I'm a worry wort; what do you think about these breeds?

DuckiesPLZ

In the Brooder
8 Years
Aug 22, 2011
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I've talked to my sister about getting the ducks... but the breeds she was interested in aren't normal 'first time duck owner' duckies...

I just want opinions xD anyways we were looking at getting the following ducks:

1 male cayuga
1 female cayuga
1 male black swedish
1 female black swedish
1 female rouen
1 female welsh harloquin

Are those ok? I really love how beautiful these breeds are and I've heard that people seem to like these breeds, they seem friendly, but.. are they ok pets? i've always wondered ab out the cons of ducks, i know a few but are there any important ones? xD O_O I'M SUCH A NOOB WORRYWORRYWORRY

???
 
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how about:
1 M Cayuga
1 F Cayuga
1 F Black Swedish
1 F Blue Swedish
1 F Rouen
1 F Welsh Harlequin

The 1:2 male to female ratio you stated could work but its better to have around 4-6 females per male
 
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I was thinking that would better but i worried if the one male would get overly confident or something xD ok thanks
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I'd rather have more females >w<
 
I really enjoy my runners and think everyone should have some
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What if you ordered something like:
1 M Black Runner
1 F Chocolate Runner
1 F Fawn and White Runner
1 F Blue runner
1 M Welsh Harlequin
1 F Welsh Harlequin
1 F Black Swedish
1 F Blue Swedish
1 F Cayuga
1 F Buff

That is if you plan on ordering from Metzer's who have a 10 duckling minimum (unless you pay out your ears in extra charges). You were already planning on ordering 6, whats 4 more
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WOW. I was just saying I wanted a runner too xD we were planning on getting our birds from efowl or mcmurray, I'll take this into consideration!! thank you thank you!
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This would be my order if I were getting 10 ducks
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1 M Mallard
1 M Snowy Call
1 M White Call
1 F Grey Call
1 F Fawn and White Runner
1 F Welsh Harlequin
1 F Blue Swedish
1 F Cayuga
1 F Buff
1 F Muscovy

Pekins are also great ducks, I have 3 Pekins
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WOW. I was just saying I wanted a runner too xD we were planning on getting our birds from efowl or mcmurray, I'll take this into consideration!! thank you thank you!
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Are hatching them or just eating eggs? I mean will you breed them
 
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WOW. I was just saying I wanted a runner too xD we were planning on getting our birds from efowl or mcmurray, I'll take this into consideration!! thank you thank you!
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Are hatching them or just eating eggs? I mean will you breed them

Eating, don't want to start a duck army O_O cause knowing me i'd be like "AWWW LETS LET THEM HAVE BABIES AGAIN, AND AGAIN..." and I have nowhere to give the things away to, so i'd have a million ducks xD
 
All those breeds are easy to raise. The difficult ones are the wild breeds, like Wood Ducks, that won't tame down and must have special enclosures to live in.

Keep the number of drakes really low. Probably only one drake for the numbers that you are considering. Other than that, there is no bad breed of duck.

Runners are higher energy. The larger ducks tend to be slower and calmer. Some breeds lay more eggs. If you have goals for the ducks, keep those things in mind. Other than that, go ahead and pick the ones you like the looks of. It is impossible to make a mistake with the breed you choose. They are all good breeds.
 
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WOW. I was just saying I wanted a runner too xD we were planning on getting our birds from efowl or mcmurray, I'll take this into consideration!! thank you thank you!
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Here's a really good article written by Dave Holderread that you might want to check out: http://www.metzerfarms.com/Articles/RaisingDucksHolderread.pdf. His book "Storeys Guide to Raising Ducks" is the best all-around resource for everything you could ever want to know.

I like aineheartsyou list for the breeds and ratio M:F. Welsh Harlequin are critically endangered so it will be nice to have the option to breed, Runners are hilarious and beautiful, the Swedish are sweet and dual purpose, Cayuga's are listed as "threatened" and they're sweet and lovely, the buff is calm and pretty! If you can get Ancona's, they're really great: unique, sweet, and rare!

Other things to consider:

Runner: 250-350 eggs per year; year-round layers of white or blue eggs (Light weight breed, excellent foragers too)

Welsh Harlequin: 240-330 eggs per year; year-round layers of white eggs (Light weight breed, excellent foragers too)

Swedish: 100-150 eggs per year; seasonal layers of white, blue, or green eggs (medium weight breed)

Cayuga: 100-150 eggs per year; seasonal layers of black-grey eggs (medium weight breed)

Buff: 220 eggs per year; year-round layers (medium weight breed)

Good luck!
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