Cayugas or Black East Indies

[JessicaRichens]

This question is for anyone that has experience with Cayugas or Black East Indies. I'm considering getting either a pair of Black East Indies or one Cayuga hen to go with my flock of Welsh Harlequins. I'm interested in the egg color. While the two breeds are similar I want to know their differences. I assume the main one is size. How big is the size difference? What about their personalities? Who is louder? Who is friendlier? Do they both have the same level of tameness? How many eggs can you expect to get each year? Do they both get white feathers as they age? Will a Black East Indie drake try to mate with the Welsh Harlequins? Will he be successful? Can Black East Indies be kept with call ducks? If you had a choice which one would you get?

 

[cayugaducklady]

I have experience with Cayugas but they're the only domestic ducks I have experience with. I don't have any drakes so I can't answer any questions about drakes. I'd imagine that any drake will mate with any available females.

My cayugas eggs a slightly larger than the jumbo chicken egg cartons I store them in.

Co incidentally, i think one of my hatchlings from this year has some black east indie crossing in her genetics. She is about 1.5 pounds smaller smaller than my other cayugas but not call duck size. Her eggs are literally as tall as my thumb and are not large enough to fill the built in egg holders in my ancient old 1950s fridge. She is so colorful that her feathers look like they've had the color setting like they've been turned to max compared to my regular cayugas. I don't need specific lighting to see the beetle green iridescence on her feathers. You can see it even in poor light. She isn't the group talker but when she does quack or make her excited foraging noise her voice is much more richly toned than my other cayugas. If she makes her excited rapid quk-quk-quk call all of the other hens REALLY get excited.

I didn't buy her as a cross. She was in my batch of cayuga hatchlings from Metzer this year.

All of my hens are friendly. I haven't reached one year of laying in my hens yet. Last years hens started laying in December.

Two of my three year-old hens started getting white feathers after their molt this year. The third is still pristine cayuaga black iridescent. One only has a few white feathers and the other has maybe 10-15% of her new feathers in as white. I don' mind the white fathers. It doesn't detract from their attractiveness and my enjoyment of them. It helps me tell them all apart when they're free ranging or during their weekly health checks or while i'm doing morning & evening head counts.

I'm officially a cayuga fan girl. I can't imagine I'll ever have any other breed.

 

[JessicaRichens]

You are making me want Cayugas! I already love their coloring and I think their eggs are neat. I'm undecided though. Black East Indies are like a miniature version almost and there are Black Calls too. If I decide on getting a Cayuga I will order from Metzer Farms as well. Did you have a good experience with them?

 

[chickens really]

I tried two Black East Indies this summer...Cute Ducks but not that friendly...Mine were Ducklings and remained terrified the entire time I had them...Calls are easier and so are Cayugas..
Sadly I sold them to a breeder up north..

 

[cayugaducklady]

I had good luck with metzers. I'd order from them again

 

[AnjKar n Ducks]

Cayugas are amazing they are so lovable my ducklings are so adorable, I also got them from metzer farms. They have a beautiful plummage and the egg colors are so interesting to me haven't got a black one yet but I'm hoping.

 

[mlh328]

I just got my very first ducks from Metzer Farm, 2 females and 1 male, all cayuga, on August 3rd. I decided on these over the black east indies because they do not fly and are supposed to be relatively quiet and calm/friendly. (I have very close neighbor's!) I'm very happy with my choice. They are awesome ducks! And super pretty!

 

[PINOAK RIDGE]

This question is for anyone that has experience with Cayugas or Black East Indies. I'm considering getting either a pair of Black East Indies or one Cayuga hen to go with my flock of Welsh Harlequins. I'm interested in the egg color. While the two breeds are similar I want to know their differences. I assume the main one is size. How big is the size difference? What about their personalities? Who is louder? Who is friendlier? Do they both have the same level of tameness? How many eggs can you expect to get each year? Do they both get white feathers as they age? Will a Black East Indie drake try to mate with the Welsh Harlequins? Will he be successful? Can Black East Indies be kept with call ducks? If you had a choice which one would you get?

We've had and raised both Cayugas and Black East Indies (BEI), even at the same time. We still have BEI. Good BEI are larger than good call ducks, but smaller than mallards. Cayugas are roughly the size of Pekins. Often larger breeds are said to be more calm, but it depends on the individuals and how much time is spent with them. Thinking like a duck, the smaller the breed the greater the risk of predators, so they need to be more alert and wary. Our Cayugas didn't give the cats or the small house dogs a thought. The call ducks and BEI would instantly be "on alert" and ready for "flight mode", as they should be.

Don't know that our BEI were any louder than the Cayugas. The call duck females by far drown out the others. Tameness, again goes to the individual. Most of ours are/were quite friendly in either breed. The Cayugas laid more eggs than the BEIs. Cayugas can lay 100+ eggs in a year. Our BEI laid a less than 100 eggs/year. Black ducks with beetle green metallic sheen do get white feathers as they age.

Domestic drakes are opportunistic breeders and will breed with multiple females, even females not their size. Yes, these breedings can be successful. You can keep BEI with call ducks, as far as temperament and size, but the drakes will breed any females, so they ducklings will be mixed breeds.

We still have BEI.

Hope this helps. Good luck & enjoy your ducks.