Best Ducks For...

[RooStar Chicken Gang]

Hey, what's the best ducks for beginners with ducks to start off working with?

 

[Callender Girl]

I am a big fan of runner ducks. I have read about people whose drakes try to mate with their chicken hens, but none of my boys have ever "romanced" my chickens. Runners are a smaller duck and are great at foraging; the drakes I have don't fight with each other -- aside from an occasional, brief, nipping squabble during breeding season, and all are totally comical to watch with their upright stance.

Mine are hand-raised, extremely food motivated and will gladly run into the shelter when called at night -- with the promise of a handful of food. They aren't terribly noisy, but they do like to talk among themselves.

Temperatures here range from minus 20-something in the windy winter months to more than 90 degrees in the humid summers, and the ducks survive without incident in a partially open shelter that keeps off the snow and rain but certainly doesn't have heat.

In short, I think they are easy keepers but with the accompanying messiness of all waterfowl.

 

[CluckerFamily]

I have had chickens for eight years now and just got some ducklings a few weeks ago. I got Ancona ducklings and runner/Ancona ducklings, they aren’t too different than taking care of chicks just a slightly different brooder for the water mess.

 

[Callender Girl]

Once again, I have proven that I should be well-caffeinated before posting.

I forgot one of the great things about runner ducks: their little wings aren't built for air travel. Flight for them MIGHT last two seconds and get them a few feet off the ground, but they certainly won't fly away. Mine don't realize they could likely escape over a 2-foot fence if they really tried.

 

[fatty and friends]

any breed is good, personality depends on how you raise them. pekin should be avoided for beginners/people who don’t have the ability to provide health care for them because of health issues

 

[igorsMistress]

I’ll second the Runners as great ducks in general. I also have white layers which are also good quite nice and neither fly. Ancona are on the watch list on the livestock conservancy and great looking ducks. If you get a breed that can fly and you don’t want them to you’ll need to clip their wings.

 

[RooStar Chicken Gang]

So runner ducks cannot fly because of there wings are to small, so other ducks can fly but people clip there wings, are ducks not migration birds? So if people don't clip wings do they just fly off and come back in a few months? Or maybe not because there not wild, born domestic. So everyone reckons runner ducks, cool.

 

[Percipen]

I agree with the others that runners are a great starter duck. They have silly personalities, very friendly, on the quieter side, and their unique stance makes them stand out from other mallard derived breeds.

 

[Going Quackers]

So runner ducks cannot fly because of there wings are to small, so other ducks can fly but people clip there wings, are ducks not migration birds? So if people don't clip wings do they just fly off and come back in a few months? Or maybe not because there not wild, born domestic. So everyone reckons runner ducks, cool.

Some breeds are capable of flight others simply aren't, like Pekin may want too lol but are much to heavy to do so. My Muscovy fly, as do my Calls but none have ever flown off to migrate gotten into places that they probably would be best not to be? for sure in the old days of my Scovie flock my females often went onto the house roof and peeked into our skylights.

My Welsh don't fly either, they don't have the wing development to do so but they are a nice breed, and auto sexed so in other words at hatch you can tell which is what ...

My calls are Pets and i am quite fond of the breed but it has it downsides, flight is one, their size makes them vulnerable to predators and the females are excessively loud.

 

[Going Quackers]

I am a big fan of runner ducks. I have read about people whose drakes try to mate with their chicken hens, but none of my boys have ever "romanced" my chickens. Runners are a smaller duck and are great at foraging; the drakes I have don't fight with each other -- aside from an occasional, brief, nipping squabble during breeding season, and all are totally comical to watch with their upright stance.

Mine are hand-raised, extremely food motivated and will gladly run into the shelter when called at night -- with the promise of a handful of food. They aren't terribly noisy, but they do like to talk among themselves.

Temperatures here range from minus 20-something in the windy winter months to more than 90 degrees in the humid summers, and the ducks survive without incident in a partially open shelter that keeps off the snow and rain but certainly doesn't have heat.

In short, I think they are easy keepers but with the accompanying messiness of all waterfowl.

Runners sound so cute! my daughter wants some... maybe one day, i like how you say they will shelter nicely my Muscovy would rather become dinner than house up.