We raise our ducks mostly for their eggs, but they also provide composted fertilizer for our lawns, pastures and gardens.  We've found in five years that nothing makes a lawn greener than do all-natural duck droppings and nothing snaps up mosquitoes, flies and gnats faster than a busy little duck. When we started Morning Owl Farm, we picked up a handful of ducks because Eliot Coleman said that every farm needed some. He claimed they were an entertaining little worker, and we found Mr. Coleman to be spot-on. We soon found that the eggs were yummy--an added bonus! 

The more time we spent with our garden ducks, the more we adored them and so we decided to create a market in Idaho for their eggs and that turned out to be a good thing to do. Upscale restaurants now serve them in Boise, Ketchum, Nampa and Eagle.  Atkinson's Market in Ketchum and the Moscow and Boise Co-Ops sell them by the dozen, and many a discerning eater won't even look at chicken eggs anymore. Once you go quack, you never go back!

But the thing is, ducks don't lay forever. After roughly a year, they need a time out to rest, restore and grow new feathers.  At that time, we cycle them out of the flock because we now have a consistent demand for 70-100 dozen eggs a week all year long.  We need girls that lay. As much as we'd like to keep them forever, it's not feasible, economically or environmentally to hang on to them for those two months when they take a time-out. After all, there are only so many ducks eight acres can take and only so many mouths we can feed and still have time to tend the gardens. Our loss, though, is your gain, because this natural cycle on the farm provides a nice opportunity for you, our neighbors and friends.

We're looking to find families for our molting girls. You'll have to feed them for two months, roughly, without them laying eggs, but after they're through molting, they should start to lay again at about 80% of what their first lay season. That means each duck will lay about 4-5 eggs a week for you. In the meantime, though, as you await that first second season egg, you can put them to work in the yard. If you build them a small movable pen, three or four ducks will easily take care of most any size lawn you give them. What you'll do is put them in a bottomless pen in the morning with water and feed, then let them eat your weeds and lawn and leave their poop. In the evening, place them in a secure spot. Maybe an extra large dog kennel in the garage padded with fresh straw; some place where they'll not be harassed (or worse) by raccoons, foxes, cats, dogs or coyotes. Move the pen one length in the yard, then water-in the duck poop. In the morning, let them out in their movable pen again, collect their eggs, have breakfast and enjoy a cup of coffee as you watch them busily munching the lawn knowing that you're using less gas in the mower and that the lawn is now chem-free but greener than ever! At some point, please, congratulate yourself because you're doing your part to reduce your carbon footprint and you're having fun (and breakfast!) doing it!

There's more to tell, but those are the basics. Interested? Shoot me an email, we have some girls right now to sell to you.  

A few designs for daytime pens . . . 

If you don't have dogs or cats who will be jumping in the daytime pen, you don't need a top.  These ducks don't fly all that well, so they'll stay put, usually, behind a 24-28 inch high side panel. 

http://www.petproductdepot.com/Gold-Series-ExPens-540.htm?gclid=CK6i-aGdrZECFR0xiQod5FYQZQ 

http://www.pet-dog-cat-supply-store.com/shop/index.php?page=shop/flypage&product_id=16946

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754775&utm_medium=googleproduct&mr:referralID=NA&mr:trackingCode=B709AFBB-68D2-DC11-BE2A-001422107090&utm_source=cse .

A few designs for nighttime housing . . . 

For nighttime housing, you don't need much space.  A large, well-ventilated dog house is adequate for your birds at night.  Give each bird 2-3 square feet and you're golden.  Remember, they aren't living there, just staying overnight.  As far as bedding, if the area is small, I'd use a combination of pine shavings and wood stove pellets.  Straw works great, too.

http://www.henspa.com/

http://backyardchickens.com/coops/edlup.html 

I like this one a lot because you can have a doghouse-style building set permanently in the yard, then move the "tractor" up to it so the ducks can come out into the tractor during the day.  At night, you can back the tractor up to the house and in they go!.   

Email me at morningowl@cableone.net

Ducks cost $9 each.