Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks: 2nd Edition - A Comprehensive Guide to Keeping Ducks for Eggs, Meat, and Companionship

Rizwan Khan: excellent work

India on Sep 07, 2023

Purpod: Gives info on husbandry & all the various details on the different species of ducks. I would highly recommend for anyone thinking of buying ducks 🥰

United States on Feb 07, 2023

viddie: All of Storey's Guides have been very helpful and informative. Easy read and reference guides to get information really quickly. This one is no exception to the rule. I seem to be collecting the guides one by one similar to the "Dummies" series of Computer software etc. I strongly recommend this entire series by Storey.

United States on Sep 20, 2022

Rae: Great book with lots of info on different breeds. A good resourse for raising our first ducklings. Wish the pics were in color 😔

Would purchase again.

Canada on Mar 21, 2022

Wesley BieronskiWesley Bieronski: I personally found this to be a good quality book. Arrived quickly and in perfect shape. Has been the highlight of my recent reading time!

Canada on Sep 05, 2021

Wildlife Gal: I am considering keeping ducks, and ordered two books, for researching what all was involved and whether duck husbandry is for me. This was by far the best of the two, and the information on specific breeds size, needs, traits and egg production was essential in my ability to choose what breeds would be suitable for my purposes.

Do keep in mind, this is an american book, and so feed brands/types and availability is not overly useful. Further, it is also somewhat more geared to those with large flocks as opposed to one who wants a small flock. BUT this does not deter me from recommending this book, and being grateful to those who recommended this as the "Duck Bible". I may not be looking at large scale production, but knowing how the big producers do it, and why, is still useful.

Canada on Aug 23, 2021

dom2114: First 100-150 pages go into immense detail about all the different breeds out there. These chapters are split up by weight of bird (bantam, lightweight, medium, heavy), then go into detail on each breed: giving a history, description, overview of varieties within the breed, how to select breeders, and factors going into show birds. As someone just starting out, I didn't find this info relevant and ended up just skipping it once I understood that the structure of the chapters. Similar comments apply to the chapters on duck colors/genetics.

It was really the second half of the book that I found useful: chapters on incubation, rearing, managing adult ducks, and feed. There was also a very detailed section on duck illnesses which would be handy for reference purposes when needed.

Bottom line, I went in thinking that such a large (and well reviewed book) would impart much greater knowledge than some of the shorter, more accessible books; but again, half the book was not relevant to someone just starting out raising ducks for the first time.

United States on Dec 29, 2018

Chris: I have been keeping ducks for three years now, and have raised two lots of ducklings, this book has been invaluable. My now well thumbed copy is a constant companion during hatching and I use this as a reference when any duck related issues arise.

I brought this book, before I got my first ducks and the easily accessible information contain within the first few chapters helped me select a breed right for my situation, construct suitable housing, provide adequate care, and within weeks collect my first eggs!! The next spring the book gave me the confidence to initiate brooding and raise the first ducklings (all equipment and various stages of rearing ducklings fully explained) now the back garden is full of fluffy yellow 'peepers'.

The author obviously has a life time of knowledge and experience and this comes across in the book, case studies and anecdotes add interest and humour, clear illustrations and good quality photography (sadly black and white) make this book a must have for any budding duck keeper. There are chapters on duck colour, hybrids, exhibiting birds and meat production for those that are more experienced .....

I would highly recommend this book

United Kingdom on May 30, 2016

Laura S: Nothing beats a Storey's guide for reliable and accurate information. I don't believe there is anyone west of the Mississippi who knows as much about ducks as Dave Holderread. Put the two together and you have one awesome resource for everything from choosing the right duck for your yard, personality, and purpose to how to handle an emergency. I couldn't quite bring myself to read the chapter on butchering my beloved pets, but everything else was interesting and helpful. The genetic chapter was over my head, but IF I were interested in breeding it would be a chapter I would study at length.

It was lovely to have someone write to me and not at me or down at me. Some books treat readers as if they are children, others are trying to convince readers not to have ducks as pets, some are only about how to make money. Holderread covers all these things, but also gives the pet owner the information needed to have healthy happy ducks. Whether you want three little girls to eat your slugs or 100 gals to produce an income, this is the best book to get--you can trust me, I've read 47 books on raising ducks.

United States on Feb 18, 2014

onef: This book is an EXCELLENT starter for when you're contemplating a flock of ducks but haven't made the move to buy them yet. Holderread bred most of the important duck breeds himself, so I trust his information completely. Unfortunately, because this is a basic, overall guide, he makes the information far too general and commercial. This book is decidedly aimed at the large, commercially breeding or laying flock and neglects details that a novice or hobby farmer might want to know (such as what human foods are acceptable duck foods and which ones are dangerous--he mentions only canola oil as toxic--and what ducks respond well to as treats, training and overall human interaction). If you plan to have a flock of a hundred ducks and set things up for minimal contact, then putting in wire floors and such as he recommends may be appropriate. If you care about the quality of life of your ducks, then don't listen to him when he claims ducks don't need to swim and that the only benefit of swimming is feather quality.

Essentially, I recommend reading this through, but then finding books such as The Resilient Gardener to expand in detail on how to really care for ducks if you're not a...

United States on Jan 22, 2012