We raised ducks this year for the first time. We trialed 2 different duck breeds; the Jumbo Pekin duck and the Grimaud Hybrid Pekin duck. This report also talks about what we learned along the way, as we augmented our pastured poultry operation to include raising ducks on pasture.
Click on the link to read the full report: duck-breed-trial_2018
In brief, the conclusion of the trial was that there was no significant difference between the carcass weight of the two duck breeds. Feed conversion to carcass weight for each was slightly over 3:1.
The report gives more details about how we managed the water needs of the ducks, which we found was the biggest management difference from raising pastured chickens.
If you’re new to raising ducks on pasture, I think this report will give you some ideas of how to get started. If you’ve raised several successful flocks, I’m sure we could learn a lot from YOU. Send us a message with any tips or ideas, or what you think about our proposed mobile brooder.