Can someone answer a few questions about ducks as pets?
Posted April 22, 2010 – 4:53 pm in: Green Cleaning TipsOk so I am thinking about getting 2-3 Cayuga ducks come spring. I am trying to do all my research before then to make sure it is a good fit for us. However, I still have a few questions. I have read over and over again that ducks poop a LOT. So how do you clean all that poop? Do you just hose the yard down? I am wanting to have them free range a couple hours a day to eat the flies and misquotes (and whatever other bugs they want) but I am picturing large piles of green runny poo all over everything. Is this how it will be? I plan on having a kiddie pool so they can swim and wash themselves off. I plan on having a large dog kennel with a dog igloo and netting on top. If I take the bottom off the igloo will this work? Will just moving it to a different spot every week and scrubbing it every few months work, or will it need to be scrubbed down more often? I was going to put a little straw in there in the winter. Any tips would really be appreciated. Thanks
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2 Comments
My boyfriend had ducks when he was younger… unfortunately he isn’t home to give specifics, but he told me he’d never get them again due to the large mess they make. He’s a huge animal lover and has no problem taking care of animals, so it wasn’t a lazy comment. If you really really want them, just research as much as possible, talk to vets if you can. Try to search for websites dedicated to duck ownership. There are many sites out there for specific animal owners as support. Your dog igloo plan sounds pretty good to me, you can always try it out and see how it works! Good luck!
Ducks can be territorial. They get mean and cranky when you come into “their” territory. I have been chased and bitten ducks more often than by “meat eating” pets.
Ducks are mean. LOL!!!
To answer your questions:
Cleaning depends on the facilities you have. If they’re going to be on dirt, you rake it up and throw it in the trash. If you want to hose it down, you need some sort of drain that goes into the sewer line, or septic tank. Hosing it down doesn’t make it “disappear”. You need somewhere for it to go.
Leave the bottom on the Igloo. It will prevent rats from digging into it. You’ll end up cleaning it every week. Ducks are messy.
If you’re penning them up, you need to prevent predators from digging under the fencing. Foxes, raccoons, dogs, cats, mean humans, possums will dig to get a good meal. That means cement. That means you can’t move it around. That means you need some sort of drain/septic system.