Ducks are easy to raise, and there are a number of good reasons to raise them.  According to Dave Holderread, author of Storey’s Guide to Raising Ducks, they are “one of the most versatile and useful of all domestic fowl.”

As a meat bird, ducks are an excellent choice.  They are easy to care for and do not require elaborate housing.  Ducks are good foragers and can obtain a large portion of their food from forage.

Ducks can also benefit the family garden.  They provide high nitrogen fertilizer and help control grasshoppers, snails, slugs, potato beetles, Japanese beetle larvae, and other pests.

Some ducks, such as Runners and Campbells, are excellent layers and can produce over 275 eggs per year. Duck eggs are slightly larger than chicken eggs and can be prepared in any of the ways you would normally prepare chicken eggs, or used for baking.

Ducks are disease resistant, and most breeds can handle cold, wet weather well.

For more information about raising ducks, see Dave Holderread’s excellent book: Storey’s Guide to Raising Ducks.

To see our full selection of ducks, visit: http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/ducklings.html