Ducks

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Nothing says spring like ducklings waddling around the farm!

The flowers are blooming and babies abound. Adult ducks forage at the water’s edge or glide across the surface participating in a seemingly choreographed dance.

From farm-fresh eggs to nutritious meat to the joy of watching ducklings hatch, ducks add warmth and amusement to your farm’s scenery.

“There are nearly 20 duck breeds in the American Poultry Association’s Standard of Perfection (a publication with all the breed and variety descriptions for all recognized, purebred water fowl) with new ones being introduced on a regular basis. Since virtually every breed was developed to fill a need, there’s a wide range of choices available to anyone desiring a breed for a specific purpose.”—Lou Horton 

The Popular Farming Series: Ducks has everything you need to know to start raising ducks or to embark on a new adventure with your flock. With beautiful photos and in-depth articles, Ducks is a must for any poultry enthusiast’s or small farmer’s library.

What You’ll Find
The Popular Farming® Series is a collection of magabooks™ that covers farming topics of interest to small farmers today. The series is designed to provide valuable information to those who already have a small farm as well as those who are pondering the big move to the country. As an all-encompassing guide to raising waterfowl, you’ll find helpful and interesting information about all aspects of duck breeds, hatching, daily chores, protection from predators, and even some advice on how to understand fowl behavior in “Duck Behavior 101.”

“In the wild, Mallards and Muscovies—the two species our domestic duck breed descended from—enjoy an eclectic, omnivorous diet: mosquitos, flies, slugs, grass, aquatic weeds, frogs, mice and more. If given the opportunity to roam, domestic ducks will also search out these tasty tidbits in addition to their formulated fare. In fact, foraging will probably be on the most common behaviors you see.” –Cherie Langlois

I Didn’t Invite You!
The typical dinner guest waits for an invite before helping himself to a mouth-watering, gut-stuffing meal on your farm. Predators, on the other hand, take any chances they can get to swipe a meal right off your plate (or back 40). Your ducks are no exception; in fact, they’re almost irresistible. With the proper preventative measures and a little strategizing, you can ward off those uninvited and unwanted guests.

“With their cute, smiling countenance, ducks are simply wonderful creatures. They are hardy, healthy, generally long-lived and relatively easy to care for. Most are gentle and social, making them fine pets. Many are excellent layers (in fact, some breeds, such as the Campbells, Anconas and Appleyards, actually out-lay most chickens, producing 250 to 320 eggs per bird per year) and when raised for meat, they provide an incomparable delicacy. Here’s the rub: A lot of other animals also consider duck meat and duck eggs a delicacy, and they’ll be happy to come dine at your house if your ducks aren’t adequately protected. In fact, ducks tend to be more vulnerable to predation than most other farmyard birds.” –Carol Ekarius

How to ...
Protecting your flock from predators is not the only how-to information contained in the pages of Ducks. Take your predator protection to the next level: Get detailed plans on how to construct a duck shelter that will keep your birds happy, healthy and safe from predators. Also, get a veterinarian’s advice on how to recognize sick birds as well as how to treat and prevent illness in your flock in “Disease-free Ducks.”

“Regardless of the production situation, most people already have the tools they need to raise ducks (or any species of livestock) successfully: their eyes, ears and noses. Keen observation goes along with learning about what is normal behavior and what are indicators of illness.” –Dianne Hellwig, PhD, DVM

Find out how to care for your flock, hatch your own ducklings and raise ducks naturally, plus much, much more in Ducks.

A Little Duck Fun
Daily chores can seem overwhelming and burdensome at times, but there’s also a lot of fun to be had with your fowl flock. Help your duck strut its stuff at 4-H competitions, county fairs and other poultry shows. Participate in a duck-calling competition or try your hand a carving duck decoys. How about hosting a rubber-duck race for charity? And of course, all duck fanatics love finding waterfowl collectibles, such as vintage calls, figurines, rubber duckies, prints or decoys. Discover the many ways to enjoy all things duck—whether they’re covered in feathers or made of rubber!

There’s a lot to know about waterfowl; and Popular Farming’s Ducks is loaded with information from duck lingo to breeder resources and associations to hatcheries and duck supply houses—it’s an essential resource for anyone interested in raising waterfowl.

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Contents

Taming the Wild: A History of Duck Domestication
Domestic ducks can be traced back 10,000 years. Learn when and where your fowl flock originated.
By Sue Weaver

It’s a Small (Duck) World
Uncover the range of breeds that stemmed from only two bloodlines and pick the ones best-suited for your farm. 
By Cherie Langlois

Donning Ducks
Don’t be fooled! Learn how to find and purchase healthy ducks and eggs to meet your farm’s goals.
By Lou Horton

Duck Behavior 101
Ducks are curious, busy creatures. Observing their basic behaviors will enable you to take action when abnormal activities signal trouble.
By Cherie Langlois

Take a Crack at Hatching Ducklings
Hatching your own ducklings doesn’t have to be complicated. Discover the skills and techniques required for healthy hatching.
By Matt John

Daily Duck Duties
Don’t let daily duck care wear you down. Find out what you need to know to simplify your routine.
By Julie Mancini

Look Who’s Coming to Dinner
Ducks can be sweet in more than just their looks and temperament. Given the chance, many predators will find them delicious, too!
By Carol Ekarius

Gimme Shelter
The first step to a happy and healthy flock is a safe shelter.
By Carol Ekarius

Disease-free Ducks
Are your fowl friends at risk? Follow a veterinarian’s recommendations for keeping your ducks disease-free.
By Dianne Hellwig, PhD, DVM

To Market: The Business of Ducks
Everything but the quack! Learn how to market and sell your duck products to turn a profit.
By Matt John

Raising Ducks Naturally
Want to reward yourself and your ducks? Go organic or let your flock free-range for more fulfilling and flavorful fowl fare.
By Cherie Langlois

Fun with Ducks
Ducks make fun pets, hobbies, toys and decorations. Unleash your inner quack with some feathersome fun!
By Sue Weaver

Glossary
Waterfowl words defined. 

Resources
Check out these handy resources for everything from hatcheries to duck supplies to help you raise your flock. 

Why We Love them
Nothing says spring like ducklings! They warm the heart and inspire the farmer’s soul.

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