Sometimes the best chicken ... is a duck.
Jan 10, 2022 9:46:51 GMT -6
heavyhitterokra and rdback like this
Post by macmex on Jan 10, 2022 9:46:51 GMT -6
Folks, I thought I'd start this thread as a place to talk about domestic ducks. I'll briefly explain why a person might consider ducks in addition to or instead of chickens and mention a couple of breeds. There are many more breeds than what I'll mention.
Four reasons to consider ducks over chickens (or in addition)
1. Duck eggs are the bomb. I don't know why so many North Americans are prejudiced against duck eggs. I often hear comments about duck eggs having a fishy flavor, but our duck eggs have never had a bad flavor, ever. I believe the flavor issue may be on account of what the duck eat. Perhaps those who have had a bad experience have let their ducks forage in a place with a lot of something which passes over into the eggs. I don't know. Duck eggs DO have a slightly different texture than chicken eggs. The difference is so slight that I'm not sure I could pick it out, based on a taste or bite test. Most duck eggs average at least twice the size of most chicken eggs, which is something I really like, and, the yoke tends to be larger in proportion to the white.
There are actually laying breeds of duck, specifically bred for egg production. Two breeds which come to mind are runner ducks and Khaki Campbell ducks, both smaller breeds. I'd give a word of warning though, what's commonly sold from many hatcheries are not really bred for optimal egg production. For some years I raised Buff Runner ducks. I cannot remember where I got them from, but they were not super duper layers, just okay.
I kept them in a pen on the side of my garden. The old camper shell was their shelter and it didn't work very well. They'd lay their eggs so far under there, that I struggled to retrieve them. My runner ducks were so high strung that if I appeared at the side of their pen with no warning the whole flock might crash into the fence, on the opposite side of their pen. They were good eating, but dressed out, they were not all that large. If I were to get runner ducks or any really specialized breed of duck, I'd probably look at Holderread's Waterfowl Farm, which ships. One might compare prices with, say, Tractor Supply, but really, I assure you, there's no comparison. If you purchase ducks at a place like Tractor Supply you not only are unlikely to get the quality you would want, but you might not even get the breed you asked for. Holderread's is the place I know that sells the finest breeding stock when it comes to waterfowl. If you get into ducks you might well want to maintain a flock like I do. In that case the investment in good stock is well worth it. If you're looking for something really rare, then consider Sandhill Preservation Center, but keep in mind that Sandhill is like Noah's ark. They save breeds on the brink of extinction but often cannot do a lot of selection work on them. Either place, though, will provide wonderful, honest insight into the qualities and potential of a given breed.
One of the first ducks we ever had was a runner/Khaki Campbell cross. She was old when we got her and received the nickname of "Granny Duck." She laid huge light blue colored eggs, very regularly, for two years after we got her. She got trampled by other birds, in the bitter cold of a NJ winter, and I brought her into the house to nurse her. She died, but only after laying one more egg.
Two other breeds I'd consider, if I were looking to start over with ducks, would be: Buffs and Anconas.
The Buff is sold at Sandhill Preservation Center. It's fairly large, meaning it would also be good for meat. It's very docile and quiet, which is good. I hear they lay pretty well too. The Ancona is a very good layer, and also okay for meat. Ancona's come in various broken patterns of white with black, brown, gray or chocolate. Every duck has unique markings. Carol Deppe wrote about them in The Resilient Gardener, which, I might add, is an excellent read.
We settled on French White Production Muscovies. Our stock came from a now defunct hatchery but the very same stock was carried over to Freedom Ranger Hatchery, which has an excellent reputation.
I went in halves with a friend, in 2008, purchasing 20 ducklings. It seemed pricey at the time, but those ducks multiply like lightening. We've never had to buy any more!
Muscovies don't lay as many eggs as the special egg laying breeds, but they do produce a wonderful, large carcass with all dark meat. Duck is the closest thing to "beef" that one can get from a bird.
So eggs are a very viable product to get from ducks.
2. A second reason to consider ducks is that they are relatively quiet. Most breeds are vocal, but their quacking doesn't carry very far, not like a rooster's call. Muscovies are even quieter than other kinds of ducks. They only quack when alarmed. Otherwise they limit their vocalizations to low whistles and hissing.
3. Ducks have an amazing immune system. I have rarely seen a duck get sick. They can wallow in mud and drink water laced with poop but they never seem to get sick! Muscovies are a little more prone to getting frostbite in bitter weather. This is due to their Central American roots. They don't have as much fat on them as other ducks. Yet we've found they handle anything Oklahoma throws at them, provided they are allowed to be free and seek the best shelter as needed.
Those are three reasons to consider ducks. I should mention before closing, that laying breed like Runners and Khaki Campbell don't usually hatch their own ducklings. Just like high production chickens, they don't have the instincts. Muscovies are fiends about hatching babies. One has to be careful or they can be overrun with Muscovies. But if you get a non broody breed of duck it would be easy to hatch eggs in an incubator or under a hen (chicken).
4, Finally, another reason one might prefer ducks is that they can be herded. Yes! I can grab a long stick and herd my ducks. In some circumstances this is a great advantage.
More later!
Four reasons to consider ducks over chickens (or in addition)
1. Duck eggs are the bomb. I don't know why so many North Americans are prejudiced against duck eggs. I often hear comments about duck eggs having a fishy flavor, but our duck eggs have never had a bad flavor, ever. I believe the flavor issue may be on account of what the duck eat. Perhaps those who have had a bad experience have let their ducks forage in a place with a lot of something which passes over into the eggs. I don't know. Duck eggs DO have a slightly different texture than chicken eggs. The difference is so slight that I'm not sure I could pick it out, based on a taste or bite test. Most duck eggs average at least twice the size of most chicken eggs, which is something I really like, and, the yoke tends to be larger in proportion to the white.
There are actually laying breeds of duck, specifically bred for egg production. Two breeds which come to mind are runner ducks and Khaki Campbell ducks, both smaller breeds. I'd give a word of warning though, what's commonly sold from many hatcheries are not really bred for optimal egg production. For some years I raised Buff Runner ducks. I cannot remember where I got them from, but they were not super duper layers, just okay.
I kept them in a pen on the side of my garden. The old camper shell was their shelter and it didn't work very well. They'd lay their eggs so far under there, that I struggled to retrieve them. My runner ducks were so high strung that if I appeared at the side of their pen with no warning the whole flock might crash into the fence, on the opposite side of their pen. They were good eating, but dressed out, they were not all that large. If I were to get runner ducks or any really specialized breed of duck, I'd probably look at Holderread's Waterfowl Farm, which ships. One might compare prices with, say, Tractor Supply, but really, I assure you, there's no comparison. If you purchase ducks at a place like Tractor Supply you not only are unlikely to get the quality you would want, but you might not even get the breed you asked for. Holderread's is the place I know that sells the finest breeding stock when it comes to waterfowl. If you get into ducks you might well want to maintain a flock like I do. In that case the investment in good stock is well worth it. If you're looking for something really rare, then consider Sandhill Preservation Center, but keep in mind that Sandhill is like Noah's ark. They save breeds on the brink of extinction but often cannot do a lot of selection work on them. Either place, though, will provide wonderful, honest insight into the qualities and potential of a given breed.
One of the first ducks we ever had was a runner/Khaki Campbell cross. She was old when we got her and received the nickname of "Granny Duck." She laid huge light blue colored eggs, very regularly, for two years after we got her. She got trampled by other birds, in the bitter cold of a NJ winter, and I brought her into the house to nurse her. She died, but only after laying one more egg.
Two other breeds I'd consider, if I were looking to start over with ducks, would be: Buffs and Anconas.
The Buff is sold at Sandhill Preservation Center. It's fairly large, meaning it would also be good for meat. It's very docile and quiet, which is good. I hear they lay pretty well too. The Ancona is a very good layer, and also okay for meat. Ancona's come in various broken patterns of white with black, brown, gray or chocolate. Every duck has unique markings. Carol Deppe wrote about them in The Resilient Gardener, which, I might add, is an excellent read.
We settled on French White Production Muscovies. Our stock came from a now defunct hatchery but the very same stock was carried over to Freedom Ranger Hatchery, which has an excellent reputation.
I went in halves with a friend, in 2008, purchasing 20 ducklings. It seemed pricey at the time, but those ducks multiply like lightening. We've never had to buy any more!
Muscovies don't lay as many eggs as the special egg laying breeds, but they do produce a wonderful, large carcass with all dark meat. Duck is the closest thing to "beef" that one can get from a bird.
So eggs are a very viable product to get from ducks.
2. A second reason to consider ducks is that they are relatively quiet. Most breeds are vocal, but their quacking doesn't carry very far, not like a rooster's call. Muscovies are even quieter than other kinds of ducks. They only quack when alarmed. Otherwise they limit their vocalizations to low whistles and hissing.
3. Ducks have an amazing immune system. I have rarely seen a duck get sick. They can wallow in mud and drink water laced with poop but they never seem to get sick! Muscovies are a little more prone to getting frostbite in bitter weather. This is due to their Central American roots. They don't have as much fat on them as other ducks. Yet we've found they handle anything Oklahoma throws at them, provided they are allowed to be free and seek the best shelter as needed.
Those are three reasons to consider ducks. I should mention before closing, that laying breed like Runners and Khaki Campbell don't usually hatch their own ducklings. Just like high production chickens, they don't have the instincts. Muscovies are fiends about hatching babies. One has to be careful or they can be overrun with Muscovies. But if you get a non broody breed of duck it would be easy to hatch eggs in an incubator or under a hen (chicken).
4, Finally, another reason one might prefer ducks is that they can be herded. Yes! I can grab a long stick and herd my ducks. In some circumstances this is a great advantage.
More later!
