Duck breeds together

[Bb8]

Wondering how it would go to have a khaki Campbell with a Pekin as a pair of hopefully both females? Looking to get two babies and raise them together to try out the duck thing. Trying two breeds appeals to me but can only do 2 ducks total to start. Would this have issues? Do we need to stick to one breed? Or closer or more similar breeds?

 

[Evadig]

Hi and ! I actually had a Peking and a Khaki Campbell (male and female of each, but I'm focusing on the females here), they didn't get along well at all; the Khaki Campbell was too excitable and irritated the mild mannered Peking, who couldn't even move fast enough to get away from her.
Now I have a Silver Appleyard and a Welsh Harlequin duck who like each other very much.

 

[Evadig]

Where are you planning on getting the ducks (cause you could order two from My Pet Chicken and have more breeds to pick from than if you go to Tractor Supply)? TSC does get in Swedish ducks sometimes but I don't have any experience with those .

 

[KathiQuacks]

My first 4 ducks were 2 Pekins, a Khaki, and a Rouen, and everyone got along just fine. Ducks raised together tend to do better as well. There’s also many, many other people on here with mixed breed flocks that get along very well.

Right now, I have 3 adult ducks - a Pekin, a Khaki mix, and a Swedish mix - as well as 10 of their ducklings. I’ve introduced the eldest 5 ducklings to my 3 adults, and within just a few days, everyone is mingling rather nicely.

I think it really just depends on the ducks

 

[Bb8]

Where are you planning on getting the ducks (cause you could order two from My Pet Chicken and have more breeds to pick from than if you go to Tractor Supply)? TSC does get in Swedish ducks sometimes but I don't have any experience with those .

Ideally local but perhaps TSC depending on who has what when I’m ready for them. I liked the idea of the khakis for size and eggs but the temperament and appearance of pekin is appealing

 

[Bb8]

My first 4 ducks were 2 Pekins, a Khaki, and a Rouen, and everyone got along just fine. Ducks raised together tend to do better as well. There’s also many, many other people on here with mixed breed flocks that get along very well.

Right now, I have 3 adult ducks - a Pekin, a Khaki mix, and a Swedish mix - as well as 10 of their ducklings. I’ve introduced the eldest 5 ducklings to my 3 adults, and within just a few days, everyone is mingling rather nicely.

I think it really just depends on the ducks

Gotcha, thanks. I’d hate to get two ducks and have them hate each other and be stuck but we can only fit two and both those breeds seem to have different qualities we like

 

[Canadian Wind]

I would suggest doing your research on the different breeds as to their basic personality traits and get some that would be similar. That being said, even within a breed there are variations and you could get a super hyper duck from a breed that is usually calm, or vice versa.

What it comes down to as previously mentioned is raising them together, but even that doesn't always work out.

Good luck!

Oh, and if getting a Pekin, don't get the jumbo ones. They have many more health problems due to being bred for rapid growth and early butchering.

 

[Miss Lydia]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/duck-breed-focus-project.1024526/
good reading

 

[CoriM]

The other thing to consider is that Pekins often have a lot of health issues and don't seem to live as long as medium sized ducks. They need extra supplementation for niacin and careful attention to make sure they're not having leg issues as they grow. There are other varieties of white ducks - white layer or duclair - with the same appearance but that don't get as large. After having several different types of ducks for the past 5 years I finally have 5 sets of 2. For some reason I find that they drift towards their own type even though they all totally get along with each other. I'm sure it's an individual personality thing, but I just read yesterday that Khakis aren't great for pets as they are a little more skittish and wary of humans. Something to consider. Also, if at all possible get 3 birds. Many things can happen to ducks and if you lose one an only bird would be heartbroken - they are just not meant to live solo. Also if you're just starting into ducks, realize they grow super fast and you should have all your housing and everything planned out to be ready to go by the time they hit 8 weeks. They need water for swimming, grass for foraging, and will make a complete mess of the yard. But they're delightful!

 

[Bb8]

The other thing to consider is that Pekins often have a lot of health issues and don't seem to live as long as medium sized ducks. They need extra supplementation for niacin and careful attention to make sure they're not having leg issues as they grow. There are other varieties of white ducks - white layer or duclair - with the same appearance but that don't get as large. After having several different types of ducks for the past 5 years I finally have 5 sets of 2. For some reason I find that they drift towards their own type even though they all totally get along with each other. I'm sure it's an individual personality thing, but I just read yesterday that Khakis aren't great for pets as they are a little more skittish and wary of humans. Something to consider. Also, if at all possible get 3 birds. Many things can happen to ducks and if you lose one an only bird would be heartbroken - they are just not meant to live solo. Also if you're just starting into ducks, realize they grow super fast and you should have all your housing and everything planned out to be ready to go by the time they hit 8 weeks. They need water for swimming, grass for foraging, and will make a complete mess of the yard. But they're delightful!

When you say “make a complete mess of the yard” do you mean just where their water sources are or anywhere they go? Planned to give them free access to a fenced yard but keep their water out of the way a bit so they’d be able to enjoy the shared yard space with the humans and the water and mess would be out of the way. Does that sound feasible though?