Want to keep ducks as pet

[mwiz]

I have no experience with waterfowl but wants to start keeping few ducks as pets in garden. I am thinking of starting with 3 ducks. I have a small pond in garden. My grass lawn size is 100 square meter with fences all around. I am in South East England, UK.

I like ducks because they can be kept outside.

Now my first question is, which duck breed is best as pet. My daughter (who is 10) wants to cuddle the ducks - so need ducks that allows human touch.
I checked duck temperamental scores which shows Welsh Harlequin is docile where as Campbells are skittish. So I am confused.

I read that Pekins are good as pets but I can't find any adult Pekin ducks available nearby.

Second question is about getting adult ducks. I am not sure if beginners can start with ducklings as they need more care. Also, with ducklings I won't know their sex so may end up with drakes only meaning no eggs! I am not fussed how many eggs ducks will lay but I do want some eggs.
I also read that if I buy 3 ducklings and 2 turns out drakes with 1 duck, due to over mating the sole female duck may die soon. So, that leaves only option to buy adult ducks.

Thanx for any advice.

 

[dorsetduckowner]

Hi! sorry for the delay in response! I will try and help when I get a chance to get online properly later
zo
x

 

[dorsetduckowner]

Hi Mwiz,
sorry for the delay, its always manic here in breeding season!

I will try and answer your questions.

If you want ducks that don't mind being handled then really you need to raise them yourself as most ducks are not keen on being handled for a few reasons. They are prey species, so being lifted off the ground makes them feel like they are being predated upon, also they have very complex feathers that require oiling and zipping to keep them waterproof, being handled literally ruffles their feathers and adds unwanted oils from human hands and they need to complete feather maintenance after every time they are handled.

Of course if you raise them yourself you may end up with all boys, or 2 boys and 1 girl. However, I have found that ducks raised together tend to get on whatever the ratio of sexes, its only when you add new ducks in that you get problems. Saying that I have also found that every duck is different and you may even get problems if you have 1 boy and 2 girls.

As for breeds, it really does depend on the individual duck rather than the breed. Small breeds such as call ducks and miniature apple yards are very sweet but can fly well and are very noisy! I wouldn't bother looking at temperament scores, they are a huge generalisation.

Any ducks that have been raised by a breeder are likely to be very skittish, you may do better looking for ducks that are needing to be rehomed, the rescue centres sometimes have them and you can look on preloved.

If you want ducks that lay a few eggs but don't have lots of reproductive health problems, then I would suggest you get a decorative breed rather than a utility breed, so avoid khaki campbell's and pekin/cherry valleys type ducks.

Ducks are quite easy to train and love routine, so you could probably train them to trust you to a certain point with lots of treats, but they are generally highly suspicious nervous creatures that take time to get settled and trusting of anything new.

Good luck!!

p.s. chickens are easier to become tame and don't mind being cuddled if there is something in it for them!
zo

 

[mwiz]

Thanks for the reply!

I read that Campbell ducks are skittish, so they are not in my priority list anyway. But I'm bit surprised about your comment on Pekin ducks as most sites suggest pekins as good pets like they are nearest to dogs in duck breeds.

From what age ducklings can be let roam free in garden during the day time?
Can ducks be trained so that they can come out of coop and return to coop when they feel?

Are there some example coops which are available online suitable for 4 ducks? I can find plenty while searching online but no way to figure out if these are any good. Foxes don't come in my garden but neighbour's cat does come!

 

[dorsetduckowner]

Hi
You should check out all the articles on starting with sucks here:
https://poultrykeeper.com/keeping-ducks/
You will have to lock the ducks up each night, they won’t go to bed on their own like chickens do so you would need to be there every night and every morning. They can live up to 15 years so are a long term commitment.
Flyte so fancy do the best most secure duck housing on the market.
Zo

 

[mwiz]

Thanks I read the beginners guide.

My big confusion is that whether ducks can freely roam in my garden without any supervision. While I'm working from home since pandemic, soon I need to travel at least 2 days per week when no one will be at home. What should I do on these days? Allow ducks to freely roam or lock them inside coop till someone is back home at afternoon?

If I get ducklings, from what age they are able to roam outside?

 

[dorsetduckowner]

Hi,
If you dont have fox proof fencing they won’t be safe at all and may get taken whether you are home or not.
Ducklings being outside very much depends on how warm it is and how much protection from predators they have ?

 

[mwiz]

Ok, I think then I realistically need something like this to keep the ducks always protected - and let me out in garden only when someone supervising them.
https://www.omlet.co.uk/shop/chicken_keeping/eglu_cube/?aid=POULTRYK

However, it is too expensive!

Is there something cheaper and smaller? I am not going to keep more than 4 ducks max.

How about this one?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/123168526320?ViewItem=&item=123168526320

 

[dorsetduckowner]

Hi

Ducks need a lot of space, I don't think either of these options give them enough space. they would be utterly miserable and it would turn into a muddy swamp as soon as it rained. The ebay one is tiny, I have one for baby rescue birds and it would barely fit one duck, let alone 4. Your cheapest option is to get an electric fence and section off part of your garden with it for them to be safe in while you are not there.

 

[Marigold]

I’ve never kept ducks, but as D.D.O. says, they need as much space as chickens and probably more, because their enclosure needs to have room for a water area of some sort even if it’s only a smallish, refillable ‘puddle.’ They are much more messy than hens and need more care, because they don’t put themselves to bed, so, unlike hens, you don’t have the option of a battery-operated pophole door to shut them up for you when you can’t get back before sunset.
We recommend a minimum of 2 sq. metres of run space per hen, and it would be similar for ducks, if not more.
Even if you made them a large enough, safe enclosure, so they would be protected if you couldn’t see to them at sunset, I would still be reluctant to leave them unattended for ‘at least two days a week’ you say you’ll be away from home. I think any totally dependent animal needs checking at least every 24 hours, all sorts of problems could arise unexpectedly, and need urgent attention. The only time I’ve had a hen suffer a prolapse was when I was away in holiday and neighbours were looking after my flock. She needed temporary care overnight, away from the others who would have pecked her bleeding prolapse if left unattended, and a trip to the vet next day to be pts. Without this sort of backup care I wouldn’t feel able to leave them, especially in winter when it’s dark by 4.00. and you might not be able to see them in daylight for days on end. What would be the point of having them, if half the time they were not looked after properly?
So maybe, unless you have kind neighbours, or a reliable teenager who is willing to check them for pocket money, you might consider whether ducks are the most suitable pets for you in your present situation?

 

[mwiz]

Yes, I think I'll give up on this. Seems barrier for keeping duck is too high for amteurs. May be that's why ducks are not mainstream pets.