Considering 2 hens for urban backyard. Looking into breeds and between Buff vs. Muscovy. Thoughts?

[Crazy Maizie]

I have runners and Muscovy. Never have had a buff or any other mallard based duck besides the runners. The Muscovy are seasonal layers as stated above and are much quieter than a standard duck as they vocalize with trills vs a quack. Muscovy are also very broody. While other ducks can be broody, you're almost guaranteed that your Muscovy will be broody maybe even 2 or 3 times a year. It's easy enough to break them if you're not wanting to hatch. I do agree with 3 no matter which breed you decide on as you never know if something might happen to one of them and then you have a lone duck. Muscovy love the water, but not as much as the mallard based ducks. My Muscovy will eat out of my hand. My runners wait for the Muscovy to drop what comes from my hand. The Muscovy will follow me around while I dig in the yard. The runners generally run the other way. Each breed has their pros and cons. If I were to get ducks again, I'd still opt for Muscovy. But, I've never had a buff, so hopefully someone with a buff duck will chime in for ya!

 

[BoundlessLove]

Blue Swedish are cold and heat tolerant.
They lay a decent amount of light grayish white eggs. Not very quiet.
But IMO it’s going to be hard to find a quiet duck breed.

 

[BoundlessLove]

@Debbie292d
Do you still have your buffs and are they noisy?

 

[StinkyAcres]

My Muscovies lay many more eggs than I was told. So far in their second year of laying I have gotten over 230 Muscovy eggs (about 60 per duck), and that doesn't include all the ones I had to throw out because I found them too late. I am currently getting more eggs from my 4 Muscovies than from my 8 laying hens.

Something else I wasn't told about female Muscovies is that they can be aggressive during breeding season. More toward each other than toward humans, but they can bite HARD if they don't want you taking their eggs from them. They are docile and curious when they are not broody though.

Mine don't do well in the cold. They shiver nonstop in 20°F temps and below. I had to get a heater for them so I didn't feel like I was torturing my duckies. Other Muscovy keepers here don't seem to have a problem with cold, so I must have gotten some particularly wimpy ducks.

Would I recommend ducks for an urban backyard? I'm afraid not. They are MESSY and STINKY if they don't have lots and lots of space with green grass and good drainage.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

My Muscovies lay many more eggs than I was told. So far in their second year of laying I have gotten over 230 Muscovy eggs (about 60 per duck), and that doesn't include all the ones I had to throw out because I found them too late. I am currently getting more eggs from my 4 Muscovies than from my 8 laying hens.

Something else I wasn't told about female Muscovies is that they can be aggressive during breeding season. More toward each other than toward humans, but they can bite HARD if they don't want you taking their eggs from them. They are docile and curious when they are not broody though.

Mine don't do well in the cold. They shiver nonstop in 20°F temps and below. I had to get a heater for them so I didn't feel like I was torturing my duckies. Other Muscovy keepers here don't seem to have a problem with cold, so I must have gotten some particularly wimpy ducks.

Would I recommend ducks for an urban backyard? I'm afraid not. They are MESSY and STINKY if they don't have lots and lots of space with green grass and good drainage.

Ah yes, the broody Muscovy aggression. Mine chase each other around. They've never bit me though, just ran off while yelling at me. My Muscovy drake, now that's a different story. The turd, but I do miss him.
It gets cold here and mine do well with a nice bed of straw and wind breaks. They will sit in the doorway of their coop if it's too cold. I don't offer a heat source though. That can always change if needed. They are native to Central and south America so it makes sense that they don't enjoy the cold weather.
My girls are 7 and they aren't really laying much anymore. But, that doesn't stop their broodiness. I can't eat duck eggs as I've developed an intolerance apparently. So, it works out. The runners have also slowed down, but are still laying regularly - they are around 5.
I will also add that when my ducks earn their angel wings, I won't be getting more ducks. But, I have enjoyed them and their antics.

 

[Not-so Slick Chicken]

muscovy ducks are good choice for a urban backyard as they are mute. they don't lay many eggs, maybe 30-50 a year. their eggs are delicious and good for baking too. indian runners lay plenty of eggs but they are noisy. I am not familiar with buff orpington ducks.

100% not mute.

 

[Not-so Slick Chicken]

They're not exactly mute as they trill, but not quack. Mine are very vocal in a quiet way.

I have read people claiming that they don't quack.
Is that actually true?
When they're startled, they do make a sound I would consider a quack, but is it not considered a quack?

Overall they're fairly quiet, but there are certainly times where they're noticeably vocal.
(We have two broodies. They have a very distinct chirp-quack sound when they're off the nest and it seems to be telling the other birds to get away)

 

[StinkyAcres]

I have read people claiming that they don't quack.
Is that actually true?
When they're startled, they do make a sound I would consider a quack, but is it not considered a quack?

Overall they're fairly quiet, but there are certainly times where they're noticeably vocal.
(We have two broodies. They have a very distinct chirp-quack sound when they're off the nest and it seems to be telling the other birds to get away)

Yeah, I'd call it an almost-quack. And sometimes it's a honk. Their broody chirps are their loudest vocalizations, especially when they are chasing each other.