Keeping Backyard Ducks
Ducks lay beautifully, eat slugs by the hundred, and handle heat and humidity better than most chickens.
Why ducks
- Rich, large eggs, often more reliably through heat and winter than hens.
- Voracious slug, snail and bug control, a gift in humid gardens.
- Hardy in wet, hot climates that stress chickens.
What they need
- Water deep enough to dip their heads and clean their eyes, ideally a small pool. Expect mud.
- Shade and ground-level shelter (ducks don't roost).
- Niacin-supplemented or waterfowl feed; ducklings need extra niacin.
Breeds for the warm US
Khaki Campbells and Welsh Harlequins are laying machines; Pekins are big and friendly; Muscovies are quiet, heat-tough and superb foragers (technically a different species). All do well in Southern heat with shade and water.
Garden tip: herded through the garden at the right time, ducks clear pests without scratching up beds the way chickens do, though they'll nibble tender seedlings.