10 Reasons Why NOT to Keep Ducks?

[@Meedup]

My grandpa used to have ducks, but he also had a lake in his propriety. Since they'd spend most of their time in the water, they were clean, not smelly at all, the would not poop on ground and we'd feed them in the lake so no mess. I can see how keeping a water bird in land would cause those problems.

[@siobhanair2659]

I can see too

[@HiddenSpringFarm]

I’m hoping to have a huge pond in the future too so the ducks will have the time of their life and I’ll have less work to do. 😆

[@Berkeloid0]

I think this is the key. I befriended some wild ducks living around a lake, and they'd see me coming and if I sat on the ground they'd climb all over me hoping I'd have some food for them. But I never found them smelly or dirty at all. I am guessing they only become smelly if you don't have enough water for them to clean themselves with, and it sounds like they probably need a fair bit to do that properly.

[@alisongilbert8902]

Having a LARGE lake or pond or dam is the key, I've had to rehome my ducks and muscoveys because the dam wasn't big enough and they pooped all in the water and fouled it up really bad and it became toxic.

[@Berkeloid0]

@@alisongilbert8902 How big (small?) was your dam and how many ducks did you have? Just curious as I'm not sure exactly what the minimum water-per-duck amount is.

[@karinknol5537]

I recognize everything you mention about ducks but I am completely in love with their strange and mysterious ways. They bring me so much joy and laughs!

[@ericgardner3140]

My only experience with domesticated ducks has been having one as a pet as a kid. He was raised by Labrador Retriever, as we got him right as my dog was rearing 13 puppies. He was, for all intents and purposes, a dog. Or at least he thought so. He would follow my dog everywhere, and was even potty trained. Again, something he picked up from the dogs. We ended up leaving our farm to move to Alaska, and buster was given to a local farmer who hand a large pond on his property. We took him to the pond, and he jumped right in and swam to the other ducks, and never looked back. To this day, I often wonder if he had taught the other ducks any dog like behaviors.😁

[@lornaalfred3743]

❤

[@tombruckner2556]

That's a nice story! Thanks for sharing.

[@rays7437]

Our ducks used to sleep with our Labrador in her doghouse. They were good friends. The even shared her dog food, 😄

[@willytheriot8439]

That is so cool

[@florinaschilean6143]

i cried when i read that...

[@ZeraoraPoken]

My dad used to keep ducks and they would always follow him around his property. Whenever he got home from work they would run/waddle to him and sit on his feet or head. They used to lay in his lap while he fed them celery or lettuce.

[@MiBurnout]

Your dad sounds like he's a cool fella

[@ZeraoraPoken]

@@MiBurnout He really is

[@MiBurnout]

@@ZeraoraPoken if he let his ducks sit on his head, he's definitely cool!

[@kurtkobain7445]

Yes, even when feeding ducks at the local park I always find they really love to come up to you if you have food for them. If Mark is mainly using the feeder instead of feeding by hand, that may be one reason he doesn't find them so friendly.

[@nuggetella]

When you get them from the incubator, first person / living thing they see they identify as mum. ❤👍

[@karengreene4476]

I've kept chickens for almost 42 years and have enjoyed doing so. My neighbor, however, has his first flock (25 or so) of Khaki Campbell ducks. You're completely right about all the noise. It doesn't really bother us, but we're wondering just how many jokes do those ducks know! It sounds like they're always guffawing about something one of them has just said.

[@marlenemcmillan8891]

😂

[@killerluuk]

Ducks hardly make noise if they're happy though. They need a large body of water to wash in and chill in, varied food with fruits and veggies not duck feed and grass to sleep in during day. I have 23 of them and they hardly honkeroony

[@karengreene4476]

@@killerluuk haha, love your "honkerooney" description.

[@tamaliaalisjahbana9354]

@@killerluuk Yes my ducks had a large pond and also a large garden to wander around in and never made any noise. Neither did the geese. I had no chicken

[@beljadajo9470]

😂 I love how they “laugh”

[@telecasterbear]

Ten years is more than a fair go at keeping ducks. Best wishes with the new chickens. Thanks for taking us for the ride into town.

[@GardenJensJourney]

Everyone has their own experience with ducks. When we first got into ducks, we had Pekins. They were absolutely the wrong duck for us. Messy, loud, stinky went through a ton of feed. So we got rid of them. I thought I was done with ducks for good. I then watched a homesteader here in the States who raises ducks and geese (Gold Shaw Farms). I learned a lot and felt comfortable enough to try again with a different breed. This time, I got Khaki Campbell's. I also let them free range. They take care of the bugs in my garden, without destroying it like chickens would, during the growing season. Because they free range, along with the chickens, most of the time, their waste is much more solid, and not so diarrhea like. It also gets worked into the soil by the chickens scratching around. They can be a bit noisy. We have a couple hens who are very vocal. However, that is the sound of farm life out here. It's not as constant as a guinea hen, or some other more vocal creatures, so it's tolerable for me. We also don't have a problem with them not going to bed. Usually they're waiting for us to let them back in their coop. They go to bed a little bit later than the chickens do. It has to be a little bit darker, but they are very excited to get back in the coop and go to sleep at night. I know in places like where you are, you really have to worry about your nocturnal predators. Where we are, the nocturnal predators don't come out till a little bit later after that and we have guard dogs so we're not too concerned. For me the positives outweigh the negatives currently. We no longer have fleas on our homestead. Ticks are kept to a minimum. I haven't lost crops to slugs or things like that this year because the ducks ate all those bugs. Because we can sell duck eggs at a higher price it helps pay for the feed for all of our animals. And.... they're comical. It's just fun to watch them just play and act silly at times. So I'm thankful for my ducks, but like I said, each one has a different experience. 😊

[@flockofone9214]

Love the shout out to Goldshaw Farms! I love my ducks but agree that they can be a hot mess.

[@MyRoosterWisdom]

I like mine also

[@ndl6827]

Thank you so much for the information about the Khaki Campbells!

[@tanyasteers4802]

I love muscovy's not loud males don't even quack and they have such personality

[@llovebleach6530]

I had Muskovy's as well, loved them and their eggs/meat. In SW Florida they were considered trash nuisance animals. My husband and I did a lot of free removal and added to our flock/table. He called it urban hunting. And yes, we free ranged ours

[@caseyglenar7268]

My husband and I raised two orphaned wild ducks (one at a time). Both were friendly and snuggled with us, laying heads on our shoulders. Both would hop on our backs, the kayak, and look for us yet they successfully returned to the wild at their own time. The female came back every year for a time and would hang out near fishermen then take off again. They were lovely!

[@dima6488]

This is so wholesome

[@HiddenSpringFarm]

Hi Mark, I agree with all your reasons apart from the eggs. We like the eggs. you’re so right on though, BUT DUCKS are awesome!!! We’ve had KC ducks for almost two years. I built them this amazing custom duckie bunkie with a 30’ run that backs on to our orchard. Our farm stay guests love taking photos in front of the duck house cause it looks so cool. Some of your issues with ducks are cause you kept them with the chickens. I water and feed them in the orchard so it doesn’t make any mess really. They eat a ton of bugs, fertilize and forage grass and weeds. When they free range they eat less feed too. But then again, no pythons here. I built them a bulk feeder to reduce feed spillage and it’s working great. I’ve also been training our ducks to go to bed when I shout “Tulugan Na” (Go to bed in Filipino cause my wife is a Filipina I thought it would be funny) Ducks also have no issue with the cold winter & snow, but chickens don’t like it much and are more fragile. I love chooks too though. I have a video coming out soon 5 reasons to raise ducks lol while you are getting rid of the ducks lol. Love your videos Mark. I have a build video series on my channel of a custom octagonal 7 coop chicken house and my chickens are loving it. It allows for separation to breed purebreds and I’ll do meat birds next year. I’m slightly sad you got rid of the ducks but I can see a kind of relief in your face now so you do you mate. Cheers, Chad from Ontario, Canada.

[@Selfsufficientme]

G'day Chad, thanks for your comment on keeping ducks. I should say, I did make light of it but I wouldn't have kept ducks for so long if I didn't enjoy keeping them it's just that I decided it was time to move on and "cull" the workload down the back with fewer bird species to look after. I'll have to catch your video when it comes out then! All the best mate :)

[@HiddenSpringFarm]

@@Selfsufficientme haha I won’t hold it against you bud lol it was time I guess eh.

[@chrissewell1608]

Y'all should have swapped chickens and ducks!

[@beneiseoleinmheart5614]

@@Selfsufficientme So Mark... if they sink that much, when they 💩 in water where there are 🐟, then we eat the fish, are we eating their poop, too!!??

[@bonafideslacker2626]

We think our ducks are awesome, too!

[@DB46811]

A great duck alternative is Muscovies, often called “the quackless duck.” Their sound is a quiet whisper. They get much bigger than ducks, for those who butcher (all dark meat, if memory serves), they’re very intelligent and make excellent pets (wagging tails in delight to see their fav friends), and don’t require a pond or swim source so a LOT less messy. They’re actually a South American tree bird. We had them for a number of years, having replaced our ducks for all reasons mentioned. Cheers!

[@martinmorrissey5647]

Muscovies are much friendlier than other ducks but apparently are geese not ducks.

[@fennecbesixdouze1794]

@@martinmorrissey5647 Geese, swans and ducks are all in the same family, there is no biological distinction that makes some of them "ducks" and some "geese", it's just down to tradition what they happen to be called. Muscovy ducks are called ducks, so they're ducks. And no, "tree bird" isn't a distinction, many species of ducks can nest in trees, and Muscovy ducks don't always nest in trees. But yeah, they are much much friendlier. Almost too friendly, imo, I wouldn't be surprised if Mark still found them annoying, even though they don't quack.

[@anti-ethniccleansing465]

“They are very intelligent and make great pets, but it is totally cool to butcher them.” 🙄

[@anti-ethniccleansing465]

@Hippopo tamus It’s better to simply not kill/“butcher” them when they aren’t suffering/near death. You act as if there isn’t a third, much better option.

[@anti-ethniccleansing465]

@Hippopo tamus /whoosh

[@elisadach4887]

We raised our baby ducks with chicks and they learned to 'coop' at night on their own. We raised only Pekin ducks and never found them to be noisy or to wander off at all. They kept us company in the veggie gardens and made short work of slugs, earwigs etc. They never destroyed our plants like the chickens would. The only real issue we found was that they made a mess of their kiddie-pool watering hole very quickly. Super bonus though --- LOVED their eggs.

[@p_eople6789]

If you had to choose one for the maintainability and reward in eggs, which would you pick? Ducks or chickens?

[@marilyns6209]

@@p_eople6789 Chickens lay more eggs than ducks but duck eggs (from White Peking ducks) are bigger than jumbo chicken eggs and their yolks are larger. I'd choose ducks because I love yolks and if I was selling eggs I would still choose ducks. Many people love duck eggs and are willing to pay a good price per dozen whenever they can find them. Here in New England, grocery stores have begun to sell 6-packs of duck eggs. A six-pack of duck eggs sells for about the same price as a dozen large-sized chicken eggs.

[@Broockle]

o ye, I heard of families with small backyard gardens to order some ducks for a day so they can eat every last slug. In central europe slugs are a huge pest and there's no better way to deal with them. Only other thing I know people do is get Wild Hedgehogs to hibernate near your garden so they can take out the slugs in spring. Tho that's really hard to do I think.

[@patriciastewart2537]

Slugs!!! Need to have ducks, ASAP.

[@dirtydish6642]

Our ducks wouldn't coop like our chickens, so after 2 seasons we lost them to fox.

[@Diofcc02]

You are 100% correct, Im going through ALL of these things myself currently. Kids thought they were cute as babies but now all trouble. 🤷‍♀️

[@EC-dz4bq]

Jarjar duck is good... So not all a waste.

[@GeneralHowToTutorials]

I absolutely love your commitment to the video. The fact that you obviously walked that path back and forth like 4 times shows your dedication to making the viewer feel along side with you. Great video.

[@MousseNGizmo]

Thank you for curing any temptation to have ducks! I’m a chicken lover, too. 😅

[@GeneralHowToTutorials]

@@MousseNGizmo umm... what

[@MousseNGizmo]

@@GeneralHowToTutorials maybe I got my comment under your comment instead of directly to the video. Sorry

[@GeneralHowToTutorials]

@@MousseNGizmo lol. Gold

[@diananutt1517]

@@GeneralHowToTutorials 🌱🍉🌽🐝🍀 Hi from Michigan! I agree! Mark was "sweating rivers" because he must have stopped and moved the camera, too, both coming and going❣️ We all know he is a great teacher, and here he has provided a forum for keeping ducks! He doesn't pretend to do everything perfectly and welcomes the comments of people who may have a solution. What a lovely, strong man. Intelligent and with a great sense of humor. Love that he made sure the 4 ducks found a happy home. (I hope they got their lake or big pond.) Wonderful comments from experienced duck tenders follow.) 🌿🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆💦

[@katielilly2357]

Ducks are amazing for fertilizer! Take the stinky pooped in water and put it on your garden. I did that last summer and my food production was EPIC! Unlike chicken poo the nitrogen in duck poop is diluted and readily available to plants without the burning problems chicken poo brings As a horticulturist, I could not recommend ducks more highly for a successful eco system. Love your channel mate, its awesome. Just had to object.

[@dollyhadbraces9361]

Cool

[@elainekomara8555]

Rabbit droppings are also excellent for gardening. It’s not hot. I would just put it in the garden and wow, everything grows and I was happy to see that..!

[@aleisterlavey9716]

Sounds like they would fit in a hydroponic system, where fish and plants are kept in combination.

[@badeadrian]

Human poop 💩 it's good as well 🤗..I do use all the time on my tomatoes... they are growing so big and delicious...

[@onouphrios]

@@badeadrian what the fuck?

[@Makahafarmer808]

Greetings from Hawaii. I've raise muscovy ducks on my property for 14 years. I just raise them all for egg and meat productions. Ducks are good investments. Plus their manure is the best fertilizer I have ever had. I have a tangerine tree that produces more fruit than I ever had. Plus papayas grew to the size of a football.

[@deefed7973]

Aloha! Mahalo for your wisdom.

[@maddoxinc1642]

I wish I lived in a tropical region. Honestly, on mainland US we don't really have a tropical region and that makes me sad.

[@joshroberts243]

@@maddoxinc1642 Florida begs to differ

[@joeyhunter842]

@@maddoxinc1642it is said Florida is subtropical but Miami and the Keys are tropical IMO

[@T-a-b-b-s]

Weird my ducks killed my entire yard

[@warrax111]

Man, this channel is god blessed. In 2010, I was starting to building knowhow and project, how to live life like this, and gathering lots of materials, preparing myself. Unfortunately, I've got bad disease, and struggling to this day, so it crossed my plans, as I've needed to focus everything, money and every bit of energy to focusing on healing this disease. After some years, I've pulled that "dream" into buffer " to the future, or maybe never" and packed it. I've stopped solving that. But now, I'm dreaming again, when I saw your channel. Saw already 3 videos, will definately watch them all, and probably download them, in case of blackout or some kind of collapse of civilization. Hope in that time, I will have my own solar power plant, and lots of disks, notebooks, so I can use it when needed. Good luck to you, and cheers for bravery, to realize that , in this "addictive of modern lifestyle" age.

[@beareggers]

When I was in high school I was picking my sister up from her university. It was my father's birthday, so we were coming to see him. We stopped at the feed store and they had chicks out for sale since it was in season for them. Sister and I called my mom, "Say Mom... don't you think Dad would love keeping chickens." Mom replied, "NO! absolutely not! Under no circumstances are you to bring a chicken home." So we bought him a duck.

[@MrKnutriis]

How did that go over?

[@rubyblu21]

Every afternoon after school I had to go chase the ducks from the neighbours swimming pool back home. Every damn afternoon! I had to dump my stuff and jump into the pool and create such a fuss that they'd fly back home. They also nip you on the ankles🤦 chickens are so much easier, they put themselves away at night, alert you if there's predators around and when they've laid an egg. They also keep mice at bay. They're curious and interactive. Oh I miss my chickens 😢 I use to sit out in my backyard on a rug drinking wine while the kids played and the chickens scratched around and would come hang with either me, the kids or follow the cats around the yard.

[@chrissewell1608]

To funny?

[@tingting4980]

When I lived in my village as a young girl I was the one who had to take care of the ducks, getting them to the water and back home. Gather the eggs and feed them. I enjoyed it. When I came to America and started raising chickens I was very surprised how different they are. So compared to keeping chickens, ducks are a mess. Glad you are happier and not going crazy by the quacks anymore^^

[@bcraigphelps2649]

I found that segregating the ducks from the chickens worked out better. The ducks are great on pastures and keep the grass well mowed and fertilized. A pond or pool for them is a big plus.

[@suecampbell4811]

Mark, we live in south Florida and we have Muskovy and Mallard ducks behind our house because there's a waterway. Muskovy ducks are so accustomed to living in south Florida that its common to see them walking down the street, in shopping center parking lots - just about everywhere. We've found duck eggs and ducks sitting on top of a pile of eggs in our front and back yard. You are right - they crap everywhere and its liquid and stains the pavers. We haven't had trouble with them because we gently talk to them and they keep going but our neighbors have chased the ducks, only to find the ducks swimming in their pools and dirtying the pavers around their pools. We are convinced that the ducks are purposely targeting those neighbors who've chased them off!

[@hildegundsmjmhohenfels3396]

@Sue Campbell Re those targeted neighbors it pretty much sounds like "forgiving was never an option" :-xD Greetings and best wishes from North Germany :)

[@Dbb27]

I had a foreclosure listing in S FL and every time I went there (weekly property checks) I had to look out for the Muscovy ducks. They seemed to think it was their territory and they were going to protect it at all costs. Sometimes I would see them coming and have to run around the house so they would chase me. Fortunately, I was faster than a Muscovy duck and I could get in the front door without getting attacked. I don't know if they would have nipped but I wasn't going to find out!

[@gloriajones4000]

THANKS FOR MAKING MY DAY WITH A GOOD LAUGH

[@danielmorse4213]

Ducks are smart like that. Lol, they look not organised, but then they start to quack in unison. Lol,

[@NCRRanger7753]

Crows are like that as well. A girl had given a crow a dime as a gift when she was little and it kept bringing gifts back to her for a long time until it either died or moved on to another area. Another story was, a guy had left a couple fish for crows outside and when a coyote went to try and attack his cat, he saw on his camera that they started divebombing the coyote and chased it away lol.

[@missymoonwillow6545]

I really appreciate this episode. We have ducks. They are crazy! Straight up nuts! Ours keep multiplying, the females like to go off and build mystery nests in the forest, and return a month later with 9+ new little faces to feed. It gets out of control super fast, they do not listen, they sing and dance all night long. Full moon magic is the worst, the ducks stay up and behave like it's daytime when the moon is out. It's a lot. Very noisy. BUT, their poops are desperately needed for this forest, anything helps... so... for now... we'll endure this insanity. So appreciate you. Beaming love from NE Washington, USA. 🦆🐤🐣🐓

[@killerluuk]

Ducks hardly make noise if they're happy though. They need a large body of water to wash in and chill in, varied food with fruits and veggies not duck feed and grass to sleep in during day. I have 23 of them and they hardly honkeroony

[@KOKO-uu7yd]

Thank you so much, for doing what you can for your forest!!💞💞

[@tamaliaalisjahbana9354]

@@killerluuk Yes, I find the same with mine. They make no sound at all but they have all the things you mentioned.

[@dennismaggie910]

So funny about the full moon nights! I have 22, mostly all females (only the ladies quack) and adore hearing them. I’ll pay attention next full moon as I haven’t noticed that. But I do notice it’s more difficult to get the chickens in when the moon is beaming bright; I have to lure them in with feed. Duckies are also a bit away on the pond but I hear them all through the day or when they waddle over for a treat. N.California.

[@hsavov]

Check out Syntropic Farming/Agriculture to see how to maintain Your forest without the need to resort to ducks. These are good video examples in my opinion: watch?v=gSPNRu4ZPvE , watch?v=YBPLrr9Hph0 .

[@terriepaterson6118]

I don't know how I haven't come across this chanel before now. I've been pretty much house bound for the past 4 years and I watch a LOT of youtube, movies, documentaries, crime shows and the like, but this is fabulous. I grew up on a farm in the Tweed Valley and this chanel takes me back to my childhood. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge, skill, enthusiasm and passion for nature and all things natural. I have been binge-watching your episodes today and will continue until I've caught up. :) Thanks again.

[@jerryhyland1554]

another good channel you might like is white house on the hill. check it out.

[@alisonr9608]

I had two female runner ducks kept with chickens. They followed me all the time. Very loving ducks.

[@Bobamelius]

My friend has two ducks (first one followed him home, no idea where it came from, second one he got to go with her since they are social and need a friend) and they are super adorable and pretty friendly*. We love them. *they don't let you cuddle them or anything but they enjoy hanging out and just beyond arm's length, will occasionally accept head rubs and will eat plants and treats out of your hand. Several of the issues here are mitigated because they can free range in the yard all day, eating plants and bugs and needing very little feed, and not concentrating all their mess into a small pen. No predators around here to threaten them. Dirty water continues to be an issue, my buddy and I are theorizing building them a little circulating pond with filtering plants to keep the water clean. The eggs are delicious as well! Rich, creamy and delicious. Guess it depends on their diet?

[@kqdwills]

I had muscovies and I gave them fresh water in a kiddy pond every other day. They were not smelly at all. When the water got dirty I used the water for my raised beds like fertilize, so I can save the water cost and made used of the manure. Although they say duck manure can be used directly to plants, I didn't use that liquid to water the plants. I used that to enrich my raised beds between crops. I put the kiddy pool next to the raised beds, so it wasn't hard to transfer. For the watery poop, you can used hays to make their beds, then put them in your compost pile, or put that directly at the bottom inside the plant pots or btms of raised beds, so you can make use of everything. All the reasons in this clips are legit. However, for Asians who prefer duck meat and duck eggs over chicken meat and eggs, we find the ways around to avoid most of those problems. Duck meat is more expensive than chicken meat for a reason, and duck eggs is selling in the Asian stores for a dollar each. Duck meat is not supposed to be grilled. They have to be cooked thoroughly, or be roasted in a special roaster to bring out the best flavor and make their skin best texture, yet you can still use your regular oven . There are plenty of ways to cook them and duck meat is considered by most much more tasty than chicken meat, if you cook them properly. To me. duck eggs also taste way better than chicken eggs, flavor wise. For me, the main problem is regular ducks are loud in the city. Some duck breeds don't have this issue though, esp muscovies . You can have muscovies in your backyard, and your neighbors don't even know you have them. Depends on the breeds and also the individuals, some of them are quieter than others, like some Welsh Harlequins, Pekins, Silver Appleyard , ... are generally not too noisy breeds. They also lay many more eggs, comparing to Muscovies. Sometimes even in the breeds considered loud like the Indian runners, Khaki Campbel,... you can find some very quiet individuals, and those breeds usually lay tons of eggs, outlay the chickens, much more than the quiet breeds. You can also retire the loud ones. Muscovies are quiet, but they grow slower and eat a lot of food. Otoh, they are good foragers, can eat grass, grow very big, can eat slugs and grasshoppers, don't destroy your vegetable garden like chickens do, have tasty, low-fat meat, and can hatch their own eggs, so you don't need to buy an incubator. If you have a few muscovy hens, you can use them as your incubators and use them to hatch all the chicken/ duck eggs available in your backyard from other breeds too. All the ducks consume lots of food. If their food don't have enough protein diet, they would not lay eggs. So buying dog/ cat food in bulk choosing the ones which are high in proteins to mix with cooked rolled corns, barleys, bird food, veggies and kitchen's scraps can save you lots of money on feeds since duck / chicken food usually cost more. You can feed them almost everything from your kitchen to save the cost on food like left over food, expired pasta, carrot skin, sweet potato's skin, fish heads.... Cut them small and mix everything together with some water like a mash, so they can eat them all and not wasting any food. The more varied of their diet, the better their meat taste. I'm buying a property with more land , so I'm gonna have ducks again. To me, so far I have a problem with butchering ducks or chickens that I raised, especially ones that I raised from their young age. Despite they weren't raised like pets, and I didn't name them, I still couldn't bring myself to butcher any of them so far, and ended up rehoming them and still being craving for walking duck/ chicken meat ( had to buy store bought chicken meat which is much inferior to the backyard chicken meat. A duck was selling in an Asian market for almost 30 usd ). But I did eat the eggs though. Hopefully in the future when I have more ducks/ chickens, maybe a few dozens of ducks/ chickens, then I can finally have walking( free ranged) chicken/ duck meat from my backyard.

[@littlefairyland763]

So agreee..

[@thealrightygina5725]

Yeah, muscovies are the way to go if you want quiet ducks. Only the females of mallard derived domestic ducks make the loud quack, so if you're just wanting them for meat you can stick with males to avoid that particular issue. When you get back into them, you should try mule ducks -- crossing a muscovy drake with heavy breed females. Apparently they grow faster and are just as delicious as the muscovy (though I haven't had a chance to try it...I ended up with only one male with my first group and I don't eat the females...they're worth too much selling around here if I have surplus).

[@ib4ugod45-1]

Kenny, thank you so much for your comment! Very informative!! Extremely helpful!! 🦆❤️

[@rockypluto2683]

SO i have a question here.. i grew up eating tasty delicious muscovy duck and don't ever remember having that gamey smell but i dont know how they processed it to remove that gameness.. Question is do you know on how to remove gaminess from Muscovy or any duck before cooking ? Im trying to cook and eat them again and each time has had gaminess to it--TIA

[@kqdwills]

@@rockypluto2683 First you gotta cut off the duck's butt/ tail where ít has the oil glands. This part make the duck smell bad while being cooking. There are some mixtures that you use to rub/ massage well on the ducks inside and out, mostly on the skin for at least a few minutes before rinse out thoroughly. The process can be repeated . 1. Smashed ginger ( #30g), sea salt and high alcohol volume wine ( most effective). 2. salt, vinegar, smashed ginger. 3. salt, 1 tbsp flour, lime juice. You can use one of the 3 above mixtures, or 2 different ones if you need. Dip the whole duck several times in hot water with added vinegar, salt, ginger, also help. Those techniques can be used to remove the smell of any kind of meat, beef, fish or pork, especially lamb and goat, not just ducks. Dip them in boiled water with added above spices, then discard the water before cooking in new water. The duck then can be cooked with other spices to add flavors and remove the duck smell. Mostly add flavors, since your ducks don't smell if you did the preparation properly. Herbs use for this purpose are lemongrass, shallots, garlic, green onion, lime leaves, ginger,... depend on the dish. There are at least a few dozens of authentic duck dishes to cook. Too many to list here. You can search on GG or YT for those recipes, preferably from the Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai as they have thousands of years culture of cooking/ eating ducks. One important trick when you cook duck meat is you gotta cook them long enough to get tender. Cook them with added wines/ beer ( at least a few tbsp, more if using beer), cause the high fat content under the form of fatty acids could react with alcohol to form ester. Ester smell/ taste good and the fat level can be reduced. Duck meat tends to be chewy. When you cook duck meat in the pot long enough, there will be a layer of duck fat on the top, you can remove them for healthy eating. Before cooking, marinate duck meat with half teaspoon of baking soda would make the meat more tender. And in the dish duck cook with shiitake mushrooms, carrot and pineapple, the acidic from pineapple would also make the duck meat become tastier and tender.

[@Jlundeen]

We used to have a few ducks for many years and had a very different experience, but our situation was different too. They had the run of the yard and so didn't have a small space to mess up. They were very companionable, laid their eggs in one place and did not smell bad at all. We did give them a small pool and they liked to wash themselves in it. They did dirty it up, so we watered the garden with it and refilled it once a week or so. For feed they ate chicken food, but we mixed it with water like a mash, and it was not wasted. Ducks don't do as well with dry food. We had chickens too and they got along fine. And I like duck eggs. :) It seems to me a lot has to do with how you keep them. For your situation it sounds like ducks aren't the way to go.

[@liamsdad33]

What size pool did you use?

[@Jlundeen]

@@liamsdad33 It was just a small plastic kiddie pool. Like 4-6 feet.

[@liamsdad33]

@@Jlundeen thank you!

[@FutureTruth88]

I just bought eight chicken hatchling today and saw ducklings at the store as well. I was just thinking of going back tomorrow to get a few ducklings, but I'm thankful for having seen this video first. Thanks for your channel, mate!

[@Michilar]

I've only raised ducks and I love them. I got them mainly to keep my yard clean of pests, but now, with their entertaining antics, both my husband and I adore them like pets. We are not the only ones. Both adults and children come from around the neighborhood to watch the ducks and love them just as much. Their poop IS runny, but since a lot of my yard is covered with mulch, it's absorbed quickly and breaks down quickly to provide nutrients to my plants. We do spend a lot of time with the ducks, and although they are not cuddlers and don't appreciate being petted, they do run to us when we come back from errands or a walk etc. They tend to stay quiet, unless they are hungry, in which case they do quack. We are not bothered by the quacking at all and neither are my neighbors, in fact, when our neighbors don't hear them, they ask us if the ducks are still doing well. I never ever hear them at night. Since my ducks bathe in their little kiddy pool every day, I never have had to deal with mites or skin issues. The eggs make great omelets and are definitely great for baking. I think there are duck people and chicken people and I'm definitely a duck person.

[@wonderwoman88dt70]

I had pekin ducks, and although I loved them dearly.....I couldn't take the mess anymore! I found them a new home. I love and prefer my chickens. Everything you said is 100 percent true and I can totally relate!

[@user-kl6yu7cl3i]

after ten years you’re more than qualified to make a decision that best suits your farm/garden, good luck with the new chickens and thanks for the information.

[@Selfsufficientme]

Thanks Andy! Cheers mate :)

[@Anonymous-km5pj]

@@Selfsufficientme No, you're right. Tried 3x in 10 years to keep ducks with chickens thinking I'm too picky.... Could never get used to them drilling by and in the water, forever having to change it, and they'd immediately shit in it. Me then: holding back tears..... Me now: happy as a lark. Alone, def low maintenance, w a pond they'd be fine if you like them as a food source but seriously, God knew what He was doing when He gave dogs and chickens to humans _especially_ when you tend to order and affection. Thank you and God bless!!

[@Jabreezylife]

Appreciate the witty and honest review

[@robertreisner6119]

I have a creek bordering my property and I have a neighbour downsteam that also fed the ducks. They usually stayed in the creek only coming out to feed or explore the ground near their feeding area. For 14 years they kept both of us trained to feeding times and recreational toys, seesaws, tunnels and other things. The amount of cracked corn that we both bought over the years would probably fill a 20 foot container. The flock grew to 242 ducks,...until the eagles and owls discovered the taste of corn fed ducks. The slaughter was completed in 2 weeks, and they were all gone. Five years later a small flock of wild ducks are starting to return. They never once interacted with my chickens since I keep them in their own area. Thanks for your video, your situation is much diffrent fom my property which is on the edge of the wilderness here in south centeral Alaska.

[@PellegrinoPool]

that story was kinda sad.

[@lorettahaley266]

I never had problems with the ducks, even the drake, killing my chickens. I do however agree with you on the duck eggs. I used them to supplement the dog food. I had half a dozen geese at the same time. I had gotten them as body guards for the chickens. All geese, no ganders, and no more troubles with fox, racoon, or weasles. Goose eggs are quite tasty and much more similar to chicken than duck, except for the size. One egg = one omelet 😊 Awesome video, like your new ladies

[@jksatte]

Aren't geese water animals? I don't know why I thought they flew around and lived in lakes like the wild ducks. There were some wild one's by one of my jobs. There was that man made lake (retention pond) business have sometimes. I remember I thought they were ducks but a coworker told me they were geese and she said you could tell because they were two big to be ducks.

[@lorettahaley266]

@@jksatte geese are water birds, just like the ducks. I had one of those turtle shaped sand boxes that the kids grew out of, that I kept full of water. I changed and cleaned it about every other day. The chickens used it for water, and the ducks and geese played in it.

[@fireflyfarmletontheeno777]

It's the supremely frisky drake mating with the chicken that kills it. Ducks have penises, roosters don't. So what you saw in the video was the Drake trying to Kate with the chicken.

[@Anonymous-km5pj]

thinking about geese for the reasons you said. And must you lock them in the coop at night or are they ok staying out? I have a LGD. Thank you and God bless.

[@lorettahaley266]

@@Anonymous-km5pj i locked mine in but that was more for the chickens. Geese will only protect their "home" so they need to think of the coop and pen as that. Geese are quite good at self defense but I'm not sure how well they see at night. So a lgd would be a good idea, as long as they didn't see it as a threat.

[@milinkerhe]

We have had Indian runners for 10 years, and whilst I agree with a lot of your points, I could never contemplate getting rid of them. We put them to free roam and feed in the river in the day and it works perfectly. They are so much more fun than our chickens.

[@snoopydog3328]

Chickens just don't do it for me, I like Ducks :) They're a lot smarted than chickens too!

[@mang0donald874]

Yikes what a terrible name

[@InkyBlitz]

@@mang0donald874 Cringe comment.

[@placate9051]

@@mang0donald874 yikes projecting your own racism on others 😬

[@chelle6838]

We went on a holiday with our kids and the ducks there made such an impression on us that we got caught up with the idea of having our own! At times, this was something my husband and I seriously regretted. The duckling experience was beautiful, they'd follow us in a line, they'd sit on our laps while we watch telly. But as they got older, we were aware of the smell. They were moved outside and then attracted all these bugs to their straw. We then made a seperate coop to them than the chickens. It was always so messy, sludgy and sloppy due to their constant need for water, which they reduced to brown tainted water in minutes and the flies that were drawn to their poop was overwhelming. We then got the ducks and chooks to share and started to add some shell grit into the soil. This has firmed it up and having the chickens with them has reduced the sludgy muddiness as they turn the soil with all their digging and scratching. I am also aware that the bugs and flies have dramatically decreased so they definitely keep insects down. They can be so noisy though and if you have a drake, make sure there are multiple females to meet his needs. We ended up rehoming 2 because of the noise. Recently they have started hiding their eggs, which is annoying. Although I'm attached to them, I would not recommend having ducks if you live in the suburbs.

[@brianmoore4299]

Hi Mark. Great video. When I was a child we lived near a creek in the greater Los Angeles area. A white goose decided to make our yard his home. We played with it and I swear it acted like a guard dog if someone came in the fence. Would chase and try to bite strangers who came in. Flapping it's wings the whole time. We did not feed or clean anything. It took care of itself and just adopted us and our yard next to the creek bed. Was interesting to see just how territorial it was.

[@brianmoore4299]

I reminded my mom about that old bird and she corrected me and said it was a duck not a goose and yes it did make a mess everywhere. Guess I was too young then to remember correctly.

[@alexia3552]

@@brianmoore4299 I love waterfowl, they're little dinosaurs and they know it

[@patriciajones9711]

Having just processed some of the ducks at our house I totally agree with about the hard work and the stink. But I do love their laughter. I took your advice and never mixed them with chickens. They can learn to love you if you have a bag of peas😋. Thanks for sharing and I’m glad it’s not my imagination about some of the issues.

[@andypappy945]

give 'peas' a chance, eh? Right on, sister. Keep truckin'.

[@elisabethnm4492]

So you give them peas to trust you and then.. You murder them? That's macabre.💔

[@chadwickhurlburt6529]

Had ducks when I was younger. Muscovy ducks were our choice. Nice, large, quiet, eggs taste good, not your typical style of duck. Muscovy are the way to go. They eventually started roosting in the trees instead of in a pen, except for those with young ducklings. Rarely lost a mature duck to a predator. But yeah, normal ducks....I wouldn't keep them either.

[@PBraggMarinette]

We had a neighbor who fed the local ducks a big bag a feed everyday. In two months, the hen had a flock of 13 and then her daughters each had 12, when the hen had another brood later in Summer, we had to call the wildlife control - four ducks had multiplied to over 50 in a Summer! I feel number 1 - 10!

[@javayna2353]

Ducks are good food!

[@axelfoley1768]

That's why duck shooting exists. Thousands upon thousands if they aren't culled/eaten. Animal activists are idiots

[@Cypeq]

Every animal does that, they will happily multiply in prosperity.

[@CyberPolice9]

That sounds like a lot of good food!!!

[@qee540]

thats harvest. why not capitalize on it?

[@yingg.6051]

My neighborhood only allows non quacking ducks, so I've only kept a dozen Muscovy ducks over 6 years. They're messy but not smelly, super quiet and low drama. I much prefer their eggs and meat over other duck eggs I've bought. This is probably the only duck I'll ever keep again, but the daily water mess and their strong sharp claws still make me hesitate

[@tomicorevilak7710]

I was wondering about the Muscovy ducks. I read a lot about them and seem to have less of the issues than what was mentioned.

[@dannyv84oz]

@@tomicorevilak7710 they’re actually more closely related to geese than ducks …

[@eliseviv]

Our muscovys are messy, but none of the other issues mark had (also no drakes!!)

[@cm-xq5zj]

@@tomicorevilak7710 muscovy ducks are my absolute favourite!!! They are so quiet and friendly! They will follow you like dogs. They are really intelligent. I have other breeds, Pekin and others over the years. But none compare to the muscovy! And I used to think they were the ugliest duck I had ever seen, I feel so guilty saying that! They are wonderful!

[@duckmama]

Duck enthusiast here! I think your particular set up and where you live might be the source of why ducks just haven't worked out for you. I totally see why you'd get rid of them. I also see how these particular issues rose their ugly head. I mean, I'm shocked that you don't like the eggs but that's just personal preference 😂 Having said that, just want to throw that out there that they may be perfect for someone for a different set up! Lots of people may never see any of these problems at all. I sure don't. I got quiet, well-behaved, neutral smelling, clean quackers that are joy to be around.

[@shilohharris7333]

What kind of ducks do you have, and what is your particular set up that you find works really well?

[@zoe9632]

A good set up was definitely lacking.

[@k9wolf07]

I've only ever kept Muscovy Ducks so I don't have any experience with regular ducks but I prefer Muscovy's to chickens. They don't quack, their very quiet and instead have a lovely cooing sound so its great for a backyard/suburb/city farm. The males are huge, easily twice as big as the females and act as roosters and will fend off predators to an extent but because they don't quack or crow like a rooster their legal to keep in most backyards which also means you can have ducklings and stock your freezer with meat and the males are good eating to. They also hunt flies and mosquitos and I preferred their eggs because I like the yolk and the yolks on their eggs are huge. My only real problem was their poop, it was hard to keep their coop clean, I don't have them anymore but I would definitely love to have them again on a bigger property. Chickens are easy but loud and tear up the yard, Muscovies are the best but messy, Rabbits are the worst and they don't even taste very good.

[@XiahouJoe]

I came here to say exact same when I got to the part about Noise. 1 word Muscovy. Agree with your whole post including part on rabbits

[@watchwomanofthedragon8376]

I love Muskovies. The eggs are awesome and harvesting them is yummy too.

[@libbysevicke-jones3160]

Great ducks to keep. Eggs are lovely and the ducks are good eating- l cook them like mutton - long and slow on a med heat 😋

[@guillaumedep1]

I'm getting Muscovies, chickens and rabbits. The ducks will be a new experience so I'm glad for the affirmation on that. I'm not sure what y'all are doing to the rabbits you've had that they don't taste good, but there's no arguing with taste. Farmed or wild, they're good eating as far as I'm concerned.

[@k9wolf07]

@@XiahouJoe I know a lot of people have great success with rabbits but I just couldn't get them to work, they were a nightmare. Only the Silver fox breed had any success but just wasn't worth the hassle. Cant recommend the Muscovy's enough though, they were fantastic.

[@JillBallenger]

I think your problem with ducks is that you keep expecting them to act like chickens, and they're just not. They're water birds and they're grazers. Ducks don't produce saliva, so they need water to swallow their food. That's why they slop up your chicken feeders. You have to keep them separate. Also, ducks don't roost at night. (except Muscovies) That's why they aren't going into your coop. I go out every night with a treat for mine, and if I'm not on time, they come to the house and get me. Right into the coop they go for their goodies. If you leave them in till 9 or 10 in the morning, all their eggs will be there, because although they do drop them anywhere, they only lay at night. They're great grazers, and will keep your grass down while cutting back on your feed bill. Sometimes you get a weird drake or rooster that tries to mate across species. I've got a pain in the ass rooster that is constantly harassing my female ducks. As for the eggs, my neighbors all love them. I usually give them eggs without telling them they're ducks, because if I tell them beforehand, they get weird about them. (although eggs from pond ducks can taste a bit fishy) Sorry your ducks didn't work out for you. I love my ducks & chicks equally.😉😁😁

[@bloke3006]

Love my Peking ducks! Expanding the ducks this year, reducing the chickens! I find ducks so easy to keep, much easier that chickens. Couple of things I do differently. During the winter I only feed grain out of specific grain feeders I got from the UK. The ducks free range ALL the time apart from spring, when I house them of an evening for egg collection. One big thing is I have a largish pond! I tried keeping duck before I had a pond and like you gave up because of some of the issues you have raised, but a pond was a game changer! Lastly, I live in Tasmania, whilst we aren’t predator free we don’t have wild dogs, foxes, or pythons. Hawks, eagles and especially crows on young ducklings can be troublesome. I enjoy the odd quack quack quack not to mention the duck leg confit! Cheers.....Bloke!

[@alisn.7998]

The thing ducks are best with, is free access to a decent amount of water, even a couple of deepish tin baths set into the ground, but preferably a pond, even a fairly small one. I have three ducks, no drake, in an English garden, and they don’t quack very often, being busy finding slugs, snails, etc, and eating grass. And washing and enjoying their water access. I feed mine at bedtime, and they’ll be waiting for me either outside the duck house, or at my door, hoping to encourage me to put them to bed with their supper. I get daily eggs, and far less mess than hens, who scratch up seedlings and young plants, and move quite large pebbles by scratching. Duck droppings are easily absorbed into grass, or dry quickly otherwise, unlike stinky hen droppings. And ducks are hilarious!

[@ducksinarowpatience]

Here here!

[@SonoraSlinger]

Having a water source for them to be in really takes care of just about every issue. If you have a pond, or are willing to make one, they are amazing to keep. And the eggs beat chicken eggs every time.

[@grannypeacock]

I used to buy duck eggs as a treat and they were amazing

[@SonoraSlinger]

@Idk__ in all honesty, the best logic to dig a pond is- there is NO good reason not to.

[@crazyflowerlady1060]

A pond is the ideal way to keep them yes. They need to dip their bills to remove the dirt/ debris they accumulate and they frequently drink to aid swallowing after eating. To me the eggs are good.

[@ondreacounts2556]

Well for him, it's not a wise idea to build a pond for ducks bcuz of all the predators that are in his area. He'd soon find there wouldn't be any more ducks or their eggs if he were to do that. Lol

[@SonoraSlinger]

@@ondreacounts2556 pfffft. I had Fisher cats, Coyote's, and bears come for my 20 chickens and 30 ducks. They never got into the coop. A responsible person ensures their safety.

[@joannewolfe5688]

Really helpful, as I was considering whether to get ducks (and/or chickens and quail). I grew up with ducks on a small farm and love roast duck meat. But I've never raised them myself as an adult. I have raised chickens numerous times and like them quite well, but where I'm living now I'm not allowed to have a rooster. I'll probably get quail once I have the infrastructure in place...but now after watching this video I have decided: NO DUCKS at my current location. I will stick with chickens for eggs, and then invest in quail for meat, since I can fly under the local radar with the quail. Thanks!

[@GoldBawls]

I hope you research the quail- they are noisy as heck!

[@georgegates526]

I wonder what quail tastes like? (I love duck meat.)

[@michelleobrien6996]

Quail for the meat? I have 4 Quail (who are not noisy at all btw). I'm feeling over it and suggested to friends that we butcher and cook them (sounds so cruel I know). These friends are very willing to kill fish, chicken, duck, do the preparation and cook them. For Quail they refuse saying "they are to small and have too little meat, it's not worth the effort "

[@royalpitamamma]

I love how loud they are. It warns me of predators and things. I have 5 Pekin that absolutely are all of the things you mentioned, but to me, that's the highlight.

[@Baybieangel209]

I've had chicken and ducks since I was a kid. I've had 30 years experience with them. My chicken and ducks gets along and they follow me around. I get to pet them and hold them. I'm sorry you had bad experiences with ducks. Your mainly right about ducks but a few things you could do with some different methods. 🥰. Love watching your videos btw. It's so calming and educational, especially about gardening. ❤

[@PellegrinoPool]

i aggree. but everyone calls me a "nature nurd" so guess i'm not the only one. my son said he would rather watch paint dry.. when i asked how could you stand to do that he said.............exactly

[@arachyd1]

I've had ducks in the past. Muscovy ducks are very different and you should give them a try. They aren't noisy at all. Their most common noise is a breathy hiss and only the females can quack, which they very rarely do. They lay plenty of large eggs and provide a very large carcass for meat. They forage a lot eating anything they can catch, including flies. They don't need to swim and will actually sink if forced to float for any length of time. They will hop into their water pans but all animals should have a daily water change anyway. They are also extremely friendly if raised from ducklings. If you keep the feed a bit away from the water it won't get so messy.

[@jacobmarley2417]

This was one of the most insightful and authentic lists i have ever seen. Mixed with he straightforward information and humor was a hoy to watch. As a person who always thought i wanted ducks given the proper land i think you may have swayed me from that path and i thank you very much. Liked and subscribed sir.

[@Robohead-z6z]

Trying looking at what others say. I’m sure duck have some pros and cons.

[@susansailors1716]

I had 3 ducks and 2 geese as pets many years ago. I loved them. I raised them from babies and they all followed me around the yard and would sit at my feet.

[@unconditionalascension3056]

Same even wild ducks don't tend to run from me lol

[@dumdumdumdum8804]

The reason is you are not going to eat them, are you?

[@unconditionalascension3056]

@@dumdumdumdum8804 It isnt usually my intention no lol however I will

[@edeltraudgrace5186]

I love ducks. They make the best pets and can be very tame if you look after them right from hatching. Many of my friends also keep ducks and love them too. Get them very young and when you get older ducks, make sure they are used to people already. Once learnt to be careful of people they will stay like that their whole life. The babies here, I see that they are also not tame as they are imitating their parents. I would only take ducks when they are able to roam free on a big property and have some nice water sources. When they can roam a big garden they are beautiful fertilizer and will remove the snails from the plants. They are MUCH better in the garden than chickens. I am able to raise veggies now after the fox got all our chickens. The ducks never had problems with the chickens that we had but they literally got along super well. Also, the drakes never jumped a chicken although I know that this can happen and indeed can this be a huge problem. Generally, I also loved the chickens but I also love my veggie garden, this is why I decided to only keep ducks. With chickens, I would prepare my veggie garden, plant seedlings and when I was not careful all the seedlings were ripped out by the chickens and the garden was dug over. Also, I found it hard to do some focused work in the garden as the chickens would literally sit on my shoes while I was working. The ducks simply stick around , observe me and wait their turn and wait then they search for some snails or bugs or spiders when I did an area over. Also, ducks want to feel safe when handled. The way you hold the babies shows me that you do not focus on them with care. Ducks are more sensitive in that regard than chickens and I suppose therefore also more intelligent. When the fox got all of our seven chickens, the next morning all the ducks showed signs of mourning. They huddled around the empty chicken cage the whole day and were very quiet. Ducks can be incredibly loving and caring creatures!!! I only use the eggs for baking as they are absolutely wonderful for any baking project but taste horrible when fried, I agree with you. My cakes are always better when using duck eggs.

[@panchoverde5078]

I saw a duck get grabbed by a snapping turtle while underwater. All the other ducks on the pond were visibly shaken.

[@Jhunta]

hey mark!!! I kept ducks for a year and I just culled all of em right as winter approached cuz I decided I ddnt want that work load/water work for another cold winter. amazing! ducks are MESSY! I told my friend, a duck's favorite food is water and their poo resembles that! I love your content mate! cheers!

[@jamwayofaiken-augustarockb7643]

I am so glad that you are making this videos I hope that you don't stop because I have enjoyed everyone that I have seen so far

[@adedow1333]

I had wondered, Mark from your previous video, exactly how long your ducks were going to last. It seemed like you were pretty sick of them (except for the babies, which are always wonderful). I'm glad to know you and another lady both came out with the best end of that deal! Glad to see you happier

[@janedoe2817]

I am glad I watched this I was thinking of getting some ducks to keep snails and slugs at bay. Glad I waited. Thanks for the info.

[@jaypeabee]

Awww, it’s just so lovely to hears the ducks in the backgrounds. Sorry that you can’t cope. I love them. I’ll happily have them down here in Vic

[@melissaCScom]

Thanks for the reminder about the poo! I was contemplating getting a couple of ducks again because I do like the eggs. Ours where always friendly to a fault, following us around, tripping us up as we did our other chores!🤣

[@lilitharam44]

Agree 100%! We rescued two ducks a few years back and the time we had them until they went to their forever home, let's just say I was happy to see the tail end of them. Your reasons are absolutely right, they are the messiest creatures I've ever kept. Also, if you have a small pond, you can't have many or they will destroy it. Poop everywhere, the water will turn green, it's just a total mess. Love your channel! Sending best wishes from Memphis, TN!

[@ColeHomestead]

Hi Mark, truth on all 10 points. fortunately for me in my circumstance they rarely mess with the chickens as the roosters keep them in line. I have two ponds that the ducks spend most of the day and i trained them very early to return to the compound at dark for their evening meal so they put themselves to bed with the chickens. my black swedish ducks are loud as blazes but down in the pond all day is no bother. my favorite are the Muscovy breed as they don't make any noise, rather calm and friendly so if you ever do consider ducks maybe look into getting Muscovy.

[@ingabaron6133]

Two ducks is a pair. Two golden ducks (ducks off a first ball) is a king pair.

[@Selfsufficientme]

That's it a pair! Thank you :) P.S Speaking of a pair in cricket, another Aussie cricket captain resigned today hey... I think I'll leave the bad puns and jokes to others but let's hope the new captain stays away from ducks and scandals! Cheers :)

[@ayaye1918]

love all cricket lovers :)

[@freedommeow]

Definitely stay away from the scandals, I'd honestly rather deal with the ducks haha! God bless everyone over down under! 🙏

[@woozle7177]

@@Selfsufficientme he got in trouble for sending duck pics I believe. Something like that anyway 😆

[@JenniferSaxin]

Thanks for this! People keep telling me I should get ducks (getting my first hens soon), but I'm just not keen on the flavour of eggs and I've heard how difficult they are to butcher...definitely helped make up my mind!

[@lindamorris525]

Thank you for your insights. I have toyed with the idea of getting ducks for years, but you have convinced me that it would not be suitable to have them in the small space that I have.

[@bonafideslacker2626]

We genuinely prefer our ducks to our chickens. They've such sweet faces, make cute happy noises, and every one of ours is such a sweet and gentle little lady. Even our Muscovy drake is a big tail-wagging puppy. (4 reasons WHY to keep ducks!)

[@thesecondguyontheinternet]

talking about getting ducks this week and I'm glad I saw this video, we had ducks as kids, but had a much larger property with a big dam and a lot less snake risk than what we have now. Chooks and Quail will be the go. Great video mate, Cheers!

[@nexlemav]

I used to raise Runners and Pekin but stopped doing so. All ducks I've had were like one of those messy roommates that would trash the place and never clean up. I hated the smell. I switched to raising several breeds of chicken to where I couldn't be happier. Laying hens are clean, friendly and organized. Perfect little feathery friends. :)

[@SistahRev]

I don’t keep poultry, so I’m a curious outsider looking in (this urban dweller in the U.S. enjoys your videos!). Your ten reasons and great relief made me wonder why on earth you had kept the ducks so many years and had not replaced them with more chickens long ago!! Would you care to do a “10 reasons why it took me 10 years to get rid of my ducks” video?😂😂😂 I’d love to see it! Thanks so much for all your sharing 💐💐💐

[@SistahRev]

@Andy Wow, your perspective is really helpful-- I get it! Thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights! I appreciate it 🤗

[@ashton8262]

Thanks for the insight Mark. We want to evolve from just growing crops and haven’t decided on the right fauna. We were leaning towards chickens anyway but considered ducks until now. Cheers!!

[@themagician3032]

get quail imo

[@IVOrganic]

Fantastic Lesson Mark! I attempted keeping ducks about a year ago-- that lasted ONLY about 2 months because of EXACTLY what you shared in this lesson (especially the smell & flies). However, for the 1st time in decades, we are attempting to integrate a few chickens into our backyard orchard-- as pets & for eggs. In the last 30 days we successfully hatched 2 of 4 quality breeds, experimenting with the different hen personalities, and hoping to share a lesson on our chicken-care successes in 2022! Cheers! :-) Charles 🌱👍

[@talisikid1618]

Pets? Why?

[@CryptoKang]

Do you have other pets with the chickens?

[@IVOrganic]

@@CryptoKang Hello Crypto Kang 👋 We’ve got a pair of Netherland Dwarf bunnies that interact during the day, but sleep in separate areas at sunset. My kids play with both their bunnies & chicks keeping them super friendly & their ‘waste’ is an excellent supplement to our garden! Charles 🌱👍

[@yousmuthie]

@@talisikid1618 a hand raised hen can make a fantastic pet. Many breeds are fairly docile and friendly, some tolerate children well, and have hilarious personalities. And, the fresh eggs.

[@6_alex9]

@@yousmuthie I agree. Our kids adore our hens. One of my daughters actually loves our mean rooster too.

[@thebirdmaster7]

I used to not like duck eggs too at the time I just had Indian runners until I tried magpie and Welsh Harlequin eggs they are so delicious they're also pretty sweet ducks

[@lizhaydon2250]

Great video. You should take us for a drive around every now and then. Interested in seeing other types of farms from your perspective. Cheers

[@reflections5233]

My whole family appreciates your channel! But there is one secret to making ducks rewarding family pets and super tame. The secret literally lies in the first 4 days of their life. Whatever happens during this time, decides how they will feel around people. (Although there is a trick to change an adult unfriendly ducks behavior and I explain after the first trick). 1. We incubate duck eggs here on our property. In a simply little incubator. Nothing fancy. Often when they hatch we will literally take them out in the last phase of hatching and let them hatch on our hands. They open their little eyes and the first thing they see is a human being. Love at first sight. Straight after that, they get plenty of human warmth and cuddles. So someone from the family will literally keep them warm, hold them in their hands, talk to them, play with them and get them straight away used to human interaction. The duckling believes or is convinced that humans are their family. The duckling has literally no other choice than to believe that humans are the most amazing and loving creatures on the planet. Keep up the spoiling for at least 4 days. Any insensitivity in that phase, a duck will never forget ever. After the initial spoiling, which is by the way incredibly soothing, when they start to show you signs of attachment and love and they look at you with a sparkle in their eyes, raise the ducklings in a big box in the house where they are in the middle of plenty of human interaction. Naturally give them some floor time as well. Yep, in a busy kitchen where whoever passes the ducklings puts their hand into the box, pats them, holds a tomato on their hand or yummy oats and the ducks need to jump on the hand to get the goodie. I guarantee the ducklings will be super tame. We usually keep the ducklings near family activities for at least 7 weeks. Then we release them to our outdoor ducks who are very tame as well. The outdoor ducks found a routine to escape fox attacks during the nighttime while huddling around our duck pond. This is naturally super convenient as we hardly lose any ducks anymore, only when some of the girls sit on their eggs in the middle of the garden. Otherwise, the ducks stay tame their whole life. Sometimes annoyingly tame in terms of, we go out of the door and one of them will run towards us due to happiness to see us, while we might simply want to enjoy a quiet view of the garden. They will come to the kitchen door and knock when they are hungry. Then we give them food. In the garden, they hang around when I do garden work. I can pat them if I want. They eat the snails, bugs but are gentle to the veggie garden, at least more gentle than chickens. We use the big eggs only for baking. These make the best cakes. Also, they taste good in soups. Otherwise, we also prefer the taste of chicken eggs. But duck eggs make the best cakes. 2. How to make older ducks tame? For this to happen, you need at least one or two ducks that are already tame, as the other ducks will eventually follow their behavior. If you purchase older ducks who were not treated kindly or never bonded with humans, forget about it. We love our ducks as they are so friendly. But the only reason they are like that is we make sure that they get handled constantly during their imprinting phase. And concerning the mess. My wife reframed duck mess from being dirty to meaning free and abundant fertilizer. Since we have ducks on our property the sandy soil has definitely improved massively and we have flowers growing on our property year-round. I believe for every situation having ducks might be different. In our situation, ducks are definitely a joy and blessing.

[@edeltraudgrace5186]

Yes, absolutely correct. I prefer ducks to chickens in the backyard.

[@marinarassin4231]

Love the way u speak and handle those lovely ducks

[@murphychurch8251]

Now I'm melting at your description of how to treat the hatchlings. Because I find no baby animal cuter than very little ducklings.

[@kqdwills]

Thanks for the expertise how to train the ducklings. I haven't eaten a duck I raised, but I prefer duck meat and duck eggs over chicken meat and chicken eggs. The duck eggs are selling in the Asian stores for a dollar each though. And duck meat is more expensive than chicken meat.

[@rastamanralph6670]

I must have got lucky with my muscovy ducks because they are nothing like yours. Mine like to roost in high places also so that's different. All my young from this year fly around the place and I love to see that.

[@jenaleawoods4999]

Our Pekin ducks are no hassle at all. They free range and sleep with our flock of sheep with a a guardian dog. Swim in dams, eat mostly grass and under mulch bugs, little grain at all. Do not attack or bother chooks and roosters. Do hard poos, no slop here😄

[@Debra309]

We’ve had chickens for years. Reading ducks are gentle on gardens, we recently purchased three ducks for slug control. Well let me tell you, ducks are worse than chickens when it comes to free ranging in garden beds. These quackers mowed through our beautiful kale and ripped huge chunks out of our collards. Aside from all the points you made, buyer beware. Ducks are extremely destructive. I am aware people pay top dollar for duck eggs, however we are discussing whether to keep them or not. Love your videos.

[@Berkeloid0]

That's very interesting! I'd also read the same thing but knowing some ducks and how they behave I couldn't quite believe it - turns out my suspicions were true! Maybe it depends on the breed but I can't imagine many ducks that would pick off the slugs without helping themselves to the greens while they are there!

[@Erewhon2024]

@@Berkeloid0 I am sure it also depends on the crop. They probably just "weed" and eat critters on a mint farm (or anything else that herbivores don't recognize as food--typically smelly plants, because the essential oils tend to mess with the gut bacteria needed for digesting cellulose).

[@SuperRayW]

That's a big difference right there; my ducks are a bit skittish, but they aren't afraid of me, and they are SO easy to herd. They are more work, more messy, and more expensive, but they have more personality, and they are herd animals so they can be very easy to manage. At least with our Golden's we get as many eggs as a chicken (if not more), and they are much bigger, plus they are a good forager if you can get away with free range.

[@DamfinoFarm]

I LOVE my ducks, although I will acknowledge your points. They're loud and messy and flighty at times. They're also entertaining and funny and I do enjoy the taste of their eggs. They work well for me, but you do you. At least people will now see the possible down sides to having ducks and can make a more informed decision.

[@myice-creamdreams3421]

yes hearing those loud ducks all the time would be nerve-racking it always make me think they are in danger id lose my shit quick God bless you for lasting 10 years

[@nataliecarrad8936]

With you on ducks. We've had so many funny nights out trying to catch mature ducks after a few wines (our property is not flat). Reason #11 would be that they can fly really well. We also had the problem with the drakes raping the chickens. That was our final straw with pekins. We replaced them with muscovies who breed prolifically and are quiet. From breeding trio we have about 50 babies every year. I easily sell these at 6 weeks old and we have found this a good balance for us. It's a great return for the food input.

[@thomaswolf6507]

Ducks raping chickens.. yea I'd add that to the list

[@rosiemiller759]

Hi Mark, My kids and i watch you almost every morning while we breakfast. The kids, 4 and 2, were really concerned about the ducks. Continuely asking through the episode, "where is he taking the ducks!??!!" We have 5 ducks at home, totally separate from the chooks. No issues except if they escape the yard and get into the garden! Enjoy your new chookies!

[@yongjianyi3556]

You can herd large group of ducks, but never with chickens, they actually imprint very well on humans. I think they require a different type of husbandry as compared with cooping chickens.

[@LeviteSpiritShine]

Very informative! I have always wanted a duck every since I was a little girl, but you have convinced me I don’t want the hassle! Thank you!❤

[@janinedear-barlow]

The amount of noise depends on the type of duck. Mine were khaki Campbell's and they were not noisy. White Campbell's on the other hand are very noisy. Mine didn't waste food. Hoovered it up. My drake was always cleaning himself, so I guess it just depends on the duck. I like duck eggs more as they are creamier. I don't think they taste earthy at all.

[@kimlombard639]

We still plan to get ducks in the future as pets, for eggs too, and for their characters they possess! They're very comical as most birds are...👍🐓🐔🦆 We love your gardening videos and look forward to being 'fruitfully' self sufficient as you are!

[@GloryDaze73]

Just be careful to keep an eye on the male ducks.

[@zoe9632]

1 drake to minimum 8 ducks or the ducks will be worn out (literally) from mating. Also... don't do what he did & house them with chickens

[@rogerr7856]

I feed a few wild mallard ducks that fly down here during the winters for some warm sunny days, they love peanuts and are pretty quiet, get a little quacky when excited about getting fed. Also have a couple sandhill cranes that stop by regularly, they are very quiet and smart too, patiently wait to be fed, but wow, when they hear other cranes(or for whatever reason) they are ear piercingly loud! Now my favorite things to feed are a pair of red shouldered hawks that nest nearby, they wait for me every afternoon to put fresh chicken or fish pieces out on a fence rail. The female(i think) is very calm, patient... the male, well he's a loud pushy jerk! Ha. They have learned to come around when i call for them too. Fun and interesting to feed wild animals, nice to let them come and go when they please. They have really become use to me, not scared at all, the cranes will actually fall asleep while standing up right by the sliding glass door. Anyway, all your talk about feeding got my mind going, definitely sticking with wild friends, leave the domestics to others. Really enjoy your vids, always interesting to learn about things down under.

[@annettepeacock9757]

Also peas and pumpkin

[@0777hansel]

My man not only I have learned a lot but you’re super fun to when you talk No BS just straight info. Now I’m ready for the apocalypse

[@markofsaltburn]

Remember this, viewers: if you’re ever guests at Mark’s place, be sure to eat the seed from his socks or he’ll throw you out 😀😀

[@squashit339]

Oh no, you won't even miss them a little?? I have to agree that they are messy, I keep them as pets and use the eggs for baking or give to the dogs. But seriously...is there anything cuter than a baby duck 😍🥰 Besides they quack me up when they play in the water 😁 Also since getting them I've had all my ducks in a row pretty much every day, and we all know there's nothing better than having all your ducks in a row 🤷‍♀️

[@wmichaelh29]

When you said chickens are friendlier, it reminded me of an evening I went to a neighborhood market to purchase something, don't remember what. I live in the city, high traffic of vehicles and people. And a woman was outside with a chicken, fully grown and you could tell it was her pet. Wasn't disturbed by the car traffic or people. Just walking around and then she picked it up and moved on. I'd never seen a pet chicken but it was obviously loved.

[@murphychurch8251]

Was it a Silkie chicken? They look fluffy, as if they had fur, and are smaller than most chicken. They are incredibly calm and sweet-natured. My granddad had some and as children we could pick them up and pet them.

[@sharksport01]

Have you seen the lady in Florida that swam with her silkie, and had it wear pampers? She also had a car seat for it and took it to Mcdonalds.

[@thegoodgreekgirl2190]

Glad I watched this, thank you. I have 5 chickens - 7 week old, and was thinking of getting some ducks. Not now. Thanks for your tips. Love the video

[@Xassaw]

Thanks for the video Mark. I've considered keeping ducks but one of the things that has stopped me is a few of the reasons you listed. You listed a few I hadn't thought of though. I do keep chickens and I would be extremely angry if they killed one of my chickens because I do enjoy the company of the chickens as you do.

[@BloodyMercyless]

I love your videos!!! You're so naturally entertaining and I LOVE gardening and living amongst Aussie wildlife. Thanks for being you!! **OK side note after actually watching the video! People are always telling me that CHICKENS were very smelly? From what you say it sounds like ducks are worse but would you say chickens can also be smelly? I've always wanted to start keeping them. Thanks for your insight on ducks btw! It's been an interesting journey to follow and I was wondering if the reflectors had been helping to keeo hawks at bay. Needless to say- no ducks for me in future! :)

[@RobertTozzi]

Chicken coops get smelly when it's time to clean them. A few inches of pine shavings keeps mine pretty good for a week, but use the shavings in my mulch. So, I may add a little more shavings to get a second week of chicken manure in my compost. But you wouldn't notice the smell if you were just a few feet away from the coop.

[@Restlessgypzy]

Awe…I think it must be a breed thing. My Peking’s were amazing. Only noisy as a warning system or when strangers were in their yard, were friendly, my one even did chores with me, and fed horses like my dogs do lol. They were cleaner than my chickens, and put themselves to bed ahead of dusk. Thanks for your great content as always..

[@vinnytissero5765]

I know! I think they're even better than dogs as to alarm if someone is coming or stranger. I say they are our personal house 🏠 alarm 🤭😅

[@jerrywatts3016]

I just love how personal these reasons are and think they should be! Also loved it when you said emotional not at the end of the video 🤣

[@kaykool9589]

I would do anything to have my ducks back. I lost them in a fire along with my remaining chickens and four rescue cats. I looked forward every morning to seeing them and yes they were noisy, stinky, and dirty, but they made my day. Now Every morning I have to look at an empty spot where my barn stood.

[@marinarassin4231]

So sad , I hope u can replace them soon

[@marilyns6209]

I am so sorry that such a tragic loss happened for you and for your beloved pets. Tears came when I read what you wrote. I'm praying that the pain you are going through will lessen and that, in time, you will be able and ready to build another kind of shelter where you can keep ducks again and get back into rescuing animals. All things which happen aren't good in and of themselves, but all things work together for good to those who love God. (Bible. Book of Romans, chapter 8, verse 28). Turn your grief over to your Savior Jesus and let Him carry both it and you. Lean on Him, turn the rest of your life over to Him and watch it start being rebuilt with His Help.

[@steinmetz3336]

Thats awfull. Real love always seems to end in pain. But its worth it. Maybe give it some time and start again. Wont be the same, but it will be good.

[@gregbutler9873]

I raised them for my ag project my senior year and being a member of FFA , that project helped me to understand how you run a business. I had not only my family that loved to eat them but a lot of farmer’s wives would buy them for baking. The winter here is sometime bitter cold and that was the hardest time for me and my duck project . I raised 20 Peking ducks , I had 17 hens and three drakes, the hens would gather around me at feeding time and the drakes would stay to themselves. I bought three electric heated water pails from the egg money I saved and I worked after school sacking groceries to pay for my feed . I never intended to raise them for slaughter and my fall project was pouring a concrete water tub for them to clean themselves. I had to doctor only one of my ducks due to injury, she had bumped a prickly pear and stuck a needle in her ankle. I noticed that she was limping and the other ducks would force her away from both the water tub and feed. I checked her leg and discovered that the needle had been in her leg long enough to form a cyst around the injury. I had taken soap and water and a soft brush to clean the area and had iodine to bathe the area before I removed the needle. I tried to pull the needle out with a small pair of needle nose pliers but that was unsuccessful. I ended up taking a model knife and opened the wound to extract the needle, it had all kinds of goo from the cyst and I flushed it out with warm water. All this time she didn’t fuss or try to flee , she just sat on my corn crate while I preformed the surgery and would nuzzle me with her beak if I wavered with my knife and I would ice down the area to numb her pain. I took peroxide and flushed out the incision and then I had used udder balm and surgical tape to close the wound and within a week maybe 10 days she no longer limped and I cleaned her wound daily. I had a small pen to keep her in while she healed and she would meet me at the gate and then sat on the corn crate while I cleaned and redressed her wound. My family kept the ducks on the farm for almost 8 years after I had graduated from high school . I was the only one in ag class to get an A plus and my teacher told me he had never seen such accurate bookkeeping and detail production records in the 15 years he had taught the class. Daisy Duck and the rest of my duck project members were slaughtered by a pack of feral dogs that were roaming the countryside. My baby brother would go out with me to tend to the ducks and he fell in love with Daisy and helped me when dressing her wound. My parents and baby brother were at the 4 H fair when those dogs murdered the flock and he called me on the phone sobbing telling me that he had lost all of the flock. To answer your question …to each to their own. I hated tending to the chickens but they were and still are great to eat…. LOL

[@cinmnspice]

Cool story.

[@alexia3552]

Thank you for sharing your story! That was all really interesting to read. It's really cool that you were able to successfully treat an infected abscess, that's difficult!

[@gregbutler9873]

@@alexia3552 thank you for reading it …. I could tell stories growing up on the farm forever … my wife never lived in the country and is a staunch city gal…lol I myself would have liked to find about a 10 acre plot and do a truck farm with vegetables but at 68 that is just a pipe dream now . I have been fighting cancer for 15 years and even though it is in remission the treatment has taken that dream away . The cancer won’t kill me but treating it with hormonal therapy will . Steroids made me gain sixty pounds and that cause me to become diabetic , high blood pressure , and internal scar tissue from the radiation has taken my health and stamina away . I have a vegetable garden in the Spring and Summer but nothing but misery stuck in the house from Fall onward . LOL I’m a fighter but my own body is trying to knock me out of my garden now too . I put in a raised garden this year and no longer have to weed on my hands and knees . Thanks again and my you and your be blessed .

[@WildberryAB]

@@cinmnspice What a wonderful story. You're a really good writer. I hope you're able to have your dream or some semblance of it despite health problems. God bless.

[@carolvanrooyen2488]

A wonderful story thank you... so now you can look forward to your acres and acres of farmland in heaven one day and enjoy your dream and much more ... for all eternity !... hope to see you there someday🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

[@michaeljamisontigers]

I have had ducks now for about 2 years and I love them more than I should , they have my old KOI pond to swim in and I feed them cat food , I also have muscovies , I took the eggs away from Maya and they hatched in my hands , they sleep next to my computer still in the incubator , I don't know how long I will let them sleep inside but my Peacocks still do , my tigers at least sleep outside now but they did sleep with us in bed for a year and a halve ,haha I almost forgot but 3 monkeys sleep there now! and 10 dogs and 10 cats . I also sleep there no jokes!

[@SageofCancer]

Ohh you're from South Africa no wonder you can have gd tigers lmao I thought you were taking the piss.

[@barefootbasics3183]

@@SageofCancer just click on Michael Jamison's name, it will take you straight to his channel. You will see a pic when the tigers still slept with him on his bed.

[@SageofCancer]

@@barefootbasics3183 I did indeed click his channel to find out more, p tight

[@mousiebrown1747]

I want to live where you live! ❤

[@ClaireLeoWorld]

We keep ducks in our garden too. They're great at controlling snails and protecting our vegetable patch. Thanks a lot for sharing your experience!