The backyard homesteading with ducks in your backyard-think about it. These quacking and waddling feathered companions yield bundles of great eggs and meat. Now, let’s go into some discussion on raising ducks at home.
Why ducks?
Why ducks over chickens, first? Duck eggs are more extensive and more prosperous than chicken eggs. The creamier texture is ideal for baking. Plus, ducks are tougher compared to chickens. They are resistant to sicknesses and handle colds very well.
Let’s get some practical advice.
Setup Your Duck Haven
Before bringing home your web-footed buddies, prepare their new digs. Ducks require a bit more space than chickens. If letting the ducks out to roam around during the day provide 15 square feet per duck.
Housing: A small shed or coop can provide nightly refuge. Because raccoons and foxes love duck dinner as much as we do, make it predator-proof.
Water: Ducks appreciate water like cats prefer naps. A little pond or baby pool will please them. Remember, they only require shallow water to splash and clean themselves.
Bedding: Bedding for the shelter can be straw or wood shavings. Keep bedding dry to avoid potential health risks.
Feeding your Flock
Ducks are not selective feeders but optimum health and good production depend on a nutritionally adequate diet.
Pellets: Most feed stores have commercial duck pellets that contain all the nutrients.
Leafy vegetables: Add some lettuce or peas in their diet. They can forage in your yard-watch your plants!.
Grit: Even though they do not have teeth, ducks grind food in their gizzards with grit.
Fresh water, of course! Playing in water, while consuming feed, causes ducks to drink more than chickens.
Laying Eggs Khaki Campbells and Indian Runners lay rich duck eggs. These breed can lay more eggs than even prolific chicken layers each year!
Daily egg collection ensures fresh produce and hygiene. Duck eggs have thicker shells than chicken eggs, so they last longer without refrigeration—useful if you have more than you can use!
Raising Ducks for Meat
Want to produce duck for a meat order? That’s what Pekins are ideal for since they grow fast and produce delicious meat.
Raising meat ducks is similar to egg-laying ones, except you’ll emphasize growth over egg production:
- Use meat bird-specific high-protein feed.
- Space Management: Allow space, yet limit exercises that aid in gradual weight gain.
- Processing Timeframe: Most beef breeds acquire ideal processing weight around 7-8 weeks—timing is crucial!
Health & Maintenance
Staying alert will be the key to keeping your flock healthy without a veterinary degree:
Checks: Continue checking the ducks for signs of depression or abnormal droppings.
Clean their home often to avoid parasites.
Consult local professionals about the vaccinations and dewormings common in your area for prevalent diseases.
A little effort keeps birds happy and healthy!
Fun Fact: Duck Personalities
Each duck has a personality. Some may be brassy, while others are shy! Observing them will reveal each bird’s quirks, making rearing them more fun!
My buddy Joe had a drake dubbed “Sir Quacksalot” that followed him everywhere! Joe swears Sir Quacksalot comprehended human communication better than his kids sometimes!
A crash course in raising ducks in your backyard! Whether one is collecting eggs for breakfast or roasting duck for Sunday dinner, these birds bring in joy and savory rewards for any family.
Cozy Corners: Building Small Livestock Pens and Shelters in Backyard Homesteading
You have started a backyard homesteading and have decided to raise some small livestock. Animals like goats, sheep, bunnies, and miniature pigs require a warm spot. Let us get started with building pens and shelters regarding your pets’ happiness and health.
Location, location, location!
Proper pen positioning is akin to selecting the choice seat at a concert, and key to a pleasant experience. Nobody likes wet feet, therefore good drainage is a must: High ground is better. Avoid low spots that collect rain.
Consider the location of your house. It should be close enough to access readily, but far enough so supper will not smell of the barnyard.
Materials Matter
It should be a solid, waterproof material: wood is traditional but requires treatment to weatherproof it; metal can be great but then corrosion can also set in.
Welded or woven wire is great for fencing. The predators are out and the animals are in. Line the bottom few feet of the fence with hardware cloth to keep from having rabbits or chickens burrow out.
Homesteading Houdinis: Goats
Goats are notorious escape artists. They will find any weakness in a fence before you can say “Billy Goat Gruff.” Fences should be 4-5 feet tall with no openings.
Provide high platforms or benches inside of their shelter. Goats are as in love with climbing as they are with escaping! A three-sided shed with the front open keeps the wind and rain out, yet allows them in and out at will.
Sheep: Fleece-Wearing Nomads
Though they are less apt to get out, if there are predators, the sheep will require predator-safe fencing. A 4-foot fence should suffice.
They don’t require much – a simple run-in shed is adequate. On cool evenings, give them plenty of ventilation but no drafts.
Rabbits: Tunnels Galore
Their needs are different altogether because rabbits are so small and tender as opposed to goats or sheep. Hutch-style shelter keeps them dry and safe from the predators.
Let droppings fall through wire mesh floors to help keep things clean-but be polite! Provide solid parts for them to set their feet on without having to stand on wire all day.
Pigs: Mud Lovers
Miniature pigs are great diggers, requiring significant fencing but not Fort Knox. Hog panels and wood posts work well.
Shelter-wise? Well, simple but sound construction of a small barn or lean-to bedded with straw protected them from the summer sun and winter wind.
Maintenance and Bedding Tips
Straw is the best insulator for bedding, and easiest bedding to clean with most small stock systems. Smaller animals, such as rabbits, who like their ground softer do well with pine shavings.
Regular cleaning wards off parasites and maintains hygiene. Campers become happier and fresher with the once-a-week muck-outs and fresh bedding.
Protection from Predatory Pens
Without precautions, predators will turn a pleasant rural homestead into the Heartache Motel in short order:
Dig-proof barriers: Bury perimeter fencing 12 inches deep. Secure latches: Raccoons are quick so use carabiners or gate/door locks. Lock the poor things in every night!
Weather Problems and Solutions
Mother Nature likes to throw curveballs, from sweltering summers to icy winters. Tarps between trees are also providing quick shade during hot spells. Pallets upright, make cheap/easy windbreaks.
Heated options: Heat lamps are a hazard in barns/and sheds, but heavy straw bedding with heated water buckets works great! Oh, remember Tom, my friend? Initially, he built a goat corral next to his garden to save steps every day. But curious caprine pals sent him replanting trampled veggies! Lesson learned-keep the animals and favorite plants apart!
