Learn how to raise ducks whether you’re on 5 acres or 1/8 of an acre!
I am pretty partial to ducks, what is not to love about them? Raising ducks was really our first step into homesteading and from there, it snowballed into buying more land, then buying cows, pigs, rabbits and chickens!
If you are looking for somewhere to start, ducks are the way to go. They give you beautiful big eggs that are more nutritious than chicken eggs, they are quieter, and just absolutely a blast to watch. AND it isn’t that hard to get started.
Do you need a lot of land?
One of the things I love about ducks is that you can do it on 5 acres of land or 1/8 of an acre. When we first started raising ducks, we lived on 1/8 of an acre of land. Yep, we lived in the suburbs but really wanted to have fresh eggs every day. We checked with the rules for our area and we were able to fit 12 ducks on our small property.
The idea that we could get fresh eggs daily in the suburbs was a win for us!
Supplies for Raising Ducks
There are some supplies you will need, this is an investment. But, the good thing about it is, most of the supplies will last you a very long time. I encourage you to buy quality, it might be more expensive in the beginning, but worth it in the long run. Buy once, cry once right?
- Fencing – This will depend on where you live. As I mentioned before, we had ducks in the suburbs and needed fencing so that they were able to roam around a little without being stuck in their house all day. Once we moved to the country, the fencing was no longer needed because they were able to roam freely on our property. I recommend a Premier One Poultry fence. They are durable, easy to move, and they are made in America. We have had our fence for 7 years and going strong!
- Housing – This really varies depending on the individual. You may need a larger house for many birds or a smaller house for a just a few. Either way, buy quality! We made ours with scrap material. Check out the video on what to look for in a duck house (slightly different needs than for chickens) and to see what we did!
- Feed – We discuss this in the video, but whether they are free roaming or in a fence, you are going to need to supplement with feed. I highly recommend you find a good non-gmo feed if possible. We buy ours from a local place near our house.
- Water source – You will need a 5 gallon bucket or other similar container for the ducks water. It is important that they have enough water to dip their entire bills in . If you are able, provide a small kiddie pool as well. We discuss this further in the video!
How to Raise Ducks
This video covers everything from why we chose ducks over chickens, to feeding them and offering good shelter. Join us as we dive into ducks!
