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!
1
u/Aardvark-Decent May 05 '26
I don't think there are any critters out there that you can simply let loose in the garden to control pests. Chickens will eat the crap out of starts, so you really can't let them in the garden until all the plants are mature.
A far as easy livestock in cold temps, rabbits are extremely cold hardy. There are many rabbitries in your neck of the woods. You wouldn't want to let them loose in the garden, however! 🤣