300 hybrid anyone?

[DuckBoy323]

So i ordered a few ducks from Metzers and id like to know how there Golden 300 hybrid ducks are? Will the females go broody? If so, are they good mothers?

 

[Tivona]

I love mine. They are very active and sweet and the lay nonstop.

Mine have never gone broody, and I would not choose them for (natural) mothers. I suspect they would never stay on a nest long enough for the eggs to hatch and I have no idea on how they would do with ducklings.

Also keep in mind that they are hybrids so their babies won't be quite the same as the parents. I have had 2nd generation 300's with dark females. Also the laying ability of the second generation is not as good for some of them. Size of the ducks and eggs also varies a bit on the second generation. All of the second generation 300's I have were hatched from an incubator. I have a friend who also has them and know that several others in my area have them and as far as I know none of the people here use them to brood. Hope some of this helps.

 

[DB_Tex]

300s are great layers, and I find them to be hardy and intelligent (which has not been my experience with the white hybrids) with enough size to them that the culls make a decent table bird.
I get fertile eggs out of them every day I think, but I wouldn't expect them to brood well. If you need a good layer that is also a good mother you should look into welsh harlequins. I'm going to let my daughter's pet campbell try to go broody when it warms up a little more as an experiment, but I don't expect much from her.
If I really wanted ducklings I'd get an incubator, but none of my drakes are impressive enough to be worth hatching off of in numbers.

 

[jamband]

My friends get an egg a day all yr long. Dont think khakis are too broody. Get a muscovy to sit for you but hybrids wont breed true.

 

[DuckBoy323]

I ordered 3 Welsh harlequins with the 300 hybrids as well and i have 2 muscovies so ill try to get some hybrid chicks if i can.

 

[Wynette]

I know this thread is quite old, but I wanted to add for folks looking for info. on this beed in the future - I can't say enough about this breed! I wish I'd orderd more, as I think they are lovely. Some find them drab in appearance, but the warm tones of their brown feathers, to me, are beautiful. My girl began laying at exactly 17 weeks and 1 day - I was SHOCKED to say the least! I thought for sure she'd take time off, but she is now in her second full week of laying. I got 6 eggs that first week, the 2nd week, got 2 in a row, then the 3rd day, she laid 2 soft shells. I thought FOR SURE she'd take a couple days off after that as a chicken will do (I have sevral more years of experience with chickens than ducks), but nope! The very next morning, she laid a beatiful egg, perfect in every way!

My female, Gabby, has thus far laid her egg prior to 6 a.m., too, which is nice!