duck breed comparison?

[nettie]

does anyone have multiple breeds that can tell me some info? or maybe you know alot about one of these breeds? or know if there's a good book on breeds?

I'm getting a new duckling for my little flock this spring

and am researching breeds. I already have indian runners and want something different. the internet is not making it easy for me to find info...Because we have a small back yard we want to stick to light breeds, nothing over 5 pounds.

We're interesed in Black East Indies, Crested, and Blue Swedish ducks currently. but all the info online varies greatly.

We want to know about their weights, heights, or maybe just a comparison to the indian runner so we know what to expect. how big do swedish's get? how tall are cresteds? can the black east indie fly well?

We also want to know about noise... Our runners don't quack alot but when they need somehting, my fan and white it the loudest stinking duck ever... ear piercing at times. I heard Black east indies are noisy... Are they loud? or do they just chatter alot? what about a crested?

Were also worried about temperment. we would like to get another "cuddly" duck. Are any of the breeds i mentioned cuddly? are they really skittish or nervous? if they bond to us will they still run away? ( the skittishness of our runners does get annoying at times)

Any one have pictures of other breeds of ducks next to runners so i can see the difference in size?

If we got a male black east indie would it be able to breed with my tall female runner? lol

I just wish there was a chart with all the breeds saying all their weights with photos/comparisons online. any info anyone could give me would be a big help!

ALSO: this website i found: http://www.geocities.com/petduckassociation/breeds.html#swedish
seems t list the blue swedish and the crested blue swedish very differently? i would be more interested in a crested duck and wonder if this info is correct? are the crested blues quieter?

 

[shelleyd2008]

Well, I don't have any of the breeds you listed, but I will tell you what I know.

As far as I know, the 'crested' duck is just a type of any certain breed. There are crested mallard, pekin, cayuga, swedish, you name it, it probably comes in crested!
I am not sure about the swedish, but I believe they are a fairly good sized bird, similar to the cayugas that I have, which get about 8 pounds. But like I said, I'm not sure.
The black indies are a type of bantam or call duck, not sure of the difference. They, being call ducks, can fly very well, and are pretty loud from what I understand, also from being 'call' ducks.
Have you checked out feathersite? They have a lot of information about birds, you may find what you're looking for there.

Good luck!!

 

[ChickenToes]

I don't know much about the breeds you've mentioned, but I can tell you about the breeds that I have.

If you are looking at smaller ducks, do not go with Cayugas. They were originally bred to be meat birds before the Pekin came in and became popular. They are quite a large duck.

Khaki Campbells and Mallards are smaller ducks. Khakis are usually around 4 or 4.5 pounds. I'm not sure about the Mallards exact weight, but my female Mallard is teeny tiny compared to the others.
A good thing about Khakis are their egg laying capability - they are laying machines, often outlaying chickens.

If you want a quiet duck, look at Muscovies.

I agree with Shelleyd2008, go check out FeatherSite. They have info and pictures.

 

[shelleyd2008]

I agree that the Cayugas are not a small duck, but mine are noticeably smaller than my rouens and pekins. Out of the 3 I have, the pekins are by far the loudest. Neighbors 1/2 mile away can hear them. But the sound probably carries well with these hills and valleys!
Muscovies are also a meat bird though, and can fly very well. They do not quack. Cayugas are very quiet as well, they do quack, but not loud at all. The only ones I can hear are my pekins.

 

[RavenStorm]

Hi there, I have a Khaki Campbell so I'll tell you what I can about them.

Khaki: She is my baby, and is very much a "cuddly" duck. She would actually beg on occasion like a dog to be held on my lap so she could take a nap in the crook of my arm. She was alone (rescue) and had no other ducks around, so for some time she was very attached to me and would chirp/quack loudly until I was in her sight again, but when she got to be about 2 months she really settled down and was alright on her own. When she does quack, it can be loud (Khaki's come from Indian Runners, Rouens, and Mallards) but she doesn't do it often. Females usually get to be about 4lbs and males nearly 5lbs. Khakis I have learned need a long running start to actually figure out how to fly, and so far mine just slightly glides when she jumps off of her platform but hasn't figured out that she could fly if she tried.

 

[nettie]

well thank you all so far for the info... we thought about khaki cambells but we really wanted something different than runners... my runners also peeped really loudly whenever we left the room until they were 2 months old and forced to live outside. (they lived in a big inside pen until i felt they were safe outside, we have lots of hawks in my area).

I guess we're most interested in the black east indies. does anyone have have any along with runners?

Any one who has a fawn and white runner knows how loud and yelly they get. If a black east indie is similar i wouldn't mind. I'm also completplating getting a male , since i hear males are less loud. is that true for black east indies? again leads to my question can a little indie mate with a tall runner?