How to Keep Ducks - Keep Them Free of Mud

I was asked recently if it is possible to keep ducks as pets in your house. I replied that it is possible but I wouldn’t recommend it. Ducks are very mucky and are therefore better off outside in the garden or a run. Due to current avian flu restrictions all poultry are confined to cages or runs and the muck soon builds up. There comes a point, especially following heavy rain, when ducks can get overwhelmed by the mud and muck and they are unable to clean their feathers. If this happens, ducks often die. So, if you are planning to keep ducks, make sure they have access to clean water for bathing. Put something in the run to absorb the rain and keep them off mud. We use mulch, old hay, wood shavings or sawdust as available. The ducks will poo all over it but when it becomes too mucky, shovel it all up, put it in the compost bin and replace it. The most important thing is to help keep the ducks clean.

Until 2009 I was working in London, UK, but I gave it up to pursue a life of self-sufficiency. My aim is to grow or forage for all my food, produce my own power and live a healthier and greener lifestyle. I left London to return to my home village of Sunniside, near Newcastle, in the North East of England. I have a couple of plots of land there as well as the garden of my house.

Our village is a commuter area for Newcastle but we are surrounded by countryside which we use for picking wild foods. My mission in life is to show that it is possible to live well without destroying the planet in the process. I am also keen to ensure knowledge of historic recipes and cooking is kept alive. I regularly try out recipes from old cookbooks using the food we have grown. I make videos about our progress and about how to cook home-grown foods.

These can be viewed on www.youtube.com/jonathanwallace.
www.self-sufficientinsuburbia.blogspot.com