ask? Well, they keep down the mosquitoes, mow along the fence lines and stir up the various ponds. Besides, I like watching them. Walt Disney was right, they’re a bit daffy.
Outdoors: 69°F/40°F Mostly Sunny, evening heavy rain, hail, strong winds, brilliant double full arc rainbow
Farm House: 53°F/53°F
Tiny Cottage: 71°F/63°F
Walter Jeffries Tinker, Tailor… A bit eclectic & a tad eccentric, polymath, quantum mechanic & Farmer. Also lucky at cards.
I like to think of them as the comedy element to the farm. They can’t help but bring you a giggle as they waddle in groups from one end of the place to the other.
~Faith
Ducks are great. They can be pretty messy, but they’re great. I used to herd mine into their pen nightly for safety and to make it easier to find the eggs, which I did collect.
Pekins (as a rule) are not as likely as some breeds to go broody, nor to successfully hatch their eggs. There will be some variation, and you can encourage any duck who might be a bit more susceptible to it by, as you said, providing some likely spots. Dark is good, such as a typical laying box (some of them would kick the chickens out and take one over). Some of my birds liked to be able to poke their heads up over the top of their nest to look around, so open-topped can also be good.
You can also “seed” your new proto-nests by putting in a few eggs that have just been laid randomly. There is an instict to lay where other eggs are already.
I would want them for the skeeters for sure. Oh, how I wish I could have fowl here.
We love our mallards, they are always a fun treat just to sit and watch. They are chicks still, but daffy is a good term for them for sure.
Someday when I’m able to relocate to a rural area I hope to add ducks to our menagerie. While I know they can be messy, I think they will be a great addition to the family.
I think the messy that people refer to is that they poop anywhere, same as chickens, geese or any livestock. But on the plus side, they stir up ponds very nicely. Small ponds often need aeration to keep them healthy and the ducks do that very well.
Not all breeds of ducks are broody. The ones in the picture are Pekins. They rarely brood.
You can either add some Rouens to brood, or simply gather up the Pekin duck eggs and put them under a banty hen.
you might find the following 2 posts by greenpa at ‘little blog in the big woods’ of interest, as it’s his attempts, mostly successful, to get his guineas to nest and lay eggs rather than lay them everywhere. his background in biology is very helpful, and he explains why he tries what he tries.
http://littlebloginthebigwoods.blogspot.com/2009/05/guinea-saga-part-trois.html
http://littlebloginthebigwoods.blogspot.com/2009/05/guinea-wench-in-works.html
–sgl
Thanks for the link pointer. I’ll check it out. -WJ
Hello, my name is Ava Koo, and I'm trying to legalize backyard ducks as pets in residential areas in Huntington and Huntington Station, NY. I started raising ducklings in my backyard because my mother is allergic to chicken eggs, and duck eggs would allow her to eat eggs again. Unfortunately, the town found out about my backyard ducks and are trying to make me get rid of them. Currently, only chickens are allowed, but I'm trying to change that! If you have any advice that would be amazing. I've also created a facebook group that I'll be updating as things progress and an online petition. Thank you!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=147806406185
http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/ducks/
Ava, fight it hard. It is most unfortunate that a few busy bodies try to control everyone else and outlaw clothes lines, chickens, ducks, etc. They even go as far as telling people how to mow their lawns and what colors to paint their houses. Never give up. Keep fighting it. There is a similar case going on in a town near us. Try and contact the lady involved, Kathy Rubalcaba. she may have some strategy ideas for you. There might be right to farm laws that could help you. We very purposefully live in a very rural farming area with no zoning so we don't have to deal with this sort of social garbage.