Compost ducks?

[HomesteadDucks]

Hello!

I've heard of compost chickens. When the chickens are allowed to free range the compost piles for 100% of their feed. No grains have to be supplied. But chickens scratch around a lot more than ducks and seem to be much less picky eaters. Does anyone know if ducks could be fed completely from the compost piles just like chickens? Will they dig around for food scraps and bugs?

 

[QuackSpeak]

I have no clue

- But I am interested in the answer!

 

[GoldenFlight]

I've never heard of anyone doing this for ducks.....

 

[HomesteadDucks]

I was thinking of trying. If nobody else has done it then I suppose I'll have an answer in a few months.
I think I'll get some chickens to scratch around in the piles. Ducks by themselves would turn it into a mud pit. Haha!

 

[GoldenFlight]

What would you put in these piles?

 

[HomesteadDucks]

Mostly just food scraps from a local restaurant along with some hay and other typical compost ingredients

 

[GoldenFlight]

Mostly just food scraps from a local restaurant along with some hay and other typical compost ingredients

Oh, okay..... Hopefully someone with experience doing this will come along.

 

[tactilecontact]

This is a fantastic article for anyone interested in utilizing foraging breeds in their gardening system for composting and more. It definitely persuaded my decision to set up our duck house and run right inside our fenced garden.

http://permaculturenews.org/2014/07/31/ducks-permaculture-system-scotland/

 

[hereorthere]

This is a fantastic article for anyone interested in utilizing foraging breeds in their gardening system for composting and more. It definitely persuaded my decision to set up our duck house and run right inside our fenced garden.

http://permaculturenews.org/2014/07/31/ducks-permaculture-system-scotland/

That's a great article! I like their idea about a bathtub pool connected to a drain. Would love to see that! Wondering also if one could connect it to a holding tank....

 

[tactilecontact]

I imagine you could. Just get a 55gal food grade plastic barrel; they're pretty easy to set up. I'm not sure where you're located, but here in Michigan you find them on Craigslist all the time, and for cheaper than what home/garden stores want for them.