I need help deciding between two duck breeds/mixes!

[KenjiQuacker]

Hello! I'm trying to decide between calls or welsh harlequin x runner crosses. It's such a hard decision! Which would you choose and why?
I'd love to hear your opinions, maybe they'll help me decide on one of the breeds/mixes! I mostly just want them for pets and to eat slugs in my garden, I don't really need them to lay lots of eggs.

Thanks!

(edit) I forgot to add that I need them to be good for a sort of animal therapy / animal encounter thing I'm doing with my friend.

 

[Northwest_Wannabe]

I ADORE call ducks but the fact they can kinda fly away is a huge con for me personally. For both where I live now (suburbs) and where I want to go (very rural, like you'll never find me between the trees rural haha)

Runner ducks tend to be really funny and silly (I've hugged a many of them at a friends house!) and Harlequins are very pretty looking birds, so I imagine the cross between them would be a nice medium sized, probably pretty (or black?) colored duck? I'd for sure choose the cross, especially when the breed doesn't matter for like showing. I like a duck who can't really fly away and is able to free range : D

 

[KenjiQuacker]

I ADORE call ducks but the fact they can kinda fly away is a huge con for me personally. For both where I live now (suburbs) and where I want to go (very rural, like you'll never find me between the trees rural haha)

Runner ducks tend to be really funny and silly (I've hugged a many of them at a friends house!) and Harlequins are very pretty looking birds, so I imagine the cross between them would be a nice medium sized, probably pretty (or black?) colored duck? I'd for sure choose the cross, especially when the breed doesn't matter for like showing. I like a duck who can't really fly away and is able to free range : D

I'll be having them in a penned in aviary sort of thing, so it doesn't really matter to me whether they can fly or not. But thanks! I'm liking the thought of the cross too, especially the shape and coloration. I LOVE the welsh harlequin color, and I also love the shape of runner ducks, so i think it's a really cool cross. But at the same time, I need them to be good for an animal - encounters thing that I'm doing, ( I forgot to add that ) and I feel like calls would be better for that because of their size and temperament. Although I feel like it depends on how you raise them, so maybe if I just socialize the cross really well it'll work. Thanks for responding to my thread!

 

[Ratchnick]

I would get a large breed duck like a silver appleyard or saxony. Larger ducks are in general calmer and more relaxed. Also they make better slug eaters.

 

[KenjiQuacker]

I would get a large breed duck like a silver appleyard or saxony. Larger ducks are in general calmer and more relaxed. Also they make better slug eaters.

I'm pretty set on either calls or the runner welsh harlequin cross, especially since both are available in my area. Plus, our run is only 14' x 14.5', which I feel like isn't large enough to have large breeds in comfortably. Thank you though!

 

[Ratchnick]

That's plenty of room for a pair of whatever breed you want. Between those two choices i would pick the calls because they will be less maintenance.

 

[KenjiQuacker]

That's plenty of room for a pair of whatever breed you want. Between those two choices i would pick the calls because they will be less maintenance.

Oh cool! For some reason it looked small to me. Calls are pretty awesome... but so are the crosses... Thanks for your input!

 

[Northwest_Wannabe]

Oh cool! For some reason it looked small to me. Calls are pretty awesome... but so are the crosses... Thanks for your input!

I'd also go with the mix for temperament, I've only met one breeder whose got tame calls, and it's not a common occurrence for them (who hand raise and incubate all of their ducklings) I understand each duck is different but I've only really known flighty calls. The Appleyards I've had and known have all been fairly sweet, the runners sweeter, and the calls-

like little angry mud babies, and while I adore them, I am always afraid my friends momma duck is going to bite me xD I'm very glad I got a photo of her doing this to justify my fear of her, they kinda remind me of "small dog syndrome" if you're familiar with that sort of thing xD The smaller the more attitude, a little spicy, a little loud, but thats just my experience from friends who own them and caring for them all at fairs : D

 

[Northwest_Wannabe]

OH and I'll just add this on, probably the thing I'm MOST inexperienced about as far as ducks go, but incubating! If you plan on hatching I've heard call ducks have a very low hatch rate (so much so that the now retired holderread made a breed similar to calls that had better luck hatching!) I don't exactly know why they supposedly have a low hatch rate, but if you don't plan on hatching I suppose it doesn't matter : D I've never hatched call ducks, just what I've heard <3 Good luck!!

 

[KenjiQuacker]

I'd also go with the mix for temperament, I've only met one breeder whose got tame calls, and it's not a common occurrence for them (who hand raise and incubate all of their ducklings) I understand each duck is different but I've only really known flighty calls. The Appleyards I've had and known have all been fairly sweet, the runners sweeter, and the calls- View attachment 2571956
like little angry mud babies, and while I adore them, I am always afraid my friends momma duck is going to bite me xD I'm very glad I got a photo of her doing this to justify my fear of her, they kinda remind me of "small dog syndrome" if you're familiar with that sort of thing xD The smaller the more attitude, a little spicy, a little loud, but thats just my experience from friends who own them and caring for them all at fairs : D

I have not heard of small dog syndrome but that pictures awesome haha. Ive heard calls can be a little feisty sometimes, which is sad because I really like their cute size. Ive read that calls are usually more tame than runners, but from your experience it sounds the opposite. I think I'm probably going to go with the cross. Thanks!