This is something I've been working on for a bit. Any comments welcomed. This (as usual) is based on Storey's Guide and Metzer Farms recommendations.
The following is information that will help in picking a breed, where to buy stock and what genders to get.
Picking the appropriate breed of duck is just as important as appropriate care. While there aren’t as many duck breeds as there are chickens, each breed has specific traits.
The first thing that should be considered when choosing a breed is:
What is their purpose going to be?
Eggs
Meat
Ornamental
Pet
Adult or duckling? There are pros and cons to both. If you raise ducklings, they may bond better with you but they will cost more to feed, you may suffer losses, it will be much longer until you can expect eggs and you will discover just how stinky they are.
Adults will allow you to see how the bird looks and, if female, you will get eggs after a short time. You may be able to find an adult that is very bonded to people if you are looking for a pet.
Once the purpose and age are decided, personality should be taken into account. Do you want a friendly breed or more standoffish? A quiet breed or a talkative one? A breed that will be self sufficient and brood their own young?
Each breed is different, as are individuals within that breed. The following information is based on generalizations of the breed as a whole. Remember, each individual is different and may vary widely from the norm.
I am not including all duck breeds, just the most commonly available. Ducks are classified by weight. There are 4 classes, Bantam, Light, Medium and Heavy. Typically, the bantams are the breeds that can fly well. The exception is the Muscovy. The heavy class is typically used for meat but any can be. While some breeds are friendlier than others, even nervous breeds can become very friendly birds if a lot of time is spent with them when they are young.
Bantam
Call
Mallard
Light
Indian Runner
Khaki Campbell
Welsh Harlequin
Medium
Cayuga
Orpington (AKA Buff)
Swedish
Heavy
Appleyard
Muscovy
Pekin
Rouen
Temperament/Personality
Loud, talkative
Mallard
Calm
Indian Runner
Nervous
Khaki Campbell
Nervous
Welsh Harlequin
Very Calm
Cayuga
Calm
Orpington
Calm
Swedish
Calm
Appleyard
Calm
Muscovy
Calm, quiet, friendly
Pekin
Calm, friendly, talkative
Rouen
Calm
Top Egg Layers
250-340
Welsh Harlequin
240-330
Indian Runner
150-300
Appleyard
200-270
Pekin
125-225
Orpington
150-220
Cayuga
100-150
Swedish
100-150
Muscovy
50-125
Rouen
35-125
Mallard
25-100
Call
25-75
Mothering Ability/Broodiness
Excellent
Call
Excellent
Muscovy
Fair-Excellent
Cayuga
Fair-Good
Orpington
Fair-Good
Swedish
Fair-Good
Appleyard
Fair-Good
Welsh Harlequin
Poor-Good
Rouen
Poor-Good
Pekin
Poor-Fair
Indian Runner
Poor-Fair
Khaki Campbell
Poor-Fair
Where to buy
Breeder, hatchery, craigslist, feed store, rescue organization. There are pros and cons to most places that sell ducklings/ducks. You can find stock locally or have them shipped. One of the best things about buying locally is that you may be able to visit the “farm” where the birds are raised and you can get a feel for the treatment and care provided there.
A good breeder is going to have the best interest of the breed and the individual bird in mind. If you want to show your birds, ducklings need to be purchased from show quality adults that are actually shown. Even then, the offspring may not be show quality. A good breeder is going to breed to the standard, be knowledgeable about the bird and their care and should be willing to answer any questions that you may have. As with anything, there are also “backyard” breeders who have purebred adults and hatch out young. These ducklings may or may not conform to the standard. Both professional and backyard breeders may differ in their care, sanitation and knowledge of the breed. Visit them or research them prior to purchase. Breeders may have juveniles available as well as adults in breeding pairs or trios as well as ducklings.
Hatcheries can run the gamut of quality. Some hatcheries breed to type and offer show quality stock. Others breed what they have regardless of whether the parent animal conforms to the standard. While there is nothing wrong with a hatchery bird, many do not conform to the standard. If buying shipped ducklings, you will run the risk of shipping losses and may need to buy more than planned depending on the minimum required by the hatchery. A plus is that most hatcheries offer sexing so you can get exactly what you want. Some places online are thought of as hatcheries but are just resellers. Some hatcheries also sell adult birds.
Feed stores are typically just resellers of hatchery birds though they may resell for local breeders. If you can find out where they get their ducklings, you will be able to get an idea of the quality. At a feed store you will not have the risk of shipping losses as the store incurs it. You will spend a little bit more than from a hatchery but can usually buy just the number you want. You will most likely only be able to get straight run ducklings there.
Craigslist will also run the gamut of quality. It would be best to insist on visiting the breeder’s farm in order to see how the animals are treated. You may find great quality and care, you may not. Never feel obligated to purchase from someone just because you go to see what they have. Try not to get into the “I must save them” mindset. It is great to try to rescue an animal from a bad situation but a novice is not going to be able to tell a minor health problem from a major health issue. If a place is that bad, consider reporting them to your local animal welfare agency.
Rescue organizations are a great way to find an adult duck in need of a home. If you decide on an adult duck or if you need to replace an adult due to a loss, a rescue organization may be right for you. You will be able to see the breed as an adult and may get some info on it’s personality from the workers/volunteers there. You can check your local animal shelter, some will have waterfowl or may be able to point you in the right direction. There are several waterfowl rescue organizations around (due to BYC rules, they cannot be listed here) but a simple internet search for “waterfowl rescue”, “duck rescue”, “barnyard rescue”, etc can be done. Many states do not regulate rescue organizations so, as with other sources, do your research and visit the site to ensure that they are a reputable organization.
Male, Female, or Straight Run
Depending on what you are wanting to get ducks for will determine the genders that you should purchase. You don’t need a drake in order to get eggs. You only need a drake to get fertile eggs and then ducklings.
Buying sexed ducklings allows you to get the correct ratio. Most experts recommend getting 3-6 females per male. Sometimes pairs or trios (1 male and 2 females) will work but each drake is an individual. Keep in mind that too many drakes will over breed females which can injure or kill them.
Buying straight run ducklings leaves what you get up to chance. Theoretically you will get 50/50 male/female if you purchase 100 ducklings. But many hatcheries sell sexed and straight run ducklings and the sexed orders are filled first so you run the risk of getting all or mostly males. If you buy straight run ducklings, you need to have a plan in mind with what you will do with extra males. If you are planning on using your birds for meat, it may be less expensive to get straight run.
The following is information that will help in picking a breed, where to buy stock and what genders to get.
Picking the appropriate breed of duck is just as important as appropriate care. While there aren’t as many duck breeds as there are chickens, each breed has specific traits.
The first thing that should be considered when choosing a breed is:
What is their purpose going to be?
Eggs
Meat
Ornamental
Pet
Adult or duckling? There are pros and cons to both. If you raise ducklings, they may bond better with you but they will cost more to feed, you may suffer losses, it will be much longer until you can expect eggs and you will discover just how stinky they are.
Once the purpose and age are decided, personality should be taken into account. Do you want a friendly breed or more standoffish? A quiet breed or a talkative one? A breed that will be self sufficient and brood their own young?
Each breed is different, as are individuals within that breed. The following information is based on generalizations of the breed as a whole. Remember, each individual is different and may vary widely from the norm.
I am not including all duck breeds, just the most commonly available. Ducks are classified by weight. There are 4 classes, Bantam, Light, Medium and Heavy. Typically, the bantams are the breeds that can fly well. The exception is the Muscovy. The heavy class is typically used for meat but any can be. While some breeds are friendlier than others, even nervous breeds can become very friendly birds if a lot of time is spent with them when they are young.
Bantam
Call
Mallard
Light
Indian Runner
Khaki Campbell
Welsh Harlequin
Medium
Cayuga
Orpington (AKA Buff)
Swedish
Heavy
Appleyard
Muscovy
Pekin
Rouen
Temperament/Personality
BREED
TRAIT
CallTRAIT
Loud, talkative
Mallard
Calm
Indian Runner
Nervous
Khaki Campbell
Nervous
Welsh Harlequin
Very Calm
Cayuga
Calm
Orpington
Calm
Swedish
Calm
Appleyard
Calm
Muscovy
Calm, quiet, friendly
Pekin
Calm, friendly, talkative
Rouen
Calm
Top Egg Layers
BREED
AVERAGE # EGGS PER YEAR
Khaki CampbellAVERAGE # EGGS PER YEAR
250-340
Welsh Harlequin
240-330
Indian Runner
150-300
Appleyard
200-270
Pekin
125-225
Orpington
150-220
Cayuga
100-150
Swedish
100-150
Muscovy
50-125
Rouen
35-125
Mallard
25-100
Call
25-75
Mothering Ability/Broodiness
BREED
ABIILTY
MallardABIILTY
Excellent
Call
Excellent
Muscovy
Fair-Excellent
Cayuga
Fair-Good
Orpington
Fair-Good
Swedish
Fair-Good
Appleyard
Fair-Good
Welsh Harlequin
Poor-Good
Rouen
Poor-Good
Pekin
Poor-Fair
Indian Runner
Poor-Fair
Khaki Campbell
Poor-Fair
Where to buy
Breeder, hatchery, craigslist, feed store, rescue organization. There are pros and cons to most places that sell ducklings/ducks. You can find stock locally or have them shipped. One of the best things about buying locally is that you may be able to visit the “farm” where the birds are raised and you can get a feel for the treatment and care provided there.
A good breeder is going to have the best interest of the breed and the individual bird in mind. If you want to show your birds, ducklings need to be purchased from show quality adults that are actually shown. Even then, the offspring may not be show quality. A good breeder is going to breed to the standard, be knowledgeable about the bird and their care and should be willing to answer any questions that you may have. As with anything, there are also “backyard” breeders who have purebred adults and hatch out young. These ducklings may or may not conform to the standard. Both professional and backyard breeders may differ in their care, sanitation and knowledge of the breed. Visit them or research them prior to purchase. Breeders may have juveniles available as well as adults in breeding pairs or trios as well as ducklings.
Hatcheries can run the gamut of quality. Some hatcheries breed to type and offer show quality stock. Others breed what they have regardless of whether the parent animal conforms to the standard. While there is nothing wrong with a hatchery bird, many do not conform to the standard. If buying shipped ducklings, you will run the risk of shipping losses and may need to buy more than planned depending on the minimum required by the hatchery. A plus is that most hatcheries offer sexing so you can get exactly what you want. Some places online are thought of as hatcheries but are just resellers. Some hatcheries also sell adult birds.
Feed stores are typically just resellers of hatchery birds though they may resell for local breeders. If you can find out where they get their ducklings, you will be able to get an idea of the quality. At a feed store you will not have the risk of shipping losses as the store incurs it. You will spend a little bit more than from a hatchery but can usually buy just the number you want. You will most likely only be able to get straight run ducklings there.
Craigslist will also run the gamut of quality. It would be best to insist on visiting the breeder’s farm in order to see how the animals are treated. You may find great quality and care, you may not. Never feel obligated to purchase from someone just because you go to see what they have. Try not to get into the “I must save them” mindset. It is great to try to rescue an animal from a bad situation but a novice is not going to be able to tell a minor health problem from a major health issue. If a place is that bad, consider reporting them to your local animal welfare agency.
Rescue organizations are a great way to find an adult duck in need of a home. If you decide on an adult duck or if you need to replace an adult due to a loss, a rescue organization may be right for you. You will be able to see the breed as an adult and may get some info on it’s personality from the workers/volunteers there. You can check your local animal shelter, some will have waterfowl or may be able to point you in the right direction. There are several waterfowl rescue organizations around (due to BYC rules, they cannot be listed here) but a simple internet search for “waterfowl rescue”, “duck rescue”, “barnyard rescue”, etc can be done. Many states do not regulate rescue organizations so, as with other sources, do your research and visit the site to ensure that they are a reputable organization.
Male, Female, or Straight Run
Depending on what you are wanting to get ducks for will determine the genders that you should purchase. You don’t need a drake in order to get eggs. You only need a drake to get fertile eggs and then ducklings.
Buying sexed ducklings allows you to get the correct ratio. Most experts recommend getting 3-6 females per male. Sometimes pairs or trios (1 male and 2 females) will work but each drake is an individual. Keep in mind that too many drakes will over breed females which can injure or kill them.
Buying straight run ducklings leaves what you get up to chance. Theoretically you will get 50/50 male/female if you purchase 100 ducklings. But many hatcheries sell sexed and straight run ducklings and the sexed orders are filled first so you run the risk of getting all or mostly males. If you buy straight run ducklings, you need to have a plan in mind with what you will do with extra males. If you are planning on using your birds for meat, it may be less expensive to get straight run.
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