I live in the mountains of Central Arizona, Payson specifically. Getting ready for spring and been thinking about ducks, and also chickens and would like some help deciding what would be the best fit.
First off, growing up I did spend some time helping to care for both ducks and chickens, I will be doing some more reading about their care to refresh my memory, but I have a decent understanding of the basic day-to-day care requirements. My question is which will be a better fit for my situation.
As I mentioned, this is the mountains, but it’s still Arizona, so summer highs break 100° with winter lows well below freezing enough to keep ponds frozen for weeks at times(although not this winter, my kale is still alive).
Space, I don’t have a huge amount of it. My property is a quarter acre, and that includes my house. I also have 2 small dogs and plan to fence off the front yard from the back to give whatever I get as much space as possible without fear of being hunted by my Italian Greyhound. I want them to have as much of the yard as possible to perform their pest and weed control duties.
Which is better at weed control and which is better at pest control? I need both, is one of each a good option?
People who keep ducks in colder climates, how much if a pain in the a** is it to keep fresh water available for them when it’s freezing out? (As I write this I’m starting to lean towards chickens)
I’ve read that ducks are generally healthier than chickens and also gentler on plants, has this been your experience? I remember ducks being friendlier.
Lastly(maybe?), I figured whatever I get, I should get two, because everyone needs a friend. I know from experience that ducks and chickens get along fine, but are they good companions? What about getting one of each? Would either be happy if I got one of each? Am I overthinking this?
Anyways, I found out today I only have a couple weeks until Tractor Supply gets their first load of chicks and ducklings, so I gotta figure this out and get everything together asap!
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