Ducks and Geese

Ducks are the easiest meat bird a homestead can raise: hardy, fast-growing, resistant to most chicken diseases, and ready for the freezer in about seven weeks. Geese are the grazers of the poultry world. Both bring one complication that chickens don’t: water, and lots of mess with it.

Ducks or geese

• Ducks are smaller and need less space, but they need grain year-round and are more vulnerable to predators ¹.
• Geese need about twice the space, but they do well on limited grain with plenty of grazing and are seldom bothered by predators ¹. Chinese geese are loud and alert enough to be used as “watch geese,” and they’re also used as weeders ¹.

For meat, hybrid Pekin ducks grow fastest and convert feed best; Rouen and Mallard-colored ducks look nice but grow slower and dress out with dark pinfeathers ². Muscovies have excellent dark meat but grow slower than Pekins ². Goose meat breeds include Emden, African, and Pilgrim ¹. Ducklings and goslings are usually sold April through July ¹.

Brooding ducklings

A broody hen will adopt ducklings if you slip them under her at night ². Otherwise, brood them like chicks ²:

• A dry, draft-free spot with 4 inches of absorbent litter (shavings or chopped straw). Ducks soak their litter far more than chicks, so pull wet spots daily.
• Two 125-watt heat lamps hung close together about 18 inches up, so one failing overnight isn’t a disaster.
• 85–90 °F at the edge of the light when they arrive, then 5–10 degrees cooler each week. Watch the birds: huddled and noisy means too cold; spread far from the light means too hot.
• Heat for 5–6 weeks in cold weather, 2–3 in summer. By about 4 weeks they’re feathered enough to go outside except in cold, wet weather.
• Space: ½ square foot each for the first two weeks, 1 square foot by four weeks, and at least 2 square feet if they stay confined after a month.

Never brood on newspaper or another slippery floor, which causes splayed legs ¹.

Feed

Start ducklings on starter crumbles. Chick starter works if duck starter isn’t available, and medicated starter isn’t needed, since ducks resist the diseases it targets ². Some sources warn against medicated chick feed for waterfowl altogether, so unmedicated is the safe choice ¹. Switch to grower pellets at two weeks: ducks waste powdery mash and can choke on it. Keep feed in front of them at all times, and put the feeder away from the waterer ².

Protein steps down as they grow, about 20% for the first two weeks, 18% to six weeks, 16% to eight ². A commercial Pekin eats about half a pound of feed in its first week and about 20 pounds by market, and reaches 8+ pounds in about seven weeks ².

Geese and ducks raised past 8–12 weeks need very little grain if they have good grazing. Give them grit before they go onto green, fibrous plants ¹.

Water

Ducks need water deep enough to dunk their whole head, which keeps their eyes and nostrils clean ¹. Swimming is fun but not necessary for growing ducks, and a pool or small pond fouls quickly unless it’s flushed often ². Keep young birds from swimming or getting soaked for about the first four weeks; wet ducklings chill, pile up, and can die ¹. A waterer with its lip at back height, set on a wire-covered platform, keeps the pen far drier ².

Processing

Wisconsin allows home-dressed poultry for personal use and small sales; larger sales need an inspected plant ². If you want them custom processed, book the processor well ahead. Remember the ducks will be ready in about seven weeks, and they keep eating whether you’re ready or not ².

Try it

Count back seven weeks from the date you want ducks in the freezer and order Pekin ducklings for that hatch date. Set up the brooder a day early with the lamps running, check the temperature at the edge of the light, and build a drip or no-swim waterer before they arrive.