Would you rather raise chickens or ducks?

Last Updated on June 20, 2024 by Michelle

I’m often asked if I’d rather raise chickens or ducks. Yes. . .  Let me explain. . .

Are there pros and cons to each kind of bird? Absolutely. Most days, if I had to pick only one to have on the farm, I’d pick chickens. But once in a while, I’d pick ducks. I imagine most people who own both would tell you they have a favorite. More often than not, simply based on my conversations I’ve had with others who raise both chickens and ducks, I would venture to say that most people would choose chickens if forced to choose just one.

Go here to see the products I recommend for raising chicken.

But if you don’t have to choose, why on earth would you?

But there are such redeeming qualities to ducks… The larger, richer eggs for starters. And their ability to keep on laying those rich eggs most of the winter, long after our hens take their winter break. (Mind you, we choose to not heat our coop. Our hens would give us eggs longer into the winter months if they had a heat source.) But, the hands-down #1 reason I like having ducks around? Their stinkin’ cute waddles and adorable personalities. I mean honestly, who can resist waddling duck butts heading off across the field?

What I love the most about having ducks?

I mean, hello! Beatrice Potter moment here! Who doesn’t wanna have Jemima Puddle Duck tottering nearby? I honestly wonder if one day the ducks will come shuffling around a corner wearing blue bonnets and chatting about Sally Henny Penny. But, yeah, the sheer fact that their presence makes our New England homestead feel a little like a farm on the English country side makes me glad we have the room and ability to keep some ducks on our farm.

But a few moments that occurred one evening last week made me so happy. Sure, I know it just looks like a few birds in my back field, but this right here is a picture of male birds–Mr. Big Fat, my rooster, and Winchester, the drake–doing what male birds do so beautifully. They have amazing natural instincts to care for their ladies.

Eagle has always been one of Mr. Big Fat’s favorites, so I wasn’t surprised to see that she was the hen in the picture I had snapped. Eagle has quite a story of her own, part of which you could read about in this post.

But the female duck is the main character of the story today. Lamie was always lame, from when we brought her home as a duckling with 2 other ladies and their drake. But as she grew, her disability became more pronounced. She tried oh-so-hard to keep up with the others, but she was always left behind. Her drake never cared to check on her or encourage her along, but was always fine with the fact that she was left behind and out of his range of protection. While she did become quite a loaner, even down to the fact that she was never able to lay eggs, she always seemed to be much happier when the others waddled back her way and she had some company.


This post gives you a rundown on 10 Fowl Facts you should know that I didn’t know when I first brought home our chickens. (You can pin that one here.)

This post explains how we trained our labradoodle to befriend our birds–maybe the most important accomplishment to date here on our farm. (That pin is here.)

And if you’re considering raising chicks, please read this post to avoid the horrible mistake I made that cost many sweet little lives. (This pin leads you to that mistake as one of a dozen I made that year.)


One day Lamie’s disability saved her life but left her totally empty.

The others had waddled off through the cow pasture one day, and they were carried off for a meal by a local fox. The drake, from the looks of the spewed feathers, had put up quite a battle for his ladies but had lost. It was tragic for us. I got the call during my long stay by my daughter’s side in the ICU, where she battled a rare and ugly neurological symptom during the worst, darkest summer of my life. Part of me had no energy to devote to feeling sad over the loss of a few farm critters, but another part of me was devastated at the news. Alone. Empty. Lame, in my own right.

So to have ducks waddling their cuteness around the homestead again feels extra good. You see, recently, a few new ducks came to live on our farm. But the evening I realized this I was elated…

While we were watching the sap boil, the chicken and ducks all came around. Well, first came Lassie. But our barn cat is always around…

Then I realized Lamie had a new lease on life.

Then came the ducks, the farthest we had seen them wander since moving in. And Lamie was with them! For the first time in a very long time Lamie has friends again. And she is like a new duck. They even patiently wait for her to keep up with them when they go on their wandering, waddling adventures. The new drake seems to be especially fond of Lamie. My heart leaped with happy when I saw this. That and the amazing aromatic maple steam that enveloped me, wow, I’m surprised I didn’t cry.

So, yeah, I’m often asked if I’d rather raise chicken or ducks. Yes.

Go here to see the products I recommend for raising your own.

If you’d like to meet our barn kittens, here’s a facebook live I shared recently over on my facebook page. Of course who wouldn’t? They’re stinkin adorable balls of just-born fluff.

Pin this for later!

Just click on the image below to pin this post.

 

Many readers often ask what camera I use to take the images you find here on SoulyRested. I love my Nikon; you can read more about my camera on my Resources page and even purchase your own here.

Glance at my Resource Page if you’d like to get a glimpse of all the supplies I use and recommend for everything from gardening, to homeschooling, to chicken care, to nature journaling, to maple syrup making.

I’d love to connect!

 

 

And please follow along!

Please take a second to follow along here on SoulyRested to catch up on a few of my memorable mishaps, discover fascinating things about my centuries-old farmhouse, glean a little parenting/homeschooling insight from this momma who’s been failing at the effort for almost 2 decades, or enjoy the inside scoop on the secrets other legit homesteaders might not tell you.

I hope my focus always encourages you, because simple joys require hard work. Let’s face it, we all need all the encouragement we can get! As soon as you subscribe (in the box at the end of this post), you’ll have immediate access to my Resource Library, which includes many useful printables–including ones about crafts and how to clean a braided wool rug–my FREE EBOOKs, and amazing recipes for things like whoopie pie cookies, maple sap switchel, and my grandmom’s perfect pie crust.

If you already ARE a subscriber, just hop over to the Resource Library here and enter your personal password. (If you don’t remember your password, no fear, we always include a personalized reminder in every Thursday email, “Hard Work, Simple Joys.”)

 

8 thoughts on “Would you rather raise chickens or ducks?”

  1. I will probably always have chickens for their eggs, and occasionally chickens as meat animals, but I truly love having ducks! I’ve had a few at different times over the years. I can’t let them (or my chickens) free range or they have very short lives, and I hate “cooping them up” (now we know what that saying means!) but as long as they have a pool they seem to be happy. I currently have Muscovies but I’ve had the more common breeds too – and a pair of geese that I adored!

    1. I too would never go without chicken. I prefer their eggs to duck eggs for breakfast (but I do like duck eggs for baking).. And while we’ve never attempted meat chicken, we do hope to. But nothing makes me smile like our ducks.

  2. That’s such a sweet story about the ducks! I would choose chickens if forced to choose. They aren’t as messy, and I prefer their eggs and meat. But ducks are just… ducks! They are incredibly enjoyable to watch, and their quacking is often hilarious. So glad we are able to have both!

    1. Us too, Danielle! I also prefer chicken because they make less of a mess of my yard or flowerbeds than the ducks do when they’re free ranging. And talk about dirty, messy eggs when you collect them–I swear the ducks intentionally roll their eggs around in poo after they lay them. Nevertheless, we adore them, for sure.

  3. I agree! I love having both chickens AND ducks on the farmstead, even though the ducks definitely make a bigger mess and often give us waaaay more eggs than we need. But you’re right – there’s just something about having them around that makes this place feel right.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.