Ducks for Meat and Eggs.

[matefrio]

What's hatching?
10 Khaki Campbell Ducks
Moved just under a year ago from city to rural. Long dream of mine and the wife's. We took this time to ease into things getting to know the area, house and land. So this is the 2nd "Farm" animal\s we're getting.


Goal with all our livestock choices is an easy to raise and care for breed that produces what we like to eat and that we can break even with by selling or trading the extra they produce.


Choice was made to go with ducks because they seem to be easier than chickens according to just about everyone we've talked with and the resources we've researched.


Found a local breeder of Khaki Campbells via Craigslist she hatches her own and agreed to pop out 10 of them for me.


Why 10? Well our family averages about 4 eggs a day. The 10 are a straight run so may include male and female. I hope to get at least 4 females and if the rest are male then we'll meat locker all but one of the males.


I'm using this as my feed plan: http://www.metzerfarms.com/NutritionalRequirements.cfm?CustID=2395322


Here's my setup so far. I need to a bit more to do tonight and I pick them up tomorrow. I've been monitoring the temp of the brooder for 12 hours now and things are looking good.

Pic from the breeder.

 

[BRD@66]

Watch where you step.

 

[kyletxria1911a1]

Man after heart surgery duck is wayyyyy off limits

 

[Younggun]

My wife likes duck meat.


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[jrbfishn]

Duck eggs are great eating. That reminds me. I'm out. About time for another run to Dan's and get a few dozen.

sent from an idgit coffeeholic

 

[GUNNER51]

Dear sirs and madams,

Ducks are GREAT for eating! They are TERRIBLE as pets though. My daughter used to raise them and they are LOUD and STINKY! They disappeared every now and then and we blamed it on feral cats! HAHA!

I have been meaning to start raising them again for the eggs especially, but it is a lot of work and I do not get around like I used to!

Thanks kindly,
GUNNER51

 

[matefrio]

Duck eggs are great eating. That reminds me. I'm out. About time for another run to Dan's and get a few dozen.

I tried the family with duck eggs before this. We got free muscovy eggs for over a month from a friend who didn't like them. Everyone thought they tasted just like chicken eggs at this house.


Baking with them was amazing. Pancakes were so fluffy they almost floated off the pan.


Cooking the duck eggs we learned they do need a lower longer heat. Try and cook them scrambled, omelet or sunny side up at the same pace as chicken eggs and you'll get more rubbery eggs.

 

[Mowingmaniac 24/7]

Where are you located/

I love the taste of duck!

 

[satx78247]

matefrio,

You may also want to look at KEETS. = EASY to raise, do well on "pasture" with little supplemental feeding much of the year (thus CHEAP to raise), GREAT EATING meat/eggs & GREAT "watchdogs", too.

yours, satx

 

[Double Naught Spy]

We have a friend that trades duck eggs to us. They are wonderful for baking and such, VERY flavorful.

 

[matefrio]

matefrio,

You may also want to look at KEETS. = EASY to raise, do well on "pasture" with little supplemental feeding much of the year (thus CHEAP to raise), GREAT EATING meat/eggs & GREAT "watchdogs", too.

yours, satx

Every video I've seen of Guinea Birds aka Guinea Fowl aka Guinea Keets the darn things are so loud I can't hear the guy talk.

I've considered them several times and then I hear the noise they make again.

 

[satx78247]

matefrio,

IF "strangers are around", keets ARE loud. Once they get settled, they are quite calm/quiet.
(IF we are having prowlers on our farm, I want them to be LOUD.)

yours, satx

 

[TheDan]

I love the taste of duck!

Then duck down and get you some!

 

[matefrio]

They insisted they were cheap cheap but then I got the bills. 11 bills.
This is them not 5 min after being put in my brooder. Age range is 4 days on one to most that hatched yesterday and today.

 

[TheDan]

I'm using this as my feed plan: http://www.metzerfarms.com/NutritionalRequirements.cfm?CustID=2395322

You can simplify it quite a bit. Feed them Purina Flock Raiser until they are a month old. The Flock Raiser has enough niacin in it for the little ones. I also give mine poultry vitamins in their water until they are two weeks old. Probably not necessary, but they sure do seem healthy.

Once they are adults they can eat damn near anything. Kitchen scraps are great, just no onions or citrus. Ducks are also excellent foragers and will eat every slug, snail, and bug in your yard. I give mine layer pellets to supplement their foraging, but it's obvious they eat much less of it during the warm months when their preferred food of bugs and worms are available.

 

[TheDan]

They insisted they were cheap cheap but then I got the bills. 11 bills.
This is them not 5 min after being put in my brooder. Age range is 4 days on one to most that hatched yesterday and today.

Handle them A LOT. Every chance you get hold a couple. Give a couple to each kid and your wife, too. They will quickly grow out of wanting to be "petted", but doing it when they are little will make dealing with them as adults much easier.

 

[TheDan]

Ducks are GREAT for eating! They are TERRIBLE as pets though. My daughter used to raise them and they are LOUD and STINKY!

It depends a lot on the individual duck. My flock used to be pretty loud, but I noticed that it was just a few instigating the others to squawk. Culled the loud mouths and now the flock hardly ever squawks.

They don't have bowel control and do shit everywhere... As long as you don't keep them confined in a small space I've never found it to be that stinky, tho.

 

[HKaltwasser]

Duck eggs are much creamier than chicken eggs. The ducks were loud and we decided to get rid of them, but I do miss the eggs. I think you'll enjoy them.

 

[matefrio]

Installed a "Brooder Cam" for video and checking on them.

 

[matefrio]

Ducks in the tub.