How to Keep Ducks: Water, Housing and Feeding

Get the water and the mud sorted and ducks are easier than chickens.

A duck house with a clean water tub in a backyard

Backyard poultry: Chickens · Ducks · Quail. One flock tracker in the app covers all three.

Water, without a swamp

Ducks do not need a pond, but they must be able to submerge their whole head to clean their eyes and nostrils, and they want to splash. A tub, builder\u2019s trug or hard kiddie pool works. The trick is siting it on gravel, pavers or a wicking spot so the daily spillage drains away instead of creating mud. Tip and refresh it daily; ducks foul water fast. Keep drinking water separate and clean.

Housing

Ducks need predator-proof night shelter but, unlike chickens, no perches and no raised nest boxes, they sleep and lay on the ground. A simple floor-level house with deep clean straw, good ventilation and a secure door is all it takes. Foxes, dogs and quolls are the threat, so lock them up at dusk every night and bury or apron the mesh against diggers. A low ramp helps heavy breeds.

Feeding

Layer feed as the base, the same as hens, but ducks need extra niacin (vitamin B3). Add brewer\u2019s yeast to their feed, or use a waterfowl-specific feed, or ducklings can develop leg problems.
Never feed bread. It is junk that causes deformities and fouls water.
They forage hard: slugs, snails, worms, weeds and insects make up a big part of a free-ranging duck\u2019s diet, which is exactly why the garden loves them.
Feed wet or beside water, ducks need to drink while they eat to swallow.
Grit and shell for digestion and strong eggshells, same as chickens.

Eggs

Ducks usually lay early in the morning and often drop eggs anywhere, so let them out late or check the house and favourite corners. Duck eggs are larger, richer and higher in fat than hen eggs, prized for baking and custards. Collect daily and the float test works just the same as for hen eggs.

Managing the mud

Mud is the one real downside. Keep water on free-draining ground, rotate where they range, use deep litter or coarse bark in wet runs, and the homestead loop helps: that rich, wet duck manure is superb for the compost heap.

Log it all in the app. The flock tracker handles ducks alongside chickens and quail: eggs, feed costs, and each bird. Back to ducks →

Get the monthly Australian backyard guide

What to plant, flock and hive jobs for the month, in one short email. No spam.

Unsubscribe any time.

Images on this page are AI-generated illustrations.