Best backyard duck breed?

[Ugly Cowboy]

Indian Runners! There a riot!

 

[Hunter0704]

Per every place I checked, Welsh Harlequins are very docile and make great pets. I have three 10 day old Harlequin ducklings now....so cute. To find info on them and see a picture, go to Metzers or California Hatchery.

 

[DuckyMom]

If you want a quiet and friendly duck I would look into Muscovies. No quacking. There are tons of other breeds but scovies make excelent broodies, they do lay, and and they are so much quieter than others! (Ducks generally arent a quiet pet!)

 

[gryeyes]

I have 4 Cayuga drakes I bought straight run from feed stores, plus four female Cayuga ducklings I bought from Metzer Farms (I bought six but two were taken by predators). I absolutely love Cayugas. They are really quiet - even the louder females only quack every once in a while and not for long. Mostly for some sort of announcement.

 

[Czech's_chicks]

Quote:
x2

I also love Khaki Campbells.

I have scovy, runners and just picked up some calls.

 

[m.kitchengirl]

I think if you got Cayugas it was probably because you loved them for their many wonderful qualities - stick with your instincts.
I searched high & low for my Anconas and haven't regretted it for a minute. If you research enough about housing and care you'll be fine.
I think the Cayugas and Anconas are similar - not too noisy, good dual purpose, good foragers, and lovely to watch.
Ducks are just the neatest animals, in general, and you can't go wrong.

 

[Rosebud 18]

I have harlequin, swedes, runners and pekins. Pekins are the biggest and loudest. My harlequins are the quietest and prettiest and are good layers and are good sitters and also my favorites.

 

[DUCKGIRL89]

Quote:
Rouens

Who could not love this
http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm305/checkforticks1700/028-1.jpg

X2 I have 4 they are so cute and beautiful!

I also vote welsh harlequins! I have 4 of those and they are sooooo cute, and very quiet. but they are only sevral weeks old.

 

[hossfeathers]

A general thought on the whole philosophy of keeping backyard ducks -

- Aside from needing quiet ducks to keep the neighbors happy (and I can say that scovies are very quiet!) consider keeping a rarer breed, off the ALBC's list. (Here) Cayugas are on that list, as are Saxonys and Appleyards.

Appleyards supposedly lay lots of eggs (mine aren't laying yet) and the others are good meat breeds.

My thought on the rare breeds is that one is not keeping backyard birds for pure economics (commerical eggs and meat are much cheaper and easier) nor for sale. so while the Pekings and Kakhis are great, why not try one of the other breeds as well?

Of course, rare = harder to find, and likely more expensive. And perhaps one would rather not *start* with a rare breed. But give it a thought!

 

[Rosecomb-Ryan]

Quote:
Rouens

Who could not love this
http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm305/checkforticks1700/028-1.jpg

MEEE!!! They look like farm ducks that quack!

Cayugas are an awesome breed of duck but they can get noisey. at one point I had 15 females and they were louder then my call ducks but now culled it down to 7 hens...


Ryan