First time owner needs answers.

[hendrix25]

I am in the process of getting my first ducks. I have been researching breeds and decided on Cayuga, Khaki Campbell and possibly Rouen or Muscovy. I am only going to start off with two or three ducklings, more than likely I will go with a Cayuga and a Campbell. I have done lots of research on both breeds and they fit my requirements better than any other breed. I have a few questions still...

Should I get the same sexes in both breeds?
Does is matter if one is male and one is female?

I wanted to get a male Cayuga and a female Campbell. Will they breed?

This may sound dumb but, I don't want to cross breed them. I want to be able to eat the eggs, therefore I don't want the eggs to be fertile.

Serious answers only please.

 

[greyhorsewoman]

If you get two or three, I'd personally recommend just females. Males can breed the female a LOT and sometimes it's rough on just one or two.

Yes, they will crossbreed. Ducks aren't particular about partner's parentage.

You can eat fertile eggs. You won't know the difference. We do it all the time. Just collect them each day. Duck eggs are delicious! Had some for breakfast this morning.

 

[hendrix25]

I plan on getting them from my local farm/feed store, will they be able to tell which ones are females and which ones are males?

Should fertile eggs be eaten sooner than non fertile? If so how much sooner? We get our eggs from a local chicken house grower, and usually a flat can last me 3-4 weeks. Depending on how much I bake.

I am really excited about this new adventure with ducklins...wish me luck.

 

[greyhorsewoman]

I have approx 25 ducks, approx 8 males. So I'm assuming the majority of my eggs are fertile. We were getting close to a dozen eggs a day since January, laid all over our barn. Ducks are dirty, so we rarely find any that don't require washing.

I am fortunate to have a 'cooler' backroom and we eat them or bake with them as fast as we can. We sell a few and give a few away, but haven't found folks around here as receptive to them, so we have quite a backlog. Haven't had any issues with bad eggs.

Good luck. I wouldn't trust employees at a feed store will be able to sex your ducklings. They may know what they purchased and have them separated?

 

[hendrix25]

ok that helps a lot. i am assuming that with only 2-3 ducks i won't have that many eggs.