Why Ducks are a Valuable Addition to the Northern Homestead

Why am I excited about adding ducks and duck eggs to the homestead?

In last weeks post (http://thebar1homestead.blogspot.com/2018/01/picking-poultry-for-2018-chickens-ducks.html) I promised a follow up post on the benefits/advantages of duck eggs.  I will also go into what the advantages of having ducks are to the small farm homesteader and how they add value to the farm.

First let’s talk about the eggs, duck eggs are slightly larger then chicken eggs and as such will have higher nutrient content per eggs, however proportionally a duck egg’s yolk has more fat and the white has more protein then chicken eggs, even for their size.  This is important for a couple reasons.  It means when you use duck eggs to bake with you will get a fluffier and richer pastry or baked good.  This makes them prized by pastry chefs and home bakers alike.  The higher fat profile also makes them sought after by those on a Paleo and Ketogenic diet as these diets lean towards heathy fats and duck eggs have a higher concentration of omega-3 fatty acids then chicken eggs do.  On the down side, duck eggs have a much higher cholesterol profile then chicken eggs do, so they might not be for those who are watching cholesterol intake.

Duck eggs also come with a thicker shell meaning them will stay fresh longer then chicken eggs, up to 6 weeks!  Some duck breeds will also lay egg for egg with chickens and even out lay chickens during the winter (more about that later!).  The below numbers were pulled from various sources online but were fairly consistent.

Chicken Egg Facts (Large Egg, 50g)

• Calories: 71
• Total Fat: 5g
• Cholesterol: 211mg
• Sodium: 70mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 0g
• Protein: 6g

Duck Egg Facts (70g)

• Calories: 130
• Total Fat: 10g
• Cholesterol: 619mg
• Sodium: 102mg
•  Total Carbohydrate: 1g
• Protein: 9g

Now to the ducks themselves, ducks have similar diets to chickens, however, they are normally a more aggressive forager of insects, the fact that they do not scratch while they forage makes them better for garden or crop insect control.    In addition, ducks LOVE slugs and snails, two pests that can decimate a garden that chickens do not seem to care for!   Keep in mind you will need to watch them around young, tender plants or they will make a meal of them if you are using them for pest duty.   The fact that ducks share a majority of their diet with chickens means during winter months when foraging may not be as plentiful you can feed adult ducks the same layer feed as chickens.

For those of us who homestead or live up north, the winter is where ducks will stand out.  Ducks appear to be even more cold hardy then chickens due to an extra layer of fat and they can be found outside of the coop during the day on some of the coldest days.   As an added benefit ducks lay their eggs more consistently in the morning, meaning you only have to collect them once a day.  During freezing weather, only having to collect eggs once rather than throughout the day in an effort to save eggs from freezing would be a God send.

Similar to chickens, ducks slow down their laying in the winter with the lessening of daylight, however, they do not seem to slow down quite as much as chickens (this is breed dependent as some ducks are seasonal layers only!).  Granted these advantages also come with a cost.   Even in the winter ducks need access to water deep enough to duck their head in when they eat, meaning you will need some type of heated water bowl in freezing weather if you do not want to make repeated trips! 

Ducks do need slightly different sleeping and nesting arraignments then chickens do as duck’s sleep on the ground rather then roosting and lay eggs at ground level rather then in nesting boxes.  For us that was not as issue as our coop is big enough to provide for both at the homestead.

The biggest advantage of duck’s hover maybe economically.  While the price you can get for your eggs will depend greatly on your market and your ability to build value a quick google search for duck egg prices showed that duck eggs typically sold for 3 times over the amount of pasture raised chicken eggs, which themselves typically go for a premium.  This does not even consider the possibility of raising and selling excess drakes for meat.  These combined, is why I am excited about adding ducks to the homestead this year.

This is not meant to be an all-inclusive list of pluses and minus, but to give you something to think about!  Hope to hear your input and thoughts!

UPDATE 15 Jan 2018  As to the laying of eggs in the winter, I am getting alot of contradictory information regarding this,  It will depend on the breed of the duck and individual results may vary!

Also, based and many comments from my readers the other thing to keep in mind with ducks is that in a confined area, they will make a huge mess!  They are not nearly as messy in when allowed to free range.