Beginner recommendations please.

[Tahai]

I think between 3 and 5 would be a good number for the size/location of your property, based on your description.

 

[chris dales]

Thanks for all your advice.

 

[the duck whisperer]

Thanks for those.
Am i correct in thinking that campbells are very nervous? - the neighbour's dog is very yappy.
Also, am I correct in thinking that the Welsh Harlequins are too heavy to fly? whereas although the campbell is not keen on flying, it will need its wings clipping to ensure it doesn't fly off?

My Campbells Couldn't fly, and were not afraid of my dog, but my dog is a sheep dog and is supposed to herd and protect them. If they are brought up in your barn/yard and are fed and in a good safe enviroment with no stress they would have no need to leave and probably would not. Welsh Harlequin ducks cannot fly and are very good layers but mine are skiddish, but were not in contact with humans from a young age, and I think if you bought ducklings they would be more accustom to people and a lot more tame. My Cayugas are not half bad layers, and are the friendliest ducks I have. They need to be fenced in though. All ducks need to be fenced in, or they'll wonder the streets. And most medium to heavy breeds do well with 3 to 5 hens.
7 sq ft per duck, and if you just want them for eggs there is no need for a drake. As long as they are around each other they should keep quieter too
( the females are quite noisy) which is a bonus. I can personally say growing up on a farm and/or around animals is they best way to learn responsibility, and I must credit my ducks I had when I was younger, too. Hope I helped.

 

[zooweemama]

The Metzers link someone posted is a great resource. We got some of their Welsh Harlequins because we read they were good layers and quiet (and gorgeous). I cannot attest to the laying part yet (but my research tells me this is one of the better laying breeds) but of ALL my girls they are THE quietest. If you look down in my signature you can see all the various breeds we have. They are also pretty calm. And even though the Metzer link says that Runners are nervous- ours has not been nervous at ALL. Calm and friendly. The least skittish of all our breeds, followed closely by the Harlequins.

 

[Nyowpotopop]

Muscovy ducks are the quiet ones and lay big eggs. I have heard they can be everything from monsters to housepets based on how they are raised. They're hardy too...

The downside is that they have big claws and they ARE flying birds. They're kind of ugly to many people too.

Other ducks are all bred from mallards and none are bred for being quiet. They all have that big mallard quack when they feel like it. But they are a lot more kid-friendly since no claws and those small cute faces. Plus some mallard-based breeds are bred just for laying where as muscovy ducks are better mommas.

So it's a trade-off... Do you want big quiet ducks or small egg ducks?

 

[Going Quackers]

One can always clip the wings on a Muscovy, however none of my girls are.. they don't fly anywhere. If you just kept ducks they are not that big, it's the drakes of this breed that are.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

Silver Appleyards, large duck, couldn't dream of flying, best layer of the larger breeds, in no hurry to get where they are going. The girls only quack loudly here for food or if out of eye site of the others. They are easy keepers, easy to herd to bed, always come when there are treats or food involved. They also have another benefit, they are a meat duck, incase you ever want to raise your own.

You do not need drakes for eggs, if you are doing chickens and ducks I wouldn't do more then 3 ducks total for your space available. Good luck picking a breed.


Oh and we do have khakis and Scovy too. The khakis are not as bad as runners, but are more flighty than a Rouen or silver Appleyard. The Muscovy are always in our business, but with the claws I wouldn't let our son hold one.

 

[chris dales]

Thanks again for all of this information. I am learning more than from any of my books.

If I settle on 4, do you think it is worth having 4 different breeds (1 layer, 1 pet, 1 aesthetic etc.), or would this just mean that I would have ducks that don't get on and fight. Another thought is that I would end up with a garden with at least 1 noisy duck, 1 aggressive duck, 1 that will try to escape, 1 too timid to go near et.

Any thoughts?

 

[1MrsMagoo]

If the ducks are raised together, unless you get an unusually aggressive one, they won't fight: Especially if they are all female.

I keep 24 ducks in the following breeds: Runners, Pekins, a Magpie mix, Silver Appleyards, Khaki Campbells, Cayugas, Rouen, Mallard, and Welsh Harlequins. I have never had any female fighting, only a couple overly aggressive drakes that scuffle a bit, but mostly try to mate eat other.

The best drakes I have are the Appleyards and Welsh Harlequin: They are gently quiet, well mannered gentlemen.

By far the easiest going ducks are the Appleyards and the highest strung ones are the Runners. My Welsh Harlequins are fairly calm and quiet, plus are gorgeous too. They may make a good choice for you. I have also heard that they lay pretty well, but mine are too young to test this theory.

Only a couple of my ducks can get off the ground flying. I have a Mallard drake that can get 12' off the ground for a good distance and two Mallard x Runner mixes that can get about 6' off the ground. Everybody else will run while flapping their wings furiously and barely get their feet off the ground a few inches if at all.

Good luck.

 

[chris dales]

Am I correct in thinking that the drakes only mate with the ducks when the duck goes broody, and if you keep removing the eggs, they don't go broody?
If this is the case, I may get 3 ducks and 1 drake for a bit of variation.
If this isn't the case, will the 3 ducks in a small (relative to the wild) garden be 'attacked' by the drake too often? Also, I don't think the rest of the family would want to eat the eggs if there is a chance they may have been fertilised (You should have heard the reaction when I suggested using the occasional duck for the table).