Found this article that compared the Pros and Cons of Ducks vs Chickens. I have always been a fan of chickens but know that ducks have been raising in popularity. The author of the article did a really good job in listing the impact that each have on your yard. I have never eaten duck so I cannot comment on the meat. Well worth the read. Pros and Cons of Raising Ducks Vs Raising Chickens by Milo Martinovich Pros and Cons of Raising Ducks Vs Raising Chickens | The Survivalist Blog Some Quick Pros & Cons Of Both Chickens and ducks have many similar benefits. Here are some of the pros that you’ll find with both species: Great meat production. Great egg production. Can work in a multi-species environment. Free-ranging can enable them to get a lot of their food needs from the land. Can be self-sufficient with breeding and hatching. Don’t require a lot of time or money investments. Their manure is fantastic fertilizer for your garden and trees once composted / aged. Neither requires a lot of space. Some pros for ducks over chickens are: Higher fat content in the eggs, which makes them awesome for baked goods. Ducklings require a lot less care than baby chicks. No crowing roosters! Some pros for chickens over ducks are: Can be put to work in the garden to remove weeds, and prepare new garden beds. Typically better at escaping predators. Can be put into a pasture to spread ruminant manure to improve pasture fertilization and remove fly larvae. While it may seem like both ducks and chickens are great, they do have some cons: Egg and meat production can fall drastically without optimal feed. They can be messy and leave their waste everywhere. Only specialized breeds are best for meat or eggs, neither have breeds that are the best at both. Ducks want a pond, and chickens want to roost. The pond ends up very messy, and chickens leave the majority of their manure where they roost. Follow link for the full article: Pros and Cons of Raising Ducks Vs Raising Chickens | The Survivalist Blog
Great Thread! I haven't raised any birds since I was a kid, but we always had a bunch of game birds around for food and eggs. Pheasants, Quali, Turkey, Chucker, and Geese! We did have chickens, but they were kept separate, as were rabbits! Lot of work, but both meat and eggs were better! If one were to raise both chicken and Duck, I think you would have the better option, but you will need to keep them apart, Chickens can be very aggressive, and you don't want that! Duck meat isn't all that great, so keep that in mind, if you can choose the species, choose ether Widgeon or Teal! Last check on Game bird chicks prices was still pretty reasonable, except for geese, which defies logic, but it is what it is! Pheasant, and quail were still super cheap and easy to get, while Turkey is the most expensive, and you really gotta be careful with selecting the right chicks! Other then that, Birds are a lot of work, and the holding/rearing area needs to be constantly cleaned and maintained! DO NOT let your birds roam free, that's going to get you in all sorts of trouble, make sure your enclosures are secure and keep them maintained well!
After eating duck in SEA, I'll say it is NOT my favorite food, it cannot compete with cow or pig. Nor can I tell you which species is better or less good than any other, but I can say the species DOES make a difference. I couldn't read the Chinese descriptors, but from one cooler to the next, the descriptors were different, but the prices were the same. I liked duck well enough to eat for a break in routine.
We had ducks for awhile until something killed them (bob cat, fox, ?) have to say the eggs are much richer than chicken eggs, wife loved them for baking.
We raised Toulouse(sic) geese, bigger lots of fat. Then Chinese geese, smaller not as productive. Muscovy (sic) ducks. small productive, prone to manganese difficiencey. Takes their eggs SIX weeks to hatch. not four like other ducks. I think they are native to the argentine. We also had Blue Swede ducks. Larger meatier bird, great incubators, one duck would mother goslings(!) Chickens for meat, don't remember which breed. Buff Orpingtons for (red) eggs. The odd bandies running around. Oh yeah, and Guinea fowl. Folks picked these breeds from experience and what they learned from their parents. Sorry for any spelling errors.
My grandparents kept a few around,, when he started getting to many,, part of the herd went in the freezer. But his were always dark meat birds ,, and a little greasy,, the 2nd time around. Im not sure which species are best either ,, but i am kind of fond of the Peking Duck at the local chinese joint. ,,, Interesting post MotoMom ,,, good to see you back. You helped keep us ,, ( me ) ,, in line. Hope you're doing well,, how are your boy's doing ??
Don't care for ducks, alive or dead. Too greasy for us. You already know about our chickens. Great thread, and it's good to see you back here. Hope all is well in Motoland.
Reost #10. If you think your ducks are too greasy, get some Muscovy ducklings like I mentioned above. They are more of a wild duck and have less fat. We raised them for years. You might want to clip their wings when a couple of days old.
CLIP ONE WING ONLY !! We have Australorp Australia Chickens khaki campbell ducks Last year we did 150 birds Just fired up the duck/chicken hatching systems Sloth
My observation with duck's is they attracted more predators' than chickens alone. During the times I had duck eagles were an issue attacking my birds. Had a bald eagle fly out of my chicken yard leaving half a duck, he stayed til I was 10 feet away. Put wire over the yard and ended up with a yearling Golden eagle inside the coop. Can thru the overhead chicken wire. Havent had ducks for awhile and the only issue I have has is the normal coon issue.
Seems like, with a bit of prior planning, you could turn a duck pond into a wonderful water source, for an aquaponics set up. In fact, with the combination of duck and fish sh*t, you might actually be able to have a bigger planting area! Then again, with enough room, why bother making the choice, between ducks and chickens? Personally, I think I'd go for the varieties that were more suited to egg laying, with the understanding that any that didn't make the cut, would end up on the chopping block! Slow cooking can make even a tough old bird into a tasty dinner!
I got my incubator going with about 40 eggs and I bought 8 week old Buff Orpington , to add to my 25 mixed birds. I have 4 adult buff Orpington that give me about 6 eggs a day the size of goose eggs, I'm hoping these chicks will be about the same . the rooster with them is a white leghorn. I think he has something to do with it. the rest of my birds are bantoms and unknown mix and their eggs are small most of the time. I give surplus eggs to my neighbors and friends and family. I am strongly considering water-glassing some of the surplus as well.
