A Few Questians About Ducks. Sorry on my bad spelling

[chickenmama929]

Hi!!!!
I am going to get ducks soon. (I hope) I am having a hard time choising over these breeds:
Muscovy
Ancona
Welsh Harlequin
Silver Appleyard
I am going to get two Pekin ducks. What is the diffrence? What is your favorite? What is the best for cold weather? And hot?
Thank you a bunch!

 

[Floof]

If you are wanting a duck for egg laying I would say get the WH. They are a smaller duck, lay in abundance, and most people find them to be calm and friendly (although mine want nothing to do with me). For a good dual purpose duck (meaning a breed for eggs or for butchering and eating) I would recommend the SA. I love my appleyards and hope to grow my flock next spring. They lay well, almost as well as the WH, but get heavy enough to feed a family. I plan to hatch out SA ducks every spring and summer to keep the girls for egg laying and eat the boys. They get heavier faster than a chicken but gosh are they messy.

 

[cheezenkwackers]

Muscovy are ducks but they are not descended from Mallards like all the other breeds you mentioned. They also are native to warmer climates and do not tolerate cold as well as the others. They can cross breed with Mallard derived ducks but their offspring are usually infertile (mule ducks). I would suggest you do your research, choose the breed you like the best based on why you want them and your conditions. Then, order them from a good breeder/hatchery preferably one that will let you choose gender. Ducks are wonderful but also a lot of work so like the Boy Scouts “be prepared”.

 

[quackingdom]

Muscovies are great in hot weather but not in cold. Their caruncles (the red "mask") get frostbite easily. They are ducks, but they aren't a breed, they're a species. So they're completely unrelated from all other Mallard-derived domestic ducks.

Ancona, Welsh Harlequin, and Silver Appleyard are all AMAZING breeds and great egglayers. Pekins and Muscovies aren't as good layers. Muscovies are also great pets and have wonderful personalities.

I'd have a hard time deciding too! I love them all.

 

[Trisseh]

I love my appleyards, hands down my faves. Excellent egg layers that lay big eggs, calm, friendly, and they’re gorgeous. Mine are really chatty so if you (or your neighbours) prefer quieter breeds maybe not the best choice from that standpoint, but overall I would always go for appleyards if forced to choose.

I haven’t had any issue with temperature swings, but I’m in northwestern Ontario so not sure if the climate is similar to you or not. We get cold, drawn out winters with lots of snow, and relatively hot summers, but nowhere near as hot as more southerly locations. Lots of wet weather in spring and fall. My ducks have all done fabulously year round with a few considerations - shelter from wind being one of the biggest no matter what time of year. In the winter, making sure they have places to get their feet off the frozen ground is important, and making sure they have access to thawed water to drink and dunk their heads in; in summer, shade and lots of water to splash around and cool off in. I make sure they have protection from wind especially in the winter and during any rain/storm events we get because they really don’t like wind.

 

[FunQuail]

Hi!
If you are getting pekins what gender? If you are getting a drake Pekin you certainly don’t want small female ducks. They could get injured while trying to mate. So if you’re getting a Pekin drake I would recommend the silver appleyard females because they are bigger. It’s better to have same size or smaller drake it’s much easier on your hens. Also a good ratio is 1 drake to every 4-6 hens but this also depends on the drake so you may need more females or you’ll be fine with that ratio.
Good luck!!
Kelly

 

[KaleIAm]

Hi!
If you are getting pekins what gender? If you are getting a drake Pekin you certainly don’t want small female ducks. They could get injured while trying to mate. So if you’re getting a Pekin drake I would recommend the silver appleyard females because they are bigger. It’s better to have same size or smaller drake it’s much easier on your hens. Also a good ratio is 1 drake to every 4-6 hens but this also depends on the drake so you may need more females or you’ll be fine with that ratio.
Good luck!!
Kelly

I second this post about gender.

 

[chickenmama929]

Hi!
If you are getting pekins what gender? If you are getting a drake Pekin you certainly don’t want small female ducks. They could get injured while trying to mate. So if you’re getting a Pekin drake I would recommend the silver appleyard females because they are bigger. It’s better to have same size or smaller drake it’s much easier on your hens. Also a good ratio is 1 drake to every 4-6 hens but this also depends on the drake so you may need more females or you’ll be fine with that ratio.
Good luck!!
Kelly

For now I am only getting females. I think in the future that I might breed.

 

[Duck mommy 2019]

all ducks do the same in weather really, bring them indoors if it gets way too hot or cold

muscovy aren’t ducks though

 

[chickenmama929]

I did a lot of research and I have Dave Holfrread's Raising Ducks book. I can still not make up my mind. Which breed is better with kids and is really nice. The Pekin are more for pets than eggs.