duck breeds for layers

[ninny]

Okay i want ducks but need a reason to get them. So i'm thinking of eggs. What are the best breeds for eggs? They will be free rangeing with chickens and i will get them a pool to swim in. They need to be easy keepers, neat to look at and cold hardy. I love haveing lots of colors in the flock. Thanks!! Also is it true that duck eggs are the best for baking? If so why?

 

[JoshSnape]

Khaki Campbells are your match, They produce upto 350 eggs a year and are very hardy and have suvived all winter. They are a very pretty sight indeed.

 

[Amiga]

The KCs are great, and runners are reported to lay 200 or more eggs each per year. Runners are a bit smaller than the Khaki Campbells, but once they are mature, seem to be as hardy as any other breed. I don't know of the KCs can fly - runners generally don't, not more than a few feet, anyway.

 

[Wifezilla]

You have your choice....

Khaki Campbells
Runners
Welsh Harlequins

I have had all three. My favorite? WELSH HARLEQUINS! Why? Besides great egg laying and beautiful plumage, these ducks are very friendly and loaded with personality. If you want pure eggs size, then go with runners. They are still very amusing. I have 1 runner and she is so goofy. Scared of her own shadow, but definitely entertaining. The khakis are a bit smaller than the Welsh Harlequins and do lay great eggs. they just aren't as friendly as the WH.

All 3 of these breed fly like bricks

 

[protodon]

There are also the hybrid layer ducks that some hatcheries offer.

 

[Kansaseq]

I know they aren't as prolific as the other 3 mentioned, but my Saxony hen was a rock-steady producer from last summer up until a couple of months ago. Of course they are larger and eat more, too. But she laid jumbo sized eggs her first season. Can't wait to see what she lays this season.
Edited to add, if I had the chance to get some Welsh Harlequins, I would. They are gorgeous

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
While I would not claim that duck eggs are the best for baking, they differ most from chicken eggs in their 'whites' which are usually thicker and more concentrated than chicken eggs. when beaten they form foam or what the the correct name is for beaten egg whites. the foam is stiffer faster and more stable than beaten chicken egg whites. If you are doing anything that requires beaten egg whites you will love them. they are easy to fold into other ingredients and don't start to collaspe (sp) like chicken egg whites do. great for angel food cakes. marange (sp)pie toppings and those cookies that are really dried egg foam. As you can see this old batchlor does not write about baking often. But duck eggs make it so simple even a batchlor can do it! and if you need softer peak foam you can get close to chicken foam by adding 1/2 teaspoon of water per egg BEFORE you start beating.
As far as breeds go I think others have covered that pretty well. Any of the medium sized ducks should be good layers. The heavy ducks were bred for meat production and usually do not lay as well.

 

[CityChicker]

If you want lots of eggs, you could really go with any number of breeds. It just depends on how many eggs you really want. I would go with whatever breed appeals to you as several *can* be great layers. Overall, I think my Runners are probably my best, most consistent layers. They also lay some of the largest eggs I get in my ducks (somewhat surprisingly given their size). If you want the absolute best layers, you could go with a hybrid, several of which are available from hatcheries. You could also do Cambells, Hookbills, Welsh Harlequins, even Mallards if you want smaller eggs. If you want several different colors in the birds themselves, Runners would be great because they come in more colors than just about anything but Calls. I *love* Runners. LOVE them. Even Holderread's offers an assortment of colors that is *very* reasonably priced. I have gotten lots of Runners from them and my experience has been that theirs are also very calm and friendly, not at all the typical Runner personality. I got a bunch of adults from them last week and even they are rather calm.

 

[Dances with Ducks]

What about a mixed batch? My first year I had three different breeds, unplanned, but I liked it so much I even considered getting a sampling of other breeds too. I could tell which egg came from which hen as all the eggs were different. It gave me an opportunity to learn a lot about each breed and decide which I wanted to stick with.

 

[Wifezilla]

I started with an assortment. I just really clicked with the Welsh Harlequins when I got my first trio so that is where I have focused. The two I got from CityChicker are so spoiled rotten now you would not believe it!

Lexus will stand in front of me and block my way to DEMAND her treats! Obnoxious little thing! Tweak the drake is GORGEOUS and I think he knows it too!

The runner eggs ARE a bit bigger than the Welsh Harlequin eggs, but that helps me tell them apart

The only thing about an assortment is make sure the DRAKE is one of the prolific egg laying breeds. From what I have been told, the egg laying genes are passed down from the father, not the mother.