Ducks or Chickens?
If we had to chose between owning ducks or chickens here is an example of a conversation I had with my neighbor.
My neighbor has chickens so she knows how to care for a flock. I hired her to take care of my flocks here on Fowl Play Farm. She was excited to care for the ducklings when they were still small and fluffy yellow in down feathers. But. When I came back from vacation, she announced. “I do not want ducks. They are too messy.”
Her ten-year-old daughter said, “Yeah, they poop in their food.”
I laughed. “I’m glad you found out before you bought ducks. Besides, they take a lot of time and care compared to chickens.”
Ducks will get their pool, waterers, and even their faces muddy. And yes, contrary to some duck owners that claim ducks don’t need a pool, this is not true. I researched about ducks the day we brought the ducklings home. As they grew, I had to research more. Ducks have to have a pool of some type, whether a pond or a kiddie pool to clean their faces. Otherwise they can collect bacteria. I’ve seen photos of ducks with black, what looked like crusted mold on their faces. They can die from not being able to bath.
Ducks need at least two preferably three sources of water as they need water to help swallow their food. I keep one large waterer pictured above, a smaller waterer, a dog dish of water that I now keep next to their food, and their pool. People have said that ducks don’t mind dirty pool water. I’m here to tell you my ducks love clean water. When they jump into fresh water, they honk and flap their wings. It could be that I had always given them clean water to bath in when they were a few weeks old. See that metal dog dish pictured above? That was their first bathing pool. They both fit in it and would swim in circles chasing each other. Laugh out loud adorable!
Chickens only need water to drink. Chickens can be left on their own with plenty of water and food to sustain them when we go on vacation. But we have preditors, and I hired my neighbor to make sure the chickens got in safely each night before their Chicken Run Door closed.
I hope this post was helpful for anyone considering ducks. The next post I’ll chat about duck feeds, dietary requirements, and their eggs. And I’ll post the best breeds for their friendly nature and the amount of eggs they lay. Until next time, I’ll be caring for my flocks here on Fowl Play Farm.
I’ve only had chickens. I think it is very interesting to learn about the water needs. I think their big beaks scare me and I have heard about the mess too.
Thank you, Reda, for commenting. Donald has pinched my hands and it smarts but not as dangerous as a chicken’s beak. A few months ago, my first rooster almost pecked my eye but got below my eye and has left a scar. We had to butcher him and now we have his son and he is docile!