What breed would be best for me?

[meli229]

I'm wanting to add a few ducks to my suburban homestead and wondering what breed would be best.

Aiming just 2 or 3 (all female), and going to buy from local feed store. My options are Peking, Khaki Campbell, Cayuga, and Blue Swedish.

I've kept chickens for a billion years for both eggs and meat, but these will be my first ducks. Looking for eggs and to be pets (as my chickens are not). Not interested in breeding or meat. Also not too concerned with noise level.

Thanks for your opinion!

 

[buff goose guy]

If you have room yeah it sounds fine. just be sure that all your birds are healthy becuase chickens can give ducks diseases that do not affect chickens. And just be sure that they can bathe regularly.

 

[lomine]

Pekin, Cayuga, and Blue Swedish aren't heavy egg layers. KC are good egg layers. All four would make good pets if you raise them to be used to people. But keep in mind that each is an individual and might not follow the breed standard.

Just something to keep in mind, if you get two ducks and one dies the remaining one will be very lonely. So it is usually safer to get three, if you have the space.

 

[Tevyes Dad]

Pekin, Cayuga, and Blue Swedish aren't heavy egg layers. KC are good egg layers. All four would make good pets if you raise them to be used to people. But keep in mind that each is an individual and might not follow the breed standard.

Just something to keep in mind, if you get two ducks and one dies the remaining one will be very lonely. So it is usually safer to get three, if you have the space.

I have lots of breeds and they all make great pets. 3 Females should keep a family of 4 in eggs fairly well regardless of breed (during the laying season anyway). All girls is a good plan, but most feed stores do not sex them. If you haven't considered them, Welsh Harlequin are super mellow so make great pets, they are very good layers as they were developed from the Khaki Campbell (they aren't quite that good, but still very good) and are absolutely beautiful. Pekins I believe are underrated for their eggs. If you keep in mind that two Pekin eggs = 3 of anybody else's eggs, they create quite a bit of breakfast for a family. They are very curious and intelligent (as ducks go) so would also be at the top of my list. You can look at my flock list and see I have quite a variety... If I could only have one breed, I would pick WH or Pekin to interact with and Runners to watch. But I think @lomine is dead on that ducks are very much individuals so they aren't as breed predictable as some animals, and how you raise them also makes a huge difference. It takes some doing for a duck to fully trust you, but once it does... It still doesn't really want to get picked up

Edit: Silly me... Since you obviously aren't breeding them, I would get three different ones. That way you can tell them apart easily, they will get along fine (or not, but not because of breed), and you will get to know them better since even at a distance you will know who is who. I love my mixed flock and wouldn't go any other way unless I was breeding them. Out of all the breeds you are considering, I have had personal experience with all of them in my own flock except for the KC and my KC will be arriving next Thursday.

Edit again: This was supposed to be in response to @meli229 , I have no idea why I responded to @lomine (spastic clicker finger).

 

[cayugaducklady]

I started with 4 duck hens and now am down to 3 hens.

That 3rd hen is no longer grieving but it is obvious she is missing having a buddy of her own. So I'm getting 3 my ducks to balance it out.

I'd suggest 4. I'm in looove with cayuga ducks to the point that I can appreciate all the breeds but I just know they're the only breed for me.

If you decide to get some Cayuga in your flock I'd recommend 2 cayugas. My girls love to chat to each other quietly. I haven't seen many other duck breed aficionados comment on their breeds chatting like that.

They're only loud when they're excited about feeding time,, sexy time, or when they have quack wars-- trying to get pair A to go to pair B's spot and vice versa.

At times they look like they're having a coffee talk right in the duck pen.

My cayugas laid all through the winter, started right before Christmas. I got an egg a day most days (except for the -25 days we had) and now that its warm I'm getting 2 eggs a day most days of the week.

 

[Vosh Sahaal]

Cayugas lay decently well. And major plus... You can get black eggs!

 

[applebutter14]

swedish are kind of noisy birds, pekin are heavy and they are more of a meat duck-they are good mothers and as pets they are very friendly. khaki are very pretty(in my opinion.) and are decent layers. cayuga are not as noisy, they are very pretty and gentle.

i have never owned pekin or khaki- its just what i have herd from people who do own them.

if i had to choose i would either pick cayuga or khaki.

 

[annarogetta]

My swedes are not noisy they are very quiet, I did have mallards, and they were very noisy and would chant like a cult. my pekin is just as noisy as my swedes, they do chatter, but it is not loud, and only really quack when they are very excited. had a lot of health problems with my pekin though, especially when my ducks had worms, my pekin got sick faster than the others, and lost weight, appetite, and couldn't walk properly even after she was de-wormed. She is now doing really well and walks fine, but yes, health problems are with pekins

 

[Tevyes Dad]

My loud quackers are my Rouens and my Runners. My Cayuga quacks very occasionally. They rest of them usually just chatter and I don't think I ever heard my WH quack. My Pekin was ear splitting in the brooder, but once she grew up I heard her voice crack from an ear splitting peep to an ear splitting quack, from then on she just used to mutter quietly to herself... About everything.

 

[Vosh Sahaal]

Sickly pekins are due to poor breeding. It can happen with any breed.