By Alanna Moore
Poultry keeping has become enormously popular in Australia in the last few years and people are often asking me for advice on what sort of poultry is the best to keep. This can depend on why you want them and what the poultry are intended to do for you.
In urban areas noisy roosters may be out of the question and even hens can make a racket and annoy neighbours. Ducks can be an attractive alternative, especially if you have damp areas for them to dabble in. This makes them ideal for Ireland!
Some breeds of duck are pretty good layers. Their eggs are a touch richer in fat and calories than hen eggs, making them especially good for cakes. You’ll have no sleepless nights from cocks crowing, although ducks can get quite loud when insistently quacking for their breakfast!
Ranging around your garden they are not quite as destructive as fowl, though they’ll happily strip your leafy vege plants if hungry enough. They’ll poke around in the soil but at least won’t be scratching the mulch in every direction. They’ll clean up pests like slugs and snails with total gusto. Being omnivorous, they’ll eat just about anything.
It’s a good idea to allow ducks out of their predator-proof pens for just a part of the day, usually after feeding and egg laying has finished in the morning. This can ensure less raiding in the garden and clean eggs that are easy to find.
Breed characteristics
Which breeds to choose? Muscovy Ducks actually prefer to eat grass, so they can keep lawns nicely trimmed. Fast growers, they were once the roast animal of choice for Christmas dinners in Europe. Bred for both meat and egg laying ability, they have an added advantage of being the quietest breed. The very cute Pekin (of ‘Donald Duck’ fame) is another dual-purpose breed, laying up to 140 eggs per year. However the best layers are Indian Runners and Khaki Campbells. A good pure strain of Campbells can lay up to 360 eggs each year.
Other more exotic and ornamental varieties might be available, and you’ll still get a few eggs from them too. They make a colourful addition to a backyard and have such endearing personalities you’ll get free entertainment on tap. Speaking of personalities, duck temperament may be a deciding factor to which breeds to go for. Some can be so nervous that the family dog or boisterous children can totally spook them. Never let children chase ducks! Go for breeds that are more placid if you have little ones. The most nervous breeds are the Pekins and Indian Runners.
Unfortunately, many once common duck breeds are now rather rare and hard to come by. Keeping a pure breed going may be one criteria you might like to use in your choice. Examples of the rarer varieties are the Aylesbury, the Crested, Black East Indian, Buff Orpington, Welsh Harlequin, Silver Appleyard and Rouen. Such heritage breeds were developed over millennia with useful or attractive traits. If we only aspire to buy birds that are cross-breds or indeterminate cast-offs we lose the opportunity to maintain age old traditions of farming and diverse genetic pools that, I think, can help to foster a sustainable farming future.
Permaculture ducks
Permaculture design (permanent agriculture/culture) is the sustainable method of food production that has been called Australia’s greatest export. It was formulated 30 years ago by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, who developed an eco-systems approach to edible landscaping. Multifunctionality is one of the keystones of good permaculture design. For instance, with ducks you can turn vegetation and garden pests into tasty meat and eggs, while they also provide liquid manure that’s a boost for plant growth.
However if you keep too many of them, or if they are crowded into a pen in one place for too long you might end up with sour, smelly ground overloaded with manure. A smarter plan is to harness duck manure production without having to shovel the poo. Save your energy for nicer pursuits! Ideally integrate duck keeping with your orchard, away from vegetables and where they can eat weeds, insect pests and the odd fallen fruit.
Ducks also need water. Not necessarily a lot, but enough to drink and also wash the mud off their faces at regular intervals. A small tub of water is enough. Make sure the water is regularly renewed, because if water is left to stagnate – disease can develop.
A good idea is to have a baby’s bath tub placed beneath shady fruit trees, moving it to a different tree each day. Ducks will spend a bit of time around the water and you can empty out the dirty water onto the tree, which will also enjoy the manure. This method spreads the manure load and keeps trees fertilised and watered, giving you more fruit.
It’s a great permaculture solution to duck pollution!
Bio – Author Alanna Moore is the author of Australia’s best selling poultry book – ‘Backyard Poultry – Naturally’, available from the author at info@geomantica.com.