From: sbuchele@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Steven W. Buchele)
Newsgroups: misc.rural
Subject: Re: Chickens (why not ducks)
Summary: Ducks
Keywords: ducks,chickens
Date: 15 Sep 92 18:08:53 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: The University of Texas at Austin, Austin TX

>
>... I don't think American
>farmers could produce nearly as much food without
>oil/gasoline/diesel for their combines and tractors.  Isn't oil,
>curiously enough, used to make fertilizer as well? 
>-- 
>"Land of song, said the warrior bard,           Jim Heath

My father (who taught Ag. Engineering at ISU) was fond of saying
that "American Agribusiness is the business of turning oil into
food."Why not ducks?  I've raised ducks for 3 years.

I've replaced chicken, hen, with <ducks> to answer your questions 

>My wife and I are considering acquiring some <Ducks> (for personal egg
>consumption) and are complete <duck>-rookies.  Assuming the real technical
>issues can be answered later, there are a few simple questions:
>
>1) Can <ducks> 'survive' without daily care?  Can we leave for a few days
>without needing <duck> sitters?

Yes, we often leave them for 3-5 days with alot of food and plenty of water.

>
>2) Do they need a 'pen' or can they range free?  (I guess we'd never find
>the eggs)

Yes, they are very good bug/worm/grub catchers, and darn clever about
hiding the eggs too. 

>
>3) Whats the 'laying life' of a duck?  Are we going to be butchering them
>all the time?  (We don't eat much meat, but there's a wildlife center
>nearby whose raptors just love <duck>)

My best layer is 3+ years old, they start laying about 1+ years.  Duck eggs
are mostly yoke, and don't taste that different then chicken eggs.

>
>4) Can they tolerate occasional freezing weather, or do we need to build
>them a heated coop (anybody have any solar-coop plans?)?

Did OK in the 10 degree drop we had.  Very sad looking at a bunch of
ducks standing on a frozen bathtub full of water looking bored (I broke
water --- they went swimming).

>
>5) Could we just keep them in the garden/orchard?  Do they eat vegetables
>(assuming they have the choice of other food)?

The orchard would do ok, the garden...well I've seen them mow down a
whole crop of sweet corn.  They like greens.

>
>6) How many (or few) <ducks> could supply a modest supply for a two person
>family (dozen a week)?

We go through 3 ducks every 2 months.

>
>7) What other deep/dark secrets are there we should know?  We already know
>they are loud and create manure (for the garden).

I drain the duck water from the old bathtub  in to my garden. No problem
with burning, and the garden seems to do well.

Clutch size is 10-20 about 3 times a year.  Some ducks sit well each time,
others make a good soup.

No problem with the age of the duck, 3 year olds are as tasty as duckling.

To reduce gamey taste, after processing, age it in the fridge for 1-2 days.

I have muscovey ducks, which are "quackless" and though they like to have
water to sit on, don't need it.

>
>8) Maybe most important, how do eggs measure up as an efficient
>energy/resource consumer (e.g. how much 'energy' of feed/water makes an
>equivalent measure of eggs?)?  For example, we wouldn't raise beef for that
>reason. [please no anti-environmental flames over this one!]
>

I understand ducks have a better ratio.

-- 
Steven W. Buchele                | Applied Research Laboratories
buchele@arlvs1.arlut.utexas.edu  | 10000 Burnet Road
(512) 835-3012                   | Austin, Taxes 78713-8029

    "Every tool is a hammer--except a chisel...its a screwdriver!"
				   
From: byrnes@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (John Byrnes)
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 16:41:10 GMT
Subject: Re: cut the crap (was: ban gas weedeaters and assorted nonsense)
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Fort Collins, CO, USA