Duck Patrol

[rhines81]

Any thoughts or advice on combining ducks in the garden for pest control?
Thinking about some of the wonderful things I read regarding this. Best breed(s)? Best timing? How many?
My initial thoughts were to get some Pekin Ducks the 1st week of May and turn them loose in mid-June to tend to the garden critters once done in the brooder. Slaughter the drakes at 12 weeks, keep some hens for laying. I'd get 6 weeks of garden chores from the drakes, then enjoy some delicious meat.
After some googling, Pekins might be great meat birds, but not so attentive as some other breeds to groom the garden of harmful pests. I am seeing that Campbell or Apple Yard ducks might be better garden ducks, but which might provide the best egg and/or meat production. Anyone with experience in this area that can provide some input (advantages/disadvantages, breeds, dual purpose meat/eggs?) ... I'm all ears??

[Worth1]

Muscovy ducks rule.
I raised them (lots of them) as a kid and we ate them.
The meat is less fatty and the breasts are bigger.
Great addition to the farm.
Not a true duck.
Trainable and make great pets.

https://youtu.be/1FBcH1uqt7k

[rhines81]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Muscovy ducks rule.
I raised them (lots of them) as a kid and we ate them.
The meat is less fatty and the breasts are bigger.
Great addition to the farm.
Not a true duck.
Trainable and make great pets.

https://youtu.be/1FBcH1uqt7k

I've seen good things about them for meat birds, but for garden patrol the drakes are rated as useless (but planning to slaughter them at 12 weeks anyhow).

[rxkeith]

i am new to ducks.

i have 3 rouen/khaki campbell ducks from my neighbor. they all appear to be drakes. not the mix i wanted, so we will be eating duck at some point.
khaki campbell are supposed to be better egg layers than rouen.
pekin, rouen, indian runner, and campbell are the breeds i can get locally in season.
i will be looking at responses with interest.



keith

[Worth1]

You guys have got me wanting egg ducks and laying hens again.
Duck eggs rule.

Worth

[Nematode]

Muskovy.
Not legal everywhere.

[jtjmartin]

New word for the day:
Drake - a male duck

Suburban public schooling is at fault I guess!

[Worth1]

A female duck is called a hen or a duck.
We always called them hens.

[clkeiper]

Originally Posted by jtjmartin

New word for the day:
Drake - a male duck

Suburban public schooling is at fault I guess!

not always. there is always room to learn but maybe you never needed to retain the small bit of knowledge from schooldays anyway or maybe you never learned it. .pfft. I am sure you have other more important things you retained and use everyday.. when would you have ever heard of it? or needed it it? it is a very agricultural word. who knows what a baby armadillo is called? now don't go look it up... just guess? or a group of armadillos? seriously there are many things we never need to know and forget them. we were curious last night and just happened to look it up. we were all laughing at the guesses. armadillette? cute but not it.

[Nan_PA_6b]

Pups! It's pups for those of us who are too obsessive to not know!

[clkeiper]

Originally Posted by Nan_PA_6b

Pups! It's pups for those of us who are too obsessive to not know!

yep... and a group?

[Nan_PA_6b]

Originally Posted by clkeiper

yep... and a group?

That didn't ring my bell, but if you insist....


Bafflingly, a group of armadillos is called a fez.

[clkeiper]

why a fez? who named this group a fez? what is a fez? oh look! a new word for scrabble with a z.

[Worth1]

A fez is a hat worn in parts of the middle east and north Africa.
I did not have to look that up.

Looks like an upside down flower pot with a tassel on top.

Worth

[Nan_PA_6b]

Originally Posted by clkeiper

why a fez? who named this group a fez? what is a fez? oh look! a new word for scrabble with a z.

I'm convinced that little old Victorian ladies with too much time on their hands and a bit of alcohol in their systems sat around and made up the group names.

A glaring of cats, a business of ferrets, and a fez of armadillos?