Ducks or Chickens
22 November 2008, 09:00 PM
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Ducks or Chickens
I have found a breeder of (i think there called) long ducks, which dont need water and are good egg layers. Would they be hard work or would chickens be easier. I really want ease of ownership and good egg laying potential.
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22 November 2008, 09:40 PM
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Right, here we go.
Are you planning to let the animals just happily run round your garden or have you got a pen / enclosure set up for them?
Because: Ducks are fine in the garden, and won't cause too much damage unless your garden gets muddy, in which case it'll turn into a swamp pretty quickly. Having said that, the swamp turns back into garden fairly quickly after a couple of weeks good weather. And when you've got a dry garden, it'll stay that way and the grass will stay green.
Chickens on the other hand will absolutely DECIMATE anywhere they can get at. They may look all cuddly and innocent but they will uproot any vegitation, scratch up all greenery and turn your garden into a guano infested desert if they are allowed to roam free.
So in my experience (4 years at keeping chickens, 3 years with ducks and geese), go for the ducks for ease of keeping the garden nice. Having said that, and this is no joke, ducks quack. And quack. And quack. So if you've got neighbours, they tend to need placating.... Plus you need to clip their wings every few months.
If you've got nice neighbours, and want to have your livestock running round, get ducks. If you've got a confined area that you don't mind being turned into wasteland especially for them, go for hens.
At the end of the day, duck eggs (IMO) taste nicer. They are richer which some people are put off by, but generally are not produced quite as regularly as hen eggs. I guess this depends on the breeed though.
Good luck, and if you want any more info, give us a shout.
PS - Don't forget about anti-foxing your garden!
Are you planning to let the animals just happily run round your garden or have you got a pen / enclosure set up for them?
Because: Ducks are fine in the garden, and won't cause too much damage unless your garden gets muddy, in which case it'll turn into a swamp pretty quickly. Having said that, the swamp turns back into garden fairly quickly after a couple of weeks good weather. And when you've got a dry garden, it'll stay that way and the grass will stay green.
Chickens on the other hand will absolutely DECIMATE anywhere they can get at. They may look all cuddly and innocent but they will uproot any vegitation, scratch up all greenery and turn your garden into a guano infested desert if they are allowed to roam free.
So in my experience (4 years at keeping chickens, 3 years with ducks and geese), go for the ducks for ease of keeping the garden nice. Having said that, and this is no joke, ducks quack. And quack. And quack. So if you've got neighbours, they tend to need placating.... Plus you need to clip their wings every few months.
If you've got nice neighbours, and want to have your livestock running round, get ducks. If you've got a confined area that you don't mind being turned into wasteland especially for them, go for hens.
At the end of the day, duck eggs (IMO) taste nicer. They are richer which some people are put off by, but generally are not produced quite as regularly as hen eggs. I guess this depends on the breeed though.
Good luck, and if you want any more info, give us a shout.
PS - Don't forget about anti-foxing your garden!
