I think ducks might be my favorite farm animal of all time. They have the funniest personalities and cutest faces. Once we moved to a farm, we were able to have any animal we wanted.
I really wanted to try ducks out and see what they were like. I will never not have ducks in my life-time. They have added so much to our farm and it wouldn’t be the same without them.
I really wanted to get call ducks which are the smallest breed of duck. They are known for their loud voices and toy like features which is why they’re also known as decoy ducks.
They are a pretty uncommon breed, but I was able to find someone who had gotten some from what I believed was a hoarder’s house because they were so untaken care of.
I, at first got two and once I brought them home I knew I needed to go back and get two more. I ended up with three girls and one boy and as soon as they came into our backyard they became the life of the backyard.
Our male began mating with one of our girls and she ended up having a clutch of eggs. Out of eighteen eggs, only two of them hatched. The mom was a young duck herself so I think she may have been a first-time mom and still figuring out that she couldn’t leave the nest any time she felt like it.
We ended up having one boy and one girl - Maverick and Patches.
I loved watching Gwen, their mom raise them so up close. It was so amazing to see these little ducks hatch and to be apart of their lives from the very beginning.
They still know and love their mama and Maverick; her son always watches out for her and his sister to make sure none of the other ducks get in their way.
Ducks are a lot like chickens - low maintenance. They require TONS of water for drinking and swimming, lots of foods, and did I mention lots of water?
They LOVE water and you might be thinking well, duh they’re ducks. My ducks will go in our pond no matter how freezing cold it is. If their pond is frozen over, they will either do some ice skating and wait for it to break or wait for it to thaw out. Both options involve a lot of squawking.
Ducks are definitely the messiest animal on our farm, or that we’ve ever owned. They will poop absolutely everywhere which is why ducks really need to be on a good size piece of property more so for your sake.
Other than the constant pooping, they are amazing animals and will keep themselves entertained for hours.
Must Do’s for a Happy Duck
Ducks love little bugs, and they go crazy for meal worms and chicken scratch. We usually give our ducks a few handfuls of scratch during the morning and evening and a snack of mealworms during the day.
Ducks need water, it’s their whole lives. It’s definitely cruel to keep ducks without water. It must be deep enough for them to be able to get their full bills immersed in water because it’s how they clean out their nasal passages.
Ducks are “herd” animals. Reputable breeders and stores that sell ducks won’t sell them to you unless you buy two or more. Ducks will get very lonely if they have friends, so make sure you have enough space and room for them if you’re thinking about adding them to your home.
Most ducks are flightless but call ducks, since they’re so small and don’t weigh as much as other breeds of ducks will and can fly. If you provide a really healthy and happy home for your flock, they will more than likely come back so you can let them fly. But. there are horror stories out there that they can’t find their way back and end up in another pond or lost. For the safety of our call ducks, I keep their wings clipped so they can’t fly, it also makes them looked well-groomed and always up to par.