Out of the hundreds of ducklings I've ordered, I've NEVER, ever had even one arive dead! And I've ordered from Metzer, Holderreads, E-fowl, Ideal, and others I can't remember.
For egg laying I'd go with Welsh Harlequins or runners. Both forrage well, and the Harlequins are also good moms, but for feed to egg conversion ratio I'd guess runners are better. If you want a combination meat/egg breed that lays plenty of LARGE eggs, try saxonies. They're also decent foragers, though nothing like the runners or Harlequins.
For egg laying I'd go with Welsh Harlequins or runners. Both forrage well, and the Harlequins are also good moms, but for feed to egg conversion ratio I'd guess runners are better. If you want a combination meat/egg breed that lays plenty of LARGE eggs, try saxonies. They're also decent foragers, though nothing like the runners or Harlequins.
