We are thinking about getting chickens or ducks, for eggs and/or meat. We are still only thinking, and plotting out how we will do this, where they will be, and whether we want one more thing to tie us down. If we do it, we will build some kind of moveable coop that can be moved around to different areas, so they can dig up the weeds and eat snails & grubs, one area at a time, and deposit their manure for us. We might design something that would fit over most of our beds, so we can move it from bed to bed during the winter, and leave it on vacant beds in the summer. Or, we can put them in the weedy area that isn’t planted. We are finding a few plans in different books, and looking for more books and information.
There seems to be difference of opinion about whether chickens or ducks are better. Some prefer one, others the other. Some say ducks have nicer personalities, some say ducks are noisier and messier. How about you?
One Response
I'd say raise chickens this year, and ducks next year (alphabetical order) then you'll find out what you like. Egg production really slows down during the winter, so just butcher them in the fall for chicken/duck dinners and soups for the winter.
Where we used to live in the suburb, people down the street had ducks. Every evening they would go out for some exercise. They would fly usually within a half mile of the house and then return, skimming the roof line and then landing in the not-very-big back yard.