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Duck math? We know chicken math exists, but is there such a thing as duck math?
In an earlier post, I explained chicken math and how many people are affected by it when they begin urban homesteading chickens. I am one of those people…big time! If I could house ALL the chickens, I would. Just keep them coming!
After we had our baker’s dozen of baby chicks, my husband and I ventured to a local flock swap in Raleigh, NC. Flock swaps are truly magical!
What is a Flock Swap?
A flock swap is a bunch of local small farm animal keepers meetup at a feed store in the parking lot to sell their animals (ducks, chickens, pigs, goats, …) and goods. So you get to look at all sorts of cute animals and talk to people about them and learn all kinds of good stuff. We walked over to a particular table that had pullets, baby chicks, and the cutest little Welsh Harlequin ducklings.
What the duck?
Ducks were something we had talked about but had heard about how dirty, stinky, and messy they are. The woman at the table was named Megan, the owner of The Littles Oasis Hatchery. She was incredibly knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. I was still hesitant so we walked around a bit. My husband (who by the way is 100% my enabler to all things urban homesteading) was all in on ducks. I was nervous because we really didn’t have a plan for them.
So, we walked back over to Megan’s table and I asked more questions. Here were her answers:
Ducks can sleep with chickens in their coops. Brooding, it may be best to set them up separately from chickens since they do get bedding pretty wet.
Yes, a heat lamp is needed as they need heat for the first few weeks. (She provided me a heating chart that will be posted in the Welsh Harlequin care post in the near future)
Ducks can eat the same as chickens. As babies, they can eat the chick starter non-medicated only. Medicated food will kill them. They need niacin supplements for their legs.
No. Females quack and males are raspy.
Welsh Harlequins cannot fly.
She gave me all the information I needed. She even texted me some beginner articles and told me to feel free to contact her anytime with questions.
Welcoming 2 Welsh Harlequin ducks to our flock?
So we jumped in and bought two Welsh Harlequin ducklings about 10 days old. We brought them home, got them all set up. Thankfully they eat the same things as chickens so we didn’t have to buy something different. They could not be housed with our chicks because they are messy with the water and everything inside their brooder gets wet. We put them in the bathtub for swim time and they loved it. The ducks were also a huge hit with all of our kids. We loved them so much that we pre-ordered two more ducklings from Megan’s next hatch.
Was this the beginning of duck math?
While the ducks were inside, I did not like it due to the mess. I felt at the time that they were a lot more work than the chickens. We had chicks in the house plus the two ducks, so there was a lot of upkeep all at the same time. Trying to keep water in the duck’s brooder was difficult due to them always splashing in it.
Ducks really are water animals, and having to have a separate brooder is necessary. We switched from pine shavings to pine pellets for the ducks due to better absorption, but if you didn’t clean it up every few days, it started to stink.
Integrating ducks into the rest of the chick flock
Once they were outside, the upkeep was better, but the ducks integrating into our chicken flock was a bit unnerving. They would goose the chickens when walking by inside the run. They really didn’t care for the chickens to be in their space or near them at all. After their confinement to the run to help everyone get used to their new home, we let everyone free range and that was life-changing. The ducks roamed and there was no more gooseing the chickens. They stay near the chickens sometimes with no issue and everyone appears much happier.
Then 2 ducks multiplied and we now had 4 ducks!
They all grew and now all four of our ducks have been integrated outside (more on the integration process of the new ducklings in a later post). The ducks sleep in the chicken coop with the chickens, hang in the run, eat the same food, and forage during the day. They also have a kiddie pool in the yard that they love splashing around in. When I refill their pool, they come running over honking with happiness, and stand in the shower of the hose. The male drake, Doug, takes care of the other 3 females and they are a happy little family. I love watching them roam the yard and woods together. I do not regret these ducks, they are amazing!
So, I believe that there is such a thing as duck math!
Actually, chickens are the “gateway small farm animal” that will lead you down a path of more, different amazing farm animals.
Be on the lookout for our post on Welsh Harlequins and how to care for them. You know, in case duck math gets the better of you!
So what is your #duckmath story?
This is part of our Ducks 101 series!
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