Ducks

Overview

Ducks kept as pets are outdoor animals that happen to be charming, and the water is not an enrichment feature. A duck needs water deep enough to submerge its whole head, because that is how it cleans its eyes and its nostrils, and a duck without it develops eye and sinus problems.

Domestic breeds run roughly 3 to 9 pounds depending on the breed, and most of them cannot fly well or at all, which is the practical difference between a pet duck and a wild one.

The same bird kept for eggs and meat has its own page under Farm Animals, written for the smallholding rather than the garden.

Temperament

Social, curious and noisy in a specific way: the loud quacking is female. Drakes make a much quieter rasping sound, which is the easiest way to sex an adult by ear.

They are flock birds and should never be kept singly. A duck on its own is a stressed duck, and three is a better minimum than two. They imprint strongly when hand raised and will follow a person around the garden, which is delightful and also means a duck that does not know it is a duck.

Care and grooming

Waterfowl feed rather than chicken feed, because ducks need more niacin than chickens do and a chicken starter fed to ducklings produces leg problems. Greens, and forage from the garden, which includes most of the slugs.

They are messy in a way that surprises people. A duck moves water everywhere, and bedding near a pool is wet bedding. Housing is designed around drainage rather than around looks.

Living and exercise

Outdoor housing, secure at night, with a pool or pond and shade. Predators are the main cause of death in garden ducks, and the list includes foxes, dogs, rats and birds of prey, so the night house is built properly rather than improvised.

Eight to twelve years is normal. They lay well, often better than chickens, and they do it wherever they happen to be standing rather than in a nest box.