Of Ducks and Duck Eggs
For people who like to keep poultry， ducks offer certain advantages over hens. Ducks are immune to some common diseases found in hens and are less vulnerable to others. Some breeds of duck produce bigger eggs than hens， In addition， ducks lay eggs over a longer season than do hens.
Poultry keepers with gardens have less to worry about if they keep ducks rather than hens because the former are less apt to dig up plants and destroy roots. While both hens and ducks benefit the garden by eating pests， hens are known to damage herb and grass beds. Ducks， on the other hand， will search for insects and snails more carefully. Only very delicate plants are at risk from the broad， webbed feet of ducks.
Like all water-birds， ducks need access to water， and cluck keepers typically provide this by building a pond. Something this large is not absolutely necessary， however； ducks need only to be able to dip their heads in the water to keep their nostrils clean. If a pond is provided， though， it is important to keep ducklings away from it until they are old enough to withstand the cool temperature of the water——about eight weeks.
When keeping ducks， one has to consider just how many the land will support. Generally the rule is 100 ducks per half hectare. If more than this proportion is introduced， there is a risk of compacting the soil， which can lead to muddy conditions for long periods as the rain is not easily absorbed into the ground.
While ducks offer many advantages over hens， they must be given a greater quantity of food， especially if regular eggs are desired. An adult duck will eat between 170 to 200 grams of food a day. If the ducks have access to grass and a pond， they will be-able to find for themselves approximately 70% of their daily dietary requirements in warmer months but less than half that in colder times. Therefore， it is important that they be fed enough food， such as grain， every day.
Experienced duck keepers raise ducklings every three years or so because it is after this period of time that clucks'egg-laying powers begin to seriously weaken. If the aim is to hatch ducklings， keepers should be aware that not all ducks make good mothers， and that certain breeds of duck appear to be worse than others. The poor mothers abandon their eggs a few clays after laying them. A sure way of making sure the rejected eggs hatch is to place them next to chicken eggs under a hen.
The eggs of ducks as food for humans have a mixed reputation. This is because of a number of cases of salmonella food poisoning in Europe in the 1970s. Although it was never conclusively shown that duck eggs were to blame， the egg-eating public stopped buying and many cluck egg producers went bankrupt.
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