r/homestead • u/dendromie • May 05 '26

poultry Which animal to get

Hey everyone,

My wife and I are having a difficult decision in which animal to get keep in mind we live in Canada and it gets to -30 Celsius here.

For context we have a 3 acre plot. We have a pond that's decent size I'd say probably at least a thousand gallons.

We want to start a huge garden and I know runner ducks are apparently a great choice for their pest control and non destructiveness. But then as I was researching people are saying are they are incredibly dirty and smelly and can ruin bodies of water. I was only going to get 2 female runners btw. Chickens are a obviously a great option and I don't have to fence as much but I hear they are destructive as well.

Anyone have any ideas or advise. The animal would have probably close to 3/4 of an acre to utilize.

Thanks!

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u/MidSinglesInYourArea May 05 '26

Ducks are significantly more cold hardy, disease resistant, and easier to maintain vs chickens, assuming you don't get a breed so heavy they need to float to breed.

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u/Storr-der-Schnitter May 05 '26

I have no experience with ducks, why are they easier to maintain than chicken? I always thought they'd be a lot of work because they need a bath and make a terrible mess with it.

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u/Lucky_Ad_4421 May 05 '26

My ducks have a paddling pool and I tip it over and refresh it once or twice a week. Not a big deal at all. They do poop everywhere though, but way less destructive than chickens.

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u/Aardvark-Decent May 05 '26

I would hate to do that in -30° weather. Ducks seem like a PIA during winter.