Open nelsonic opened 2 years ago
iteles
commented
2 years ago This is a very cool idea! I'm keen, especially on a property with a body of water because I'd feel bad keeping water birds on land.
I'd start by speaking to Pete about it 👍
Do you think the dogs in Landim would attack them? 😬 🙃
nelsonic
commented
2 years ago @iteles yeah, the Landim (Rescue) Dogs would 100% obliterate the ducks given half a chance! Well remembered. 🐕 They weren't raised/trained with Ducks so they will see them as a snack instead of as team members. 🤦♂️ However, Ducks have one thing going for them that chickens don't, they fly!! So they can escape. 💭
Definitely speak to Pete next time we're in Gerês.
As for the body of water. #21 While I totally agree with having water fowl in their natural habitat and would love to have them on our land which will 100% border a lake/river ... having them on a vineyard to help with pest control so that you can have an Organic ecosystem would mean that you don't want to give them "too much" water otherwise they would just spend all day "frolicking" in the water and not do their "job". Rather you want a couple of man-made (easy to clean) rain water fed ponds that the ducks have access to near to their sleeping quarters. There would need to be a cover over the pond to exclude the ducks from it for a couple of hours a day to encourage them to go foraging.
nelsonic
commented
2 years ago Duck Rice Farming in Japan: https://youtu.be/SNR_3GeUoqI
nelsonic
commented
2 years ago 
Would land bordering a major year-round river be suitable? 😜 #116
nelsonic
commented
2 years ago MAKE A CITY WAGE FROM A SMALL FARM S5 ● E42: https://youtu.be/4rEJ0uGfpJM?t=970
nelsonic
commented
1 year ago nelsonic
commented
1 year ago Vital Farms: https://youtu.be/Cr0VagmhhNk
Opening this issue as a placeholder for the discussion. Definitely not a current priority. ⏳
This is a good intro to Why...? Regenerative Farm Combines Ducks and Blueberries: https://youtu.be/WfqPlDzWwjM
T12mSlug slayers. Egg layers. Natural fertiliser factory. Perfect for organic re-gen farming. 🥚 👩🌾
@iteles 'member Vergenoegd Wine Estate in Stellenbosch we visited last time in SA? 🇿🇦
Wouldn't it be cool to test one field in Landim and transition to Organic from Pesticide-intensive? 💡 Wonder how much investment would be required for an MVP ... 🤔 Curious to know how much is spent on pesticides & fertilisers each year ... 💸 Maybe we could ask your uncle (blueberry farmer) if he has considered having them. 🫐 The setup in this video above looks very profesh. 😎 Maybe we could reach-out to them for advice.
https://www.parccarreg.com/
https://parc-carreg.mailchimpsites.com/
https://www.parccarreg.com/hatching-eggs
10 Reasons Why NOT to Keep Ducks? https://youtu.be/FF8ICU5cskY 👀
In this video Mark mostly just complains about the noise, mess/smell and ducks not putting themselves "to bed" ... but look at how he is keeping them. Their "pen" is too small and basically mud. He could easily get around the problem by (a) giving them a bigger area and (b) covering it in straw which would make it much easier to collect the free fertiliser! He complains about them eating more (and wasting food) than chickens. I think the idea of having them on a permaculture farm / vineyard is still totally a win.
The comments are definitely worth reading for context:
In the comments someone proposes Muscovies: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscovy_duck
The fact that Moscovy ducks are quiet is a definite selling point for me. 🙉 But then I don't think we would have to deal with the noise on a daily basis ... 💭
But there are probably some EU regs on what type of Ducks are allowed for avian flu control, etc.
What I wish I’d known before starting a Duck Farm: https://youtu.be/mYmBQ-gv9gE
Doing this in northern USA (Vermont) looks expensive (unprofitable) ... heating the barn etc.
Bet they make more revenue from YT (500k+ subs) than they do from their farm. 💰
T13mSpeaking of revenue, "How to make $2,000 a month with 25 ducks!": https://youtu.be/QzLHoLu5VyY?t=286
This one is very slow. Increase the speed to 1.5 if you watch it.
But basically he sells the hatchlings for more than he would get for the eggs.
With 25 Khaki Campbell ducks he was getting 30+ eggs a day.
He would sell them for $20 for 10 and ship 3 boxes of eggs per day.
So $1800/month not quite $2k but not far off.
So that would require an incubation/hatching hut. ~€1k
Why Every [Organic] Vegetable Garden Needs Ducks: https://youtu.be/baXSrl5Vmb0
Basically pest control with free fertiliser.
Gotta love the YT comments:
My initial conclusion is buying ducklings is the way to go. 🐥 Perhaps we could also speak to Pete (Gerês) about it ... ☀️
But I wouldn't keep them as pets the way Pete does ... rather I'd have them as slug-slayers. Though they are mega-cute as chicks:
Keen to hear/read your thoughts at some point ... Again, not urgent. 👍