Where to start?

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duggat

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Hi everyone.
Spending entire days researching keeping ducks as I want to know everything before I take the step to keeping ducks.
I want to try and be the very best duck owner I can.
I would like to start from scratch from incubation. I have Runners in mind as I just adore how they look.
How many eggs would I need to get a good result of between 3 and 6 ducks?
Also I realise that in a perfect world I would get a happy ratio of drake to females/all drakes/all females. This will probably not happen so what to do with a lonely female or one too many drake? Could not consider culling a duck so other advise needed.
Also are there any members of this forum that keep ducks in the Stockport/Manchester area that would be willing to allow me to visit them and their ducks to gain more insight to keeping ducks?
All advise very welcome.
 
Hi, you can never estimate what sex you will hatch. i have hatched 5 females to 1 male and vis versa. try looking for a poultry auction near you. we have 2 good ones down south so i asume you must have something like it. Talk to the people there, i have found much information and made some good friends. goodluck.
 
Firstly hello and well done for doing the research first! Very responsible. I would be happy to show you around my ducky palace :) i am in dorset. Have you considered rescues? Where are you based? I know a few people who breed runners.
Would you consider a batchelor flock?
Zo
 
Hi thank you for your replies.
I would love to see your ducky palace dorsetduckowner. Unfortunately you are a little to far away as I am in the Northwest.
I really want to get things right and I am looking at all possible, happy duck keeping.
I would love to have a bachelor flock and have touched on this in another post. I just want to fulfil a life times ambition to have ducks.
My only sticking point now is that I cannot think of anyone who could care for them whilst on holiday. My neighbours are all in their darling years and it would be too much to ask.
So if anyone can help with suggestions that would be fabulous.
I live in the Stockport area of south Manchester.
 
Well, I'm in my darling years and I manage to totter down to my hens every day, in fact it was being asked to look after a friends hens that got me back into chicken keeping after quite a few years without any. When I go away I have a local teenage girl trained up to look after mine for pocket money. Yes it is a problem but if you don't go away very often or for weeks on end, you can usually find someone who will do the basic care.
Good to have thought this through beforehand, though.
 
Very good to have thought of this, I agree. I find now that I cannot go anywhere really and have to be home at dusk and dawn every day to make sure they are protected, but if you have a strong fox proof pen then you may be able to stay out past dusk!
They are a commitment but so worth it!
Pet sitters may also be able to help, but they do charge! More and more people are keeping poultry though so you may be in luck with someone ducky friendly if you look hard enough. Try Omlet.....
zo
x
 
If you were just keeping a few, not as many as Zo perhaps, it would be easier to keep them secure even if it meant restricting their facilities whilst you were away. When I trained Mollie, I wrote down exactly what was needed to do each day, and at what time, and had her round for a couple of sessions to watch me and actively help, so I saw she could fill the feeders and drinkers and clean out the house and pick up the poo, and really understood about locking the run etc. on my holiday I was also in touch via text and email, and she had the backup of chicken keeping parents (whose hens I sometimes look after) and last summer she did a good job. This year I shall have to promote her to looking after the quail as well, but she's keen to do this and not just for the money. Of course with adults a nice bottle or two or a garden centre token etc would be a better thank you, but you'd be more sure that a responsible person was in charge and for a short time I expect people would find it interesting.
 
I agree with Marigold, people do love looking after duckies! It is finding someone you can trust who can spot things and act if needs be.

zo]x
 
Thanks for all the info.
Marigold, I hope I didn't offend you! LOL. My neighbours although active, do not seem to want to know with ducks as I have dropped so many hints.
I think it is the mucking out that puts them off.
Will look into sitters or a teenager that wants a holiday job. This is a bit like which came first; the chicken or the egg because until I myself can be knowledgeable about keeping ducks; I will not be able to pass on that information to someone else.
Oh the dilemmas of even just thinking about keeping ducks.
Will not give up until I have explored every avenue.
 
There are quite a lot of pet sitters that due to the boom in garden poultry keepers, now have diversified into feathered pets as well. They are often advertised in vets surgeries, and the receptionist will be able to point you in the direction of recommended pet sitters that may be able to help. :-)17
 
duggat said:
Thanks for all the info.
Marigold, I hope I didn't offend you! LOL.
Oh the dilemmas of even just thinking about keeping ducks.
Will not give up until I have explored every avenue.
Click to expand...

Of course you didn't offend me, I thought it was funny. It reminded me of our children. 'Mum, you really shouldn't be up a ladder clearing out gutters, at Your Age!' When they're kids you spend a lot of time telling them to grow up and not be so childish, or else saying that book/ film / event is too old for them and therefore unsuitable. When they grow up, and you are getting old, they have their own back!
Don't worry about not knowing enough, yes it's a steep learning curve for all of us, but you won't go far wrong if you just do your best for them. Maybe have your holiday before they arrive, so you have time to settle down with them and find out how they like to spend their days?
 
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