Breeding Ducks and Raising Babies

[NamahKatana]

Ok I have a couple questions.

We are moving to 23 acres and I will have 8 chickens and 2 ducks. Both my ducks are girls. They are Indian runner x blue swedish or call and about 8 months old. On it Blue laced with a white bib and the other is blue with white spots on her back. They haven't started laying yet. I want to get a male and have baby ducks but I'm not sure what breed of male I want. I want the ducks to hatch the eggs I'm not sure how to go about that. Any and all the info you can/will give me let me know!

A few pics of my girls last summer(sorry no recent ones) They have both gotten more white since these.

 

[Kevin565]

What do you want to look like?

Similar coloring to the parents? Are you wanting a pet, egg layer, or meat bird?

 

[NamahKatana]

What do you want to look like?

Similar coloring to the parents? Are you wanting a pet, egg layer, or meat bird?

I think i want to try and keep blues(i know VERY little of bird genetics) and just pets. If their good egg layers then great! Not for meat.

 

[Kevin565]

Maybe add a blue runner?

 

[NamahKatana]

Maybe add a blue runner?

You know thats a good idea lol Do you know where I could get one? Both my girls are off Craigslist and the breeder I got them from doesn't breed any more.

 

[Kevin565]

I think few hatchery sell them. I'll see if I can find which one it was.

 

[Kevin565]

Metzer

 

[NamahKatana]

Thanks. Although they require a minimum of 2 ducklings and I think i want one thats already an adult.

 

[ChristineR]

I noticed you said you want the ducks to hatch the eggs. There's a good chance that they might not do that. Runners are generally not likely to set and Swedish usually aren't either. So, if you're counting on just getting a drake and letting the ducks will do the rest, you may be disappointed.

If you have your heart set on ducks that will hatch their own eggs, you might want to do some research on different breeds that you like and get a breed that is more likely to do that for you. I know Welsh Harlequins are supposed to be good mothers (and mine built a next and sat on it last year). There are other breeds, too, though.

Boondockers Farm is in Eugene. They sell "three rare domestic duck breeds, the Middleweight Ancona Duck, the Heavyweight Saxony Duck, and Bantam Silver Appleyard."

http://boondockers.sharepoint.com/Pages/Poultry.aspx

Metzer breed comparison chart:

http://www.metzerfarms.com/DuckBreedComparison.cfm

 

[Senna95]

You know thats a good idea lol Do you know where I could get one? Both my girls are off Craigslist and the breeder I got them from doesn't breed any more.

Hey! Where in Oregon are you? I happen to have 2 very nice (Holderread) blue drakes available. 9 months old........ Also some white runners, and some runner/harlequin mixed.