# Duck Egg Incubation?



## LuiBlu (Aug 27, 2010)

Hi there - I'm on here a lot, in the Snake section, but this is my first venture into the world of birds so bare with me lol.

I'm thinking about setting up a duck or chicken run in my garden. It's a big enough garden to give them plenty of space to run around outside, aswell as a generous sized hen/duck house. It's a secure garden also, and I'll take extra measures to make sure they're safe.

I have a few questions in general; 

Winter - What temperature do they need to be brought indoors?

Water - (For Ducks) Would it be advisable to make them a small, shallow pond for them to dip in and out?

Male and Females - I'm not interested in breeding them, I don't know the first thing about it, so would it be advisable to keep male and female seperate? What age do they mature sexually?

Incubation - I have hopes of buying eggs rather than the birds themselves, to incubate at home and then when they are ready move out to their new home. I have read many 'how to' guides but none of them make clear what you put the eggs on to incubate them. Most just say 'trays'. Feel silly now as I've no clue if they mean you can get duck egg trays with dents for each egg, or if they are flat trays... or if they can be put on some form of substrait like aspen or kitchen towel... :blush:

I'm doing all the research first before commiting to the idea so i figure the best place to ask is on a forum like this. 

Thanks for any replies  x


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## Dee_Williams (Aug 15, 2010)

the trays usually come with the incubator, you get different sized trays (or more dividers) for different sized eggs.

ducks need a drake really, they get sexually frustrated otherwise. doesn't mean you have to breed them though. 

chickens do not need a male and will lay happily without one.

you shouldn't need to bring any birds inside at all in the winter. provided they have adequate weatherproof hosuing they should be fine outside. 

the best pond for a small amount of ducks is a childs hard plastic sand pit type thing, these can be easily kept clean and you can provide a ramp to get in and out if you think it is needed although i never did for ours...

they mature sexually when they are ready to lay. yuo are better off getting rid of all but one male so you avoid fighting. especially when you are only keeping a few. as stated before you only really need one male for ducks, you don't have to have one but they lay better. chicken do not need a male at all and it will be a lot quieter without one! :lol2:

i would recommend not starting with chicks. they take a lot of time and you would need to dispose of excess males. they are expensive to rear and will be a long time til laying! you would also need to buy an incubator and a brooder pen (unless you already have them)

you might be better off starting with a couple of ex battery hens. they will generally lay well, be nice and tame and will give you a gentle introduction to chickens.


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## Dee_Williams (Aug 15, 2010)

forgot to add, ducks are easier to rear as they only need heat for about a week. 

they make a LOT of mess though.


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## LuiBlu (Aug 27, 2010)

:2thumb: Thank you very much! I'll look into ex battery hens. Or some adult ducks.

 Quite exciting. My wee boy is 2 so it'll be great to get him involved in something like a wee duck/chicken run  Even if he's just watching Mummy for the first few years lol xx


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## LuiBlu (Aug 27, 2010)

Dee_Williams said:


> forgot to add, ducks are easier to rear as they only need heat for about a week.
> 
> they make a LOT of mess though.


I'd prefer ducks tbh, but i like the idea of having chickens for sam to collect eggs from them for breaky lol 

my ultimate fantasy lifestyle would be to have my own farm... so mess doesn't bother me  x


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## Dee_Williams (Aug 15, 2010)

i have ducks for sale. :whistling2:


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## LuiBlu (Aug 27, 2010)

Dee_Williams said:


> i have ducks for sale. :whistling2:


:gasp: i'll bare that in mind lol.

i'm not ready for them yet. need to get the run and whatnot ready for them first ;p x


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## Dee_Williams (Aug 15, 2010)

well give me a shout when you are ready. i tend to always have spare ducks.... :lol2:


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## Nix (Jan 23, 2008)

Dee - what kind of ducks?


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## Dee_Williams (Aug 15, 2010)

muscovys, campbells,i currently have spare mini cresteds and 2 spare runners. o and 3 white campbells.


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## LiamRatSnake (Jul 3, 2007)

Please be aware that ducks are filthy and messy. I would personally make their run concreted and roofed, and keep the floor strawed or bare and hose/replace straw regularly. If they have enough space they shouldn't destroy your garden when ranging but make sure your lawn is well drained or it will become a swamp. 
If you want eggs I'd go for Campbells and if you want pets I'd go for Calls if you can cope with the noise.
As for hatching or rearing anything I really stand by "If you can't dispatch, don't hatch". I'm facing culling some male chicks soon and believe me it isn't a fun job to do.
If you have the space why not have some hens too :whistling2: Pekins are amazing birds and beautiful too.


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## Dee_Williams (Aug 15, 2010)

pekins wouldn't go well with ducks. low slung birds and muddy ducks are not a great idea.


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## LiamRatSnake (Jul 3, 2007)

Dee_Williams said:


> pekins wouldn't go well with ducks. low slung birds and muddy ducks are not a great idea.


I meant housing separately. Hence why I said 'if you have enough space'. It's a very valid point though that I should have made clear. Personally I wouldn't mix any chickens with ducks as mud and poo would be parasite heaven, unless I had a large paddock, which I don't.


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## Nix (Jan 23, 2008)

Dee_Williams said:


> muscovys, campbells,i currently have spare mini cresteds and 2 spare runners. o and 3 white campbells.


Dee - what sex are your runners?


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