Are these breeds "quiet?"

[cmtrivia]

We had 2 ducks last spring that turned out to be drakes (crested magpie and cayuga). Very adorable, but no eggs were going to come out of a drake! Also, we are in the city, and in a subdivision that doesn't allow poultry.:-(

So, we had to give the drakes away. Broke my daughter's heart.

For Christmas, I would like to get her 2 female ducklings. I can't get a magpie right now, but I can get a cayuga.

I was thinking of getting a white crested duck to serve as an "albino magpie."

Anyone have experience with the white crested? Noise level? Hardiness (we live in Texas)? Egg production? Forager or water-lover?

Thanks for your advice and help.

Anyone ever order from e-fowl? I usually order from Ideal Poultry, but they are out of most breeds of ducks this time of year.

Thanks!

 

[Wildsky]

The quietest duck is the Muscovy. I'm not sure on the others, but the muscovy doesn't "QUACK" like the rest, they have a cute hissing noise. (and they wag their tails)

 

[cmtrivia]

I have read that the Muscovy is the quietest.

However, we're not big fans of their appearance (my apologies to all Muscovy lovers!).

Do you have any knowledge of the white crested? The cayuga drake was pretty quiet, but I haven't heard a hen before.

Thanks!

 

[Wildsky]

I like the ugly duckling!

Sorry no experience with the others.

 

[MDC]

Muscovy ducks as a general rule don't have as much caruncling, it's the drakes that tend to get obnoxious. Personality wise you can't beat a Muscovy, IMO.

All mallard derivs are going to quack and are going to be louder than a Muscovy. Pekin tend to be fairly loud as are calls. My Welsh weren't so loud but still, they did some talkin'.

Not that I want to rain on your parade but the crested gene is actually a lethal gene and a lot of ducklings die in the shell when you breed crested to crested. Of course, you didn't mention breeding and I'm not referring to that specifically but it's worth noting that the crest is created by a hole in the skull of the duck. This can lead to neurological problems and seizures. Not all experience it, but I've heard from several people who have what appears to be a mentally retarded crested duck suffering a daily existence and they just felt too guilty to put them down. I'm personally not an advocate for crested birds but if you choose to get them I think you should be aware of the possibilities of getting something you didn't bargain for when you thought you were buying healthy birds. On the other hand, you might get perfectly healthy birds.

 

[greyhorsewoman]

I have an array of ducks of various breeds ... all I can say is the girls are noisy !!!! And they always seem to have a LOT to say.

 

[keeperofthehearth]

Muscovy are sweet & quiet. The girls coo and chirup... a very sweet sound & the boys just hiss once they reach maturity. Like MDC mentioned, many do not have a great deal of caruncling. My girls have smooth red caruncles so looks more like a red mask around their eyes. Great at bug catching and very curious about everything!

Check out this thread and you can see some pretty nice Scovies. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=130753 Many of the boys aren't too obnoxious either.... well, mine aren't.

 

[Le Canard de Barbarie]

Quote:
The practice sounds very much like animal cruelty, all in the name of aesthetics.

 

[Wifezilla]

I wont own crested ducks since I learned about the whole lethal gene.

As for quietness in a white crested, isn't a white crested really a crested pekin? Aren't pekins one of the noisier ducks??? You definitely don't want buffs. My Welsh Harlequin girls can get pretty loud sometimes (usually when I am late letting them out of their pen). My runner is quiet and a khaki hen I had wasn't loud, but they may be the exceptions and not the rule.

 

[newchickmom09]

I think your best choise would be a muscovy. I know what you mean when you don't like that look that they have I am not a fan either.

They come in so very pretty colors.

If you actually want another duck that is quiet then the scovies are just about the only way to go. All of the rest is going to have to be a luck of the draw kind of thing to see if you get a quiet one. Females quake and they like everyone to hear what they have to say.

My Cocoa will quake and quake at crickets when they get to loud and she starts every morning just like a rooster does.