City quiet ducks?.....

[Linc]

I live in the city in 8000 sq foot lot in the suburbs/city. That means my neighbors are pretty close. I have 2 easter eggers that are almost silent. Now i want to try some ducks. I only want two for eggs. Muscovies i hear are quiet but I keep hearing they fly and are real messy, plus they don't lay many eggs and are large. I was also reading that the other kinds of ducks are loud when it's there feeding time.
If I get 2 small layer type ducks which ones would you recommend as being quieter?
If my ducks had free access to food would that make a noise difference?
ty

 

[DuckPoop]

I have 4 Silver Appleyard Ducks. They are fairly quiet, but do make some noise when I let them out into the yard. The one female does get a bit loud when she wants out or wants food. Sounds like she is laughing. Wack, wack, wack, wack, wack, wack. Does that a few times a day. I don't think anyone minds as dogs are always barking and there are loud trucks.

 

[Bills vs Beaks]

Generally, ducks are nice and quiet. But Ive found the smaller the duck, the louder My khakis go nuts sometimes Never as loud as the chickens though. The big ducks are more quiet But its also the personaltiy of the duck, not just breed.
And only when they see me coming outside with the feed bucket They wont go crazy if its anyone else. And then when they are let out in the morning. Maybe if you feed them all the time, they wont get noisy when they are hungry? Makes sense, coz if i forget the ducks lunch, I will be told about it
Appleyards do lay a decent amount of eggs too! (if you wanna call only one egg every day decent ) and nice big ones too! Saxonies are the same

I think as long as your nieghbors are ok with a bit of quacking, you can pretty much get whatever breed you want
Hope this helps!

 

[chickens really]

As far as being messy....All Ducks are messy....They poop lots and love to play in water and mud.....If the water spills they drill holes in that spot in search of worms....

I love Ducks!.....

 

[Isaac 0]

I think it just varies on the duck.My pekins are really loud.While my rounens are quite.As chicken really said they will make there run a muddy mess.Good Luck!

 

[jofanx]

Not sure who told you muscovies are messy, but compared with mallard derived ducks (which are all the other ducks you would get), they positively spotless because they don't love to play with water the way regular ducks do--they bathe maybe once a day by tossing water from the bucket on their backs, but compared with the mallard derivatives who do it until there's no more water left... I've had both and now focus solely on muscovies because they are quiet and cleaner and better at pest control.

My pekins and cayugas used to hold us hostage in our house because if they saw any movement or light they'd start quacking up a storm, and you could hear them through closed, insulated windows 1/2 and acre back.

Also, what do you mean lay many eggs? I get an egg a day from each of the muscovies since early April all the way into November (once I got a full nest in Feb--all were frozen and I didn't know they were there because I thought they wouldn't lay.)

I'm swimming in eggs at this point.

ETA: I just clip their wings once a year after their molt (the first 10 primaries on one side is fine) to keep them grounded.

 

[chickens really]

Not sure who told you muscovies are messy, but compared with mallard derived ducks (which are all the other ducks you would get), they positively spotless because they don't love to play with water the way regular ducks do--they bathe maybe once a day by tossing water from the bucket on their backs, but compared with the mallard derivatives who do it until there's no more water left... I've had both and now focus solely on muscovies because they are quiet and cleaner and better at pest control.

My pekins and cayugas used to hold us hostage in our house because if they saw any movement or light they'd start quacking up a storm, and you could hear them through closed, insulated windows 1/2 and acre back.

Also, what do you mean lay many eggs? I get an egg a day from each of the muscovies since early April all the way into November (once I got a full nest in Feb--all were frozen and I didn't know they were there because I thought they wouldn't lay.)

I'm swimming in eggs at this point.

ETA: I just clip their wings once a year after their molt (the first 10 primaries on one side is fine) to keep them grounded.

Touché ....

 

[jofanx]

Touché ....

LOL! Oh man after having experienced both (along with chickens) I'm never going to back to mallard types unless I get a property big enough to set the silly things back far enough so I can't hear them and far enough so my neighbors don't hear them.

I love them, they're so cute, but that dratted quacking.

 

[rookhomestead]

I love my muscovy!!!!..... So much, that I am slowly going to feed my chickens to the neighborhood foxes. Not to be cruel! but I don't really know what else to do with them, and if the Fox is starving, like this past winter/spring, it keeps them from coming through the fence and eating the birds that feed my family. All the roos go first. Then as the hens get old and stop laying, bye bye. I'm raising for eggs and meat. They're not messy at all. When you get 23 ducklings, it gets a little messy. And as someone else said, just clip the primary feathers. Clean, quiet, and plenty of breakfast! Mine get in the kiddie pool a few times a day to bathe, but that's it. And, no fancy coop required! They love an old doghouse full of straw.

 

[rookhomestead]

Oh, and the females are half the size of males.