Breed Suggestions?

[bluemerle]

Hello!

One of our girls seems to actually be a drake (I swear he quacked when he was younger ) & now I'm trying to do duck math for spring of next year. We currently have two <1 yr old Mallards, a female & a drake.

I plan on ordering two females from a hatchery, which leaves me with some choices as to breed. As our ducks are only pets (we don't have much use for a ton of eggs) I'm looking for a breed that is both likely to get along with some ornery Mallards and also be sociable towards us. So with that in mind, I also have some concerns:

- Do the bigger breeds (Pekins, Appleyards) tend to do poorly in heat? There are weeks when we get up to 100 F every day. The duck pen has natural shade and a mister, but I worry about a big breed suffering from heatstroke.

- Are mallard drakes picky? Is it likely our drake will ignore hens that look different/are bigger than him and thus overmate our Mallard hen? I'm willing to put him in drake jail for the breeding season if necessary, though I'd like to avoid it.

- If health is my main concern, would it be wise to avoid breeds that are bred for high egg production? I've been looking at Welsh Harlequins because people say they're very sweet, but I'm not sure if they'd be more likely to have issues with being egg bound than a breed that lays more infrequently?

Lastly, what is everyone's favorite breeds re: temperament?

Thanks in advance! I'm still new to the whole duck thing & trying to learn as much as possible.

 

[chickens really]

Hens Quack...Not Drakes...Post pictures.

 

[bluemerle]

Yes! That's why I thought he was a hen - when I would pick him up when he was younger, he would do a very distinct quack! in protest. So when he started getting drake plumage a couple months ago & his voice changed to only raspy noises, it was quite baffling. When he finishes his molt I'll post pictures, but I'm pretty sure he's a drake.

 

[chickens really]

Yes! That's why I thought he was a hen - when I would pick him up when he was younger, he would do a very distinct quack! in protest. So when he started getting drake plumage a couple months ago & his voice changed to only raspy noises, it was quite baffling. When he finishes his molt I'll post pictures, but I'm pretty sure he's a drake.

Why not now?...Post pictures.

 

[lomine]

I've got WH and Saxony (a heavier meat/egg breed). My climate doesn't get that hot, usually high 80s/low 90s is our peak, but I haven't noticed any distress in hot weather. Tough you may want to keep in mind that bigger ducks eat more.

I think most drakes don't care too much but you'll never really know until you put him with females.

My WH have never had been egg bound. The only health problems I've experienced were related to physical injuries (bumble foot, cacti needles, etc). I will say they don't lay as much as I expected. My original WH girls are from Metzer, so that might be why. This year I got WH and Saxony from Holderreads but they probably won't start laying until next spring so I don't know if they will be different.

Personality wise, the WH and Saxony are very calm. I don't cuddle my birds. They don't like being picked up but once they are being held they are fine. I've picked them up so visitors (including very small kids) can pet them. They don't mind having their heads, feet, wings, or really any part touched or held. I also had Cayuga and didn't like them. They never warmed up to me and after a year still ran from me like I was going to eat them. I ended up selling them.