Urban Farming, Part III: Urban Ducks & Geese

By Hannah G.

An alternative or addition to raising chickens for eggs (or meat) can be ducks and/or geese if you have the interest and space.  Geese reputedly are intelligent and social, with strong awareness of social cues and memory.  Many of the same benefits of keeping chickens can apply to ducks and geese, such as eating and selling the eggs, educating children (and yourself!) about other organisms and food production, as well as therapeutically grounding yourself to the land and feeling connected and responsible for another living being.

The information below draws from the book, "Keeping Ducks and Geese" by Chris & Mike Ashton (2009).

The Abacot Ranger Duck can be relatively tame and approachable, lay over 200 eggs a year, and will clear slugs from your garden.

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The first two considerations before taking on ducks or geese is your space and local zoning laws. First, check if your city accepts ducks and/or geese.  If legal, bear in mind that some breeds are noisy and inappropriate for keeping in close proximity to neighbors, so make the right choices. Secondly, ducks and geese need more space than their egg-laying counterpart, chickens.

• Two average-size ducks need at least 33 square feet of area to roam.
• Two small geese need a minimum grassy area of 33x66 ft because they need space to graze.

Additionally, waterfowl need water to bathe.  You don't need a literal pond in your backyard, but will need a large enough container of water, which can be cleaned, and will allow the birds to fully submerge their face and eyes and splash around in. (This is how they keep themselves clean.) And -- always make sure the smallest duck or goose can get out of the water container.

Besides a secure fence to protect your waterfowl from predators, geese and ducks need a "secure wooden shed with a good ventilation panel which faces away from prevailing winds and rain" Garden sheds and dog sheds are often satisfactory.

Eggs.
Keep in mind that ducks lay more eggs than geese and each breed varies considerably, so if eggs are your primary goal, find a breed with high laying-potential. Also, different duck breeds produce different sized eggs.
Eggs can provide great nutrition:

"It was once thought that the cholesterol in eggs was bad for human health but the reverse is now thought to be true.  Eggs are a good source of high-quality protein, and egg yolk is one of the best sources of the beneficial nutrients lutein and xenazanthin...Birds fed a free-range diet high in greens also produce healthier eggs for humans to eat.  The egg supplies complete protein and vitamins A, B, and D. Almost half the fat in eggs is healthy monounsaturated, the kind found in olive oil." 

- Keeping Ducks and Geese (Chris & Mike Ashton)

High-Yield Egg Laying Breeds

Ducks - Different breeds (and strains within those breeds) produce widely varying amounts of eggs.
  
The Indian Runner variety (left) can produce over 200 eggs/year given the right strain and has various beautiful color mutations. The Campell (right) can lay up to 300 eggs/year!

Geese - Most breeds produce about 30 eggs a year between February and June.
  
The utility breed of Chinese Geese (left) can produce up to 80 eggs/yr. Roman Geese can lay between 40 and 60 a year and are a good breed "to start with if you have limited space".

Important Note. As cautioned in the previous two urban farming blogs, PLEASE do your research thoroughly before committing to an animal.  This is by no means a guide on keeping ducks and geese -- this is intended to bring attention to urban farming and give you some ideas to consider for your own backyard. Always buy from a reputable breeder -- do not encourage animal abuse.