Duck Eggs Daily: Raising Happy Healthy Ducks ... Naturally

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This book, Duck Eggs Daily: Raising Happy Healthy Ducks, is a fun read even though we can't possibly raise ducks here.

Lisa Steele's first book, Fresh Eggs Daily, gave readers an equally informative view of raising chickens. The duck book though, is one of a kind. Steele's YouTube channel has 43 cute, cuter, cutest video clips of their feathered friends.

Ducks are a different breed of bird, and, while Steele assumed that they could be raised together, she found that they were better if given their own individual space. Most notably because ducks play in the chickens' water dishes!

Chapter Four: "A day in a life with ducks" explains the ducks' need for routine and how to be sure they are comfortable if you have to be away from home.

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What fascinated me is their nutritional needs. In addition to feed, ducks should get grit, egg shells, oats, probiotic powder, seaweed/kelp, brewers' yeast, garlic, dried herbs (fennel, marjoram, nasturtium, parsley, bee balm, dill, oregano, thyme, cilantro, oregano, sage, tarragon, alfalfa, basil, dandelion, marigolds, spearmint, chervil, celery seed, dill). And, they eat earthworms, grubs and all manner of insects they can get their bills on.

What a healthy diet! We should all take advice for our human dinner table from that list. Well, if you substitute whole grain for grit anyway.

Ducks' bedtime is between 5 and 9 pm depending on the position of the sum - summer vs winter.
They are quiet fowl, laying eggs without a squawk, waking up without a yowl, wandering the yard without a peep, making them better than chickens for people who live in neighborhoods.

Ducks are great pets for children/families, and, they are cute to watch with their head bobbing and tilting, walking in rows, mud dabbling, foot stamping, surfing, preening, one-leg standing and sleeping with an eye open.

And, there are recipes for these nutritious eggs. Mayonnaise, pasta, curd, Cheesecake, soup, etc.

The book is easy to take along for reading or reference - it's one of those hardcover, 7 by 7-inch books, about 150 pages. $14 at online book sellers. Published by St. Lynne's Press, Oct 2015.



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