I have always wanted ducks and my interest was renewed this week driving to school when I passed a house with ducks in the front yard. They were so beautiful! I finally found out that they were Indian Runners. I would like to know how many ducks to get and what kind would be suitable. We really only want them for pets/bug eaters/maybe eggs to eat. Our yard is fenced in the back four feet high. It is a semi-circle with a deck and koi pond that I am willing to convert to a duck pond. The yard is approx. 30 x 40 feet give or take. I am not interested in a bunch of ducks and raising ducks for food so I want to be limited in the number I get. Thank you so much for your help.

-- Heather Sjoquist (sjoquists@aol.com), January 31, 2002

Answers

I like my birds in odd number so perhaps consider a trio (1 male/2 females or all females, I wouldn't go all males). Ducks can be pretty messy, especially when you find duck manure everywhere.

Indian Runners are very unique ducks and are fairly prolific layers so be prepared for eggs. As ducklings, we've found that they need to be kept separated from the other breeds for a bit longer because of their upright stance, they don't seem to be as coordinated quite as quickly and get trampled.

Another thing to consider if you primarily want ornamental ducks is bantam ducks. They are very very pretty but can fly so you'd either have to get them pinioned or clip their wings (very easy to do).

-- Trisha-MN (coldguinea@netscape.net), January 31, 2002.

If runners are what you like, get those. We have them and I really love them, they also come in all colors and patterns. The ducks won't fly over the fence, but your yard and pond are small. Get just two ducks, females if you want eggs, males if you want them to be very quiet. Females quack, the males just whisper. The eggs are good. I think the best way for you would be to get two ducks that are already grown. The work of raising ducklings and keeping them warm, special feed, etc, would be a hassle for just two or three. We feed ours twice a day, 2 parts black oil sunflower seeds to one part wheat. They don't eat very much considering how many we have. There is a book The Home Duck Flock, by Dave Holderread, that I really recommmend. He is the one we buy our ducks from as well, but you had might as well get yours from the flock you saw if they will sell you any, otherwise you'll have to raise them from ducklings.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), January 31, 2002.

Hi, Heather. I'd get a smaller breed if I were you. Larger birds like Pekins and Rouens are very nice, but they do make more manure than smaller breeds do, and in a backyard situation that's probably going to be important. Did you like the Runners? If so, they would be a nice breed for you. Not the biggest birds in the world and are decent egg layers. Half a dozen birds would make a nice backyard flock for ornament and egg laying. I have bantam ducks (Australian Spotteds) and love them, but all the breeds have their good points.

As to the koi pond, know that ducks crap in water as naturally as rain falls, so you'll have to have a way to change the water often. It's great on your garden. Also, they have SO MUCH FUN in a pond it's just a delight to watch them. There's nothing like sitting in a lawn chair watching your duck kids having fun in the pool. :)

-- Jennifer L. (Northern NYS) (jlance@nospammail.com), January 31, 2002.

Response: One person said that my yard seemed too small, so how big should it be? We can easily enlarge tha area since the fence is stapled to the trees and posts. We originally put it up for one of our dogs since we were nervous when we moved in and she never used it at all. Our pond as well sounded small to the same person but I have read a lot about people with kids swimming pools so maybe I am unclear somewhere? Our pond is one of the preformed plasic ones and is 5 x 7 feet and 18 inches deep. We have a water fixture and filtration so will this help or should we get additions? We can also add another pond if needed, just let me know. We have no children and are young so our animals are our babies. Thanks for the responses. I look forward to getting more!

-- Heather Sjoquist (sjoquists@aol.com), January 31, 2002.

Indian Runners are ultimately cool! They are good layers, and if kept with the chicken flock, they adapt very well. Ours are a great source of entertainment. I suggest you start with hatchlings and keep them with the chickens. This has worked well for us. Our first experiment was with adults, and they disappeared, much the same as adult guineas. Try it, you'll like it! GL!

-- Brad (homefixer@SacoRiver.net), January 31, 2002.

If the ducks have access to it then that pond is going to rapidly become a pool of liquid manure - smelly and messy. If you filter it it's going to cost you heaps of time and maybe money changing/washing filters. If you are using it as a visual piece (did what you say imply a fountain of some sort?) then that will no longer be attractive, and any pump might get clogged up. And you are STILL going to have to empty it regularly. Maybe you should fence the ducks away from it. Indian Runners are one of the few that don't actually NEED water to swim and mate in. They'd still enjoy it, but maybe you should give them a small above-ground wading pool you can more easily empty. Your garden would appreciate that too.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), January 31, 2002.

We had Muscovy ducks when growing up. They were supposed to stay in the barn and at the pond, but somehow they found their way to the sidewalks and onto the porches! What a mess. I will never forget the ickiness of stepping into duck poop in the dark, where you wouldnt expect it. But those babies every spring were so cute...

-- daffodyllady (daffodyllady@yahoo.com), January 31, 2002.

We have four Khaki Campbells and one mallard, all females. We had males in the past, but found them to be very aggressive. They actually killed several of my daughter's ducks before we wised up and they went to another home. We've been told it is best to start with ducklings because where they are raised is where they will stay. This proved to be true with the males we gave away; they would not stay at the new farm. The K.C. ducks are prolific layers, but they don't seem to be as hardy as the mallards. What I've read here about ducks being messy is true. We use a child's wading pool for them to swim in and they will make a mess of your pond. We also had to fence in the garden to keep them out because they would destroy all my seedlings. We do enjoy having the fresh eggs and they are watch-ducks - they let us know immediately if anything comes into the yard that doesn't belong there. They do have to be locked in at night so predators don't kill them. Hope this helps.

-- Kris in Wisc (kkwoestman@yahoo.com), January 31, 2002.

Hi there Heather, I had 4 khaki ducks in a yard about 50 by 30 feet, there was NOT alot of mess because the poop is easy to wash into the grass with a quick spray of the water hose,(the grass was beautiful)

I wouldn't use your fish pond because they will fill it up with dirt and poop. Mine where happy with a few dish pans of water placed in different areas of the yard, the key is to be able to dump the pan and rinse it easily, it goes well into a compost pile, ducks like to be clean so changing the water in an easy a quick way is a big plus you can landscape around the pans with some rocks, to keep it from tipping over, maybe up under a trimmed out bush?

I like to start out with babies so they learn to eat from my hand, and are more like pets. I had one hen that would follow me around and come in the house asking for food and company, she ate every bit of lettuce I tryed to grow, but she was a pet in every sense of the word and would come and sit by me if I sat down in the yard, she would greet people she liked with lots of head bobbing and quacking too.

Her name was Coco, and she lived over 6 years, and for most of that time kept us in eggs so well I very rarely bought any.

-- Thumper (slrldr@yahoo.com), January 31, 2002.

I have 11 Pekin ducks. I have the 12 tree orchard fenced and they are confined to that for a couple months of summer when the eagles are hunting. Other times they have the run of half an acre. Pekins are the about the largest of duck breeds, and they are messy. I have 3 kids wading pools for them and they have to be changed at least every other day. Also 3 buckets of water which get changed twice a day. They need fresh water to wash their eyes in. I have a small sump pump that pumps the water out to various places in the gardens. My ducks are drilling for worms or bugs constantly, and a lot of roots get in the pools too, and may interfere with a filter system. I use their eggs all the time. Ducks should have some sort of shelter too, with nest boxes. I would think 4 females would be about right for you needs if you choose a larger breed, 6 of smaller. For a small number with limited space I would suggest not having any drakes.

-- Duffy (hazelm@tenforward.com), February 01, 2002.

Get 3 runners, all female. You'll get eggs anyway. I have one male for 7 females now and finally there is peace in the valley and we're getting 6 eggs a day in midwinter even. I have only one runner in the bunch, and she is not interested in swimming hardly at all. Runners don't have any spare fat to insulate them and flotate them, whereas the other types of duck have. If you mail order ducklings, you'll need to get 10 as that is the minimum hatcheries will ship (so that their collective warmth will keep them alive for the journey.) Better you find someone giving some away...check the feedstore bulletin board. Ducks are great! And who cares about poop on the lawn?... that's fertilizer made out of bugs and slugs -- what could be more satisfying?

-- snoozy (bunny@northsound.net), February 01, 2002.

Had ducks ONCE many years ago. No matter what we did they would not stay at the pond. Always in the barn and hanging around the outside. They really did make a real mess...more so than chickens do !! "Mrs" Duck raised 20 little ducklings that summer. Then one day they were all gone...figure a fox must have gotten to them...but I would consider really hard before I would get them. Good Luck with Your duck adventure !!!

-- Helena (windyacs@npacc.net), February 01, 2002.

Heather: I think you will enjoy having ducks. I had ducks for many years and after preditors got the last one I went for a few years without them, I missed their familiar quacking so much I hatched some last year and am very happy I did. I don't know if you want to raise them from ducklings but it sure is fun and they bond more easily with you. It does take keeping them warm the first month or so.

-- Phyl (Phylronz@aol.com), February 01, 2002.

I started all my baby ducks in the bath tub or the shower, clean up was easy that way, in the tub I put a small towel at the high side so they could walk without slipping. They all learned to like the little space heater (forced air) I kept in the bathroom too. As they got bigger they would even stand in front of a hair drier.

-- Thumper (slrldr@yahoo.com), February 01, 2002.

Starting them in the bathtub -- that's a great idea!...Hmmmn, my husband's favorite part of our house is his jetted tub....give those duckies a thrill ride and turn on the jets -- woo-hoo! I'm KIDDING!

-- snoozy (bunny@northsound.net), February 02, 2002.

You might consider getting a bilge-type hand pump so you can pump a plastic wading pool (for your ducks!) full of duck poop and water to _____(insert location of your choice)...A close-by garden would be recommended!

Ducks are great to have around (especially if you live in a slug or snail habitat!)

-- sheepish (WA) (the_original_sheepish@hotmail.com), February 02, 2002.

I wouldn't get more than 1 male & 2 females for a typical sized yard, such as a fenced in city back yard. They are very messy, yet enjoyable as well as productive. Stay with domesticated ducks & choose whatever kind appeals to you since they are all pretty much the same. I truely enjoy my 108 ducks & 67 geese. They run the place & eat insects as well as weeds & seeds. Duck eggs make the fluffiest noodles & fluff up your baked goods. I feed mine the required 27% gamebird feed. Susan

-- Susan Dunn (sld5825@comteck.com), February 04, 2002.