duck hatcheries

[purelypoultry]

We do have a breeder that has Blue Cayugas . They would have to be ordered separately from all other ducks and would have to be 10 of them. We do have the Buff Ducks as well.

 

[rainplace]

Quote:
you're right. i should have listed what i'm interested in. i'm aiming for maybe around 12 ducks this first go round, with good variety.

- i mostly want decent layers as i'd like to sell eggs for baking (since most people aren't interested in eating duck eggs, which i don't understand), but they don't need to crank out the eggs.
- i need ducks with good temperaments. not flighty, not aggressive, not extremely likely to fly off and abandon me.

- i'm interested in meat quality and size, as i'd like to process some for myself.
- and they have to be pretty. i know that sounds shallow, but i like pretty ducks.
- oh, and i'm particularly interested in heritage and ALBC endangered breeds.

breeds i'm interested in (so far): Cayuga (black, blue, crested), Silver Appleyard, Saxony, Ancona (blue & white), Buff (standard, crested), White Crested, and Golden Cascade

thanks for the info so far! look forward to seeing what everyone thinks.

If you're looking for production ducks and not too worried about matching their standard, I'd look into Metzers. For egg production they have the golden 300 hybrid. I've read that people are liking that bird. Here's a small blurb from Metzers: "Several years ago we developed the Golden 300 Hybrid as they lay more and larger eggs than the Khaki Campbell duck and have a calmer temperament with a higher fertility."

Here's a picture:

They do not offer the silver appleyard or the ancona.

I've been very happy with Metzers. I've bought birds from them twice and the ducklings arrived safe and healthy. Their customer service is excellent as well.

If you want birds that look like they are suppose to, then I would go with Holderreads. You're going to pay about a little over a dollar more per duckling. They don't carry any crested ducks, blue cayuga, or the buff.

I don't anything about any of the other hatcheries.

 

[pirtykitty]

I am happy with my Welsh harlequins from metzers.. I also got apair of cayugas but had to rehome them... I would love some of holdereads ducks one of these days... there is another breeder called sandhill preservation.. they carry alot of varieties of ducks. but have a minimum order of I think 15 ducklings..

 

[1lpoock]

I was happy with my cayugas and khaki campbells from Meyer Hatchery...they have other breeds as well

 

[bibliophile birds]

Quote:
yeah, i found them last night. i think i might order from them, as they have most of the breeds i'm looking at. this is my duck test run, so i want a really good variety. that way i know which i want to order more of next year!

 

[ultasol]

If you are truly interested in a heritage or breed in need of preservation, buying birds that fit the standard for the breed should be considered. For instance, look at the wyandotte- most of the wyandottes out there are hatchery and they are SO far from the type of the true wyandotte that standing side by side one would think they are a different breed.

If you want quality birds from a hatchery that shows, concerns itself with breed preservation, and has several unusual breeds that are good dual purpose (egg and meat) ducks check out Holderreads.

 

[bibliophile birds]

Quote:
couldn't have said it better. my GLWs look NOTHING like they should. i mean, they are pretty, but they are not standard. they are almost all black with the slightest gold in the center of each feather.

instead of this

i got this

they are young still (3 months), so maybe they will start to look more like GLW, but i'm not holding my breath.

i'm definitely aiming for close to SoP for my ducks, but i'm interested in breeding them so it's something i'm willing to work towards.

 

[ultasol]

Even if you buy ducklings from the best stock you won't get all show quality birds. So instead of buying poor quality and spending lots of time and money feeding and breeding to get closer to the SOP, it often makes sense to buy quality up front.

Think about it- the upfront cost of the ducklings is minor compared to the cost of the food, housing, and care you will put into the birds over their lifespan. To get the minimum with Holderreads you can order the cheapest assortment on top of whatever it is you specifically want- if you know you want to raise some for meat specify that when you order and I'm sure they will try to choose extra drakes of meaty breeds for your assortment. They offered to do that for me with goslings.

 

[bibliophile birds]

Quote:
i'm definitely aiming at buying quality, i was just saying that i'm still willing to work with them on my own. even if you start with quality, if you don't maintain a well-managed breeding program you are going to loose that quality quickly.

a friend of mine had chicks out of a well-showing pair of Brahmas, which were gorgeous birds. the chicks were very good quality, but she never took an active hand in their breeding. she ended up with some truly terrible 3rd generation chicks because they were all inbreeding (and not in the controlled, quality line-breeding sort of way) and all the hidden bad traits were coming out. i'm aiming to avoid that situation.

 

[NYREDS]

Quote:
couldn't have said it better. my GLWs look NOTHING like they should. i mean, they are pretty, but they are not standard. they are almost all black with the slightest gold in the center of each feather.

instead of this
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGP/Wyand/GLWyP.JPEG

i got this
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/42382_dscf5940.jpg

they are young still (3 months), so maybe they will start to look more like GLW, but i'm not holding my breath.

i'm definitely aiming for close to SoP for my ducks, but i'm interested in breeding them so it's something i'm willing to work towards.

Not for nothing the Feathersite example of a Golden Laced Wyandotte is a pretty awful example. Many of the birds pictured on Feathersite are poor quality.