Duck Eggs Daily. Lisa Steele
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in their house. Most domestic ducks are also very unlikely to go broody (broodies stop laying eggs and therefore become unproductive, unless you’re trying to hatch eggs). Ducks generally lay productively into their fourth year and continue to lay for several years after that.
You get more eggs with ducks than chickens.
Ducks adhere to a far less aggressive pecking order
Drakes are not nearly as aggressive as roosters and rarely turn nasty toward humans. Ducks also don’t take their pecking order as seriously as chickens and tend to welcome newcomers far more quickly – and with far less squabbling than do chickens. Whether the newcomers are chickens or ducks, our ducks seem unperturbed by it all and seldom bother new additions to the flock. Ducks won’t bicker within the flock about pecking order or other issues. They are far more laid back in temperament.
Ducks are easier on your lawn
Ducks don’t scratch grass or plants down to the bare dirt like chickens do. They may trample your lawn a bit and will dabble in the mud around their water tubs or in the dirt looking for snacks, creating small, deep holes in the ground, but they won’t turn your backyard into a barren wasteland like chickens will.
It’s true that ducks can, and will, eat anything green within their reach, but . . . as long as you plant bushes and trees that are tall enough so that the ducks can’t reach the tops – or fence around your gardens and flowering plants – you can successfully landscape your run or backyard, even with ducks inhabiting it. Fencing around your gardens and landscaping doesn’t need to be much more than two or three feet high because most domestic duck breeds can’t fly, and ducks generally can’t hop or flutter and flop as high as chickens can.
Ducks are wonderful for pest control
Ducks will eat every slug, grub, earthworm, spider, grasshopper, cricket, and beetle they can find in your yard. Given the opportunity, they will also eat snakes, mice, frogs, and lizards. Ducks are wonderful for natural pest control, but be aware they will eat so-called “good” bugs and beneficial worms and toads as well.
Ducklings are adorable!
Okay, I admit this comes down to personal preference. As cute as baby chicks are, baby ducklings are irresistible. Those too-big-for-their-bodies webbed feet, earnest dark eyes and almost flesh-colored rounded bills steal my heart every time. As a bonus, ducklings grow up to be adorable ducks!
On the flip side, sure, ducks can be pretty willful and stubborn. They don’t automatically put themselves to bed at dusk like chickens do (although they can be trained to head to their house each night without much trouble). They also are messier than chickens when it comes to water and mud, but the ducks themselves are always pristine and perfectly clean, even our snow-white Pekins! I find ducks pretty unlikely to get their feathers ruffled for the most part. They are generally calm, alert, always happy and downright funny.
Are you considering a few ducks yet? You will want to invest in a few pairs of muck boots, most definitely, but it’s a small price to pay for the joy a flock of ducks brings. In my eyes, ducks win out as my top choice for a backyard flock and they will always be an important part of ours.
There is no such thing as an ugly duckling.
DUCKS VS. CHICKENS
TWO
HATCHING DUCKLINGS
Hatching your own ducklings is an inexpensive, relatively easy way to start or add to your backyard flock. It’s an awe-inspiring experience to watch the embryos develop and the ducklings hatch. I prefer hatching my own ducklings in an incubator. Not only is it the easiest way to add rare breeds to your flock that aren’t available locally, I believe the ducklings do imprint on me and end up being far friendlier than those I buy as day-old ducklings – or ducklings that have hatched under a broody duck. Domestic ducks rarely go broody (i.e., sit on fertile eggs until they hatch) anyway, so hatching eggs in an incubator is generally your best bet. Various types of incubators work slightly differently, so it’s important to read the instruction manual for your particular model. Here are some general tips for a successful hatch.
Obtaining eggs for hatching
If you have fertile eggs from your own ducks, you will likely have the best hatch rate. If not, be sure to order your hatching eggs from a reputable breeder or hatchery. If you can find eggs from a local farm, that’s even better. Shipped eggs are often jostled or subjected to temperature and humidity fluctuations and have a far lower hatch rate than eggs that don’t have to be shipped. An 80% hatch rate is considered very good; for shipped eggs, the norm is closer to a 50-60% hatch rate.
Most problems with eggs not hatching can be attributed to old eggs with low fertility, rough handling, eggs stored at an improper temperature, improper turning, uneven incubator temperature or humidity, or nutritional deficiencies in the breeding stock.
If you have your own fertile eggs (laid by your own ducks), pick those that are most perfectly and uniformly shaped, preferably not covered with mud or manure. Don’t wash them; instead, carefully scrape off any muck with your fingernail or a rough sponge. Don’t choose overly small or large eggs because they tend to not hatch well.
Before you turn on the incubator
While you’re collecting enough to fill your incubator, store them, pointy end down, at a 45-degree angle in a cool location – around 60°F is optimal. Don’t turn on the incubator yet! Rotate the eggs side-to-side several times a day to keep the yolk centered in the white. Hatchability declines each day after an egg is laid. Fertile eggs will stay viable for about a week after being laid. After that, fertility starts to decline, so try not to delay setting the eggs for too long.
“Candling.” “Candle” each egg one by one, whether you are collecting your own or you ordered shipped eggs. Candling is so called because in early days before electricity, the light from a candle flame was used to check for cracks, and later during the incubation period to “see” inside the egg to monitor development. You are checking for hairline cracks. You can use a regular flashlight – no need to use candles any longer! Cup your hand around the beam to shine it through the shell, or buy a commercial egg candler. Discard any cracked egg or seal minor cracks with softened beeswax to prevent bacteria and air from entering the egg through the crack and killing the embryo.
Check for cracks in the shell using the “candling” method.
In the incubator
When you are ready to set your eggs, turn your incubator on and let it get up to temperature while you let the eggs sit for several hours at room temperature to allow them to warm up a bit and the yolks to settle. Mark an X or number on one side of each egg with a pencil. This will serve as your guide when turning the eggs (if your incubator has an auto turner, you can skip this step). Place the eggs in the incubator with the pointy end angled down.
Set your incubator in a quiet location out of direct sunlight where it won’t be bothered by children or pets. I like to put a piece of rubber shelf liner on the floor of the