I have a little over 30 ducks right now. Yes - it's a lot & I purchased the extras because of the promise of a restaurant contract that eventually fell through, due to the restaurant not getting their construction permits in a timely manner. It left me with a LOT of ducks who are over-achievers in the egg-laying department! I have Runners & Khaki Campbells. The Runners are hilarious, chatty & are always on the go. They don't really fly, which is a good thing. The Khaki's are much quieter, but they tend to fly - especially if they decide that they need to get out of their pen!
Both are excellent when it comes to coming in at night, but that's mostly because I've trained them that dinner is around 5 pm & you have to come in for that. Their pen is large, because I have 3 obnoxious African geese, too! There is a dedicated duck pen, with quite a few horse feeders for water tubs & (of course) 3 plastic swimming pools that also get cleaned daily. The overflow pen is actually my container garden area. The two areas combined would be about the size of a traditional suburban back yard.
During the day, the ducks are turned-out so that they can go to the pond. They actually have about 9 acres to roam, should they choose - but they're mostly interested in getting to the pond - then back inside their pens for naps - then back for a swim & back in again for dinner & getting tucked-in. They are actually very regimented & that makes caring for them much easier. I absolutely love the duck eggs & sell some of the surplus at Farmer's Markets & to individuals. Sitting out under the trees with the ducks, in the afternoon, is really relaxing & the perfect time to meditate & recharge for the remainder of the day. I love my goofy feathered family!
