Best duck for eggs

[LightningTFarm]

nope you dont need SQ ducks for eggs and meat. You will want non mongrel birds (ie dont get a SA cross hoping for SA like benefits) but production or PQ (pet quality) will give you eggs and breed and be available to be butchered.

That's what I thought, but figured I should ask the question to be safe. I don't want to do anything to dilute the breed, as I really love them. It's about time to put some of the drakes in the freezer. Can't wait to eat that duck and oyster gumbo -- mmmmmmmm!

 

[Wokawidget]

People have mentioned Runners and Campbells in previous posts.
I have a Runner and a Campbell, so while I can't comment of general ducks I can give you the results from the last 2 years egg laying for these two:

Campbell: 6-7 / week
Runner: 4-5 / week

They are both two years old now.

Last Year:

Campbell: 347!!! Egg producing, and worm eating, monster
Runner: 203

This year (so far):

Campbell: 213
Runner: 116

Both of these far out produce my chickens, including a RIR.
The runner stops laying around October/November and starts again in March.
The Cambell just plops them out all year round.

cheers,

Woka

 

[DuckLady]

when looking for a duck for eggs read comparisons as larger breeds lay less than light weight breeds. Some take more time over all during the year than others. Everyone will say, I have so and so breed and they lay great. Ok do they lay great daily year round? Do they have a good food to egg conversion? most breeds lay very well spring summer and slack off as it grows cold and less daylight. Some others dont see to skip a beat laying over 300-320 eggs a year.

X2
Most ducks will lay well. When mine were younger they laid all year long. Now that they are getting long in the tooth...errr..bill, they slam their vents shut at the first sign of frost in protest at the inhospitable conditions in the NE Washington mountains we dragged them to 3-1/2 years ago.

 

[zooweemama]

I have several breeds of ducks and I just figured out who was laying our eggs...Welsh Harlequins. We've been getting 1 egg a day. Today was a 2 egg day and I saw my Welshies walk away from their little 'nest' that was NOT in the lay boxes. rofl! So our first to lay even over our hybrid Golden 300s were the WH. Still keeping track....

 

[zooweemama]

People have mentioned Runners and Campbells in previous posts.
I have a Runner and a Campbell, so while I can't comment of general ducks I can give you the results from the last 2 years egg laying for these two:

Campbell: 6-7 / week
Runner: 4-5 / week

They are both two years old now.

Last Year:

Campbell: 347!!! Egg producing, and worm eating, monster
Runner: 203

This year (so far):

Campbell: 213
Runner: 116

Both of these far out produce my chickens, including a RIR.
The runner stops laying around October/November and starts again in March.
The Cambell just plops them out all year round.

cheers,

Woka

It's numbers like these that make me want to concentrate on ducks for eggs more so than chickens! LOL

 

[dalepres]

Once I get all those extra drakes into the freezer I'll have lots of room in the duck house and run to put in some SA's.

I understand your point that not all birds are good enough to breed, but I have a question. If I am only breeding in order to eat the hatchlings, do you think I need top show quality ducks for that? I am not intending to sell them to anybody, just put some meat in the freezer. I'd appreciate your input.

I have a question back. How much harder is it to breed true to breed than to just hatch anything? For meat or for eggs, wouldn't you want to start with ducks that are true bred so you know what to expect and to then build on that? Wouldn't random breeding of lesser quality yield lesser results in feed conversion as well?

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

dale, no SOP standards is for showing so there is no worries of taking the culls that dont meet SOP and using them for roasting. You dont want mutt birds to try and raise for table, starting with pure bred will give the best shot at true results.

so like I wouldnt buy khaki/SA crosses hoping for the best. However if someone wants good egg producing khaki buying from a hatchery isnt bad, as long as you dont want SQ and egg production.

 

[Wynette]

Great thread!

This is my first year with ducks, and they are 22 weeks old. I have two Welsh Harlequin, one Runner (age undetermined, but she's not begun to lay yet), a Black Swede, and a Golden Hybrid 300.

The Golden Hybrid laid her first egg at 17 weeks, 1 day. Pretty darn impressive! She laid for about 10 days straight, took about 3 days off, and started back up again, not missing a beat (actually, as unbelievable as it sounds, two days she has laid two eggs overnight - I thought for SURE another had begun laying, but nope - it's definitely her). Metzer's describes their plumage as "drab" in color, but both DH and I find our Gabby to be beautiful! If she lays through winter, I'll be thrilled.

I'm not sure if our Welshies will begin laying this year or wait until spring; either way is fine with me. I most definitely do not like to push them.

 

[zooweemama]

Great thread!

This is my first year with ducks, and they are 22 weeks old. I have two Welsh Harlequin, one Runner (age undetermined, but she's not begun to lay yet), a Black Swede, and a Golden Hybrid 300.

The Golden Hybrid laid her first egg at 17 weeks, 1 day. Pretty darn impressive! She laid for about 10 days straight, took about 3 days off, and started back up again, not missing a beat (actually, as unbelievable as it sounds, two days she has laid two eggs overnight - I thought for SURE another had begun laying, but nope - it's definitely her). Metzer's describes their plumage as "drab" in color, but both DH and I find our Gabby to be beautiful! If she lays through winter, I'll be thrilled.

I'm not sure if our Welshies will begin laying this year or wait until spring; either way is fine with me. I most definitely do not like to push them.

My WH were the first to lay and then Golden 300s second. I suspect our 100-110 degree days put them off a little because no one was really laying until 19 weeks! I personally LOVE the Golden 300 coloring. They are actually our favorite coloring after the WHs.

 

[LightningTFarm]

I have a question back. How much harder is it to breed true to breed than to just hatch anything? For meat or for eggs, wouldn't you want to start with ducks that are true bred so you know what to expect and to then build on that? Wouldn't random breeding of lesser quality yield lesser results in feed conversion as well?

Well, I bought the ducks from Holderread's, so I don't think they're mutts even though I didn't buy top show quality. I will only keep the best drake out of the one's I have, and next spring I plan to buy a TSQ drake from Holderread's. So, I don't plan on breeding ducks that aren't true to breed. I'm just not trying to breed ducks that are necessarily show quality. We want them for eggs and meat, mostly. I don't plan on "just hatching anything", and I never said that.