Backyard Duck Flock Calculator (Eggs, Feed, Water & Space)

How it works

hens = eggs per week ÷ (breed eggs per year ÷ 52) · feed ≈ 60 g per kg of body weight + 50 g per day · drinking water ≈ 1 L per duck per day · coop 4–5 sq ft, run 15–25 sq ft per duck · pool change interval ≈ litres ÷ (25 × ducks), 1–7 days · drakes: 1 per 4–5 hens for hatching, or none

Ducks are laid out much like a chicken flock but with different constants: a light egg breed like the Khaki Campbell lays as well as any hen and its eggs are half again as large, while heavy table breeds lay a third as many, so the breed choice sets the flock size for a given egg goal. Ducks eat more than hens for their weight, drink about a litre a day and foul any standing water fast, so the bathing pool — which they need to keep eyes and nostrils clean and feathers waterproof — becomes a regular chore sized by its volume and the number of birds. Drakes are optional for eggs and, in excess, harmful to hens, so the ratio is planned rather than left to chance.

Worked example

A dozen eggs a week from Khaki Campbells (about 5.8 eggs per hen per week) takes 3 hens; with one drake that is 4 ducks eating about 170 g each — 1.5 lb a day, 547 lb a year, 11 bags at $24 ≈ $263, roughly $3.79 a dozen (the drake eats but does not lay). They drink about 4 L a day, a 200 L kiddie pool needs changing every 2 days (≈ 700 L a week onto the garden), and they need a 20 sq ft night house with an 80 sq ft run.

Frequently asked questions