Laying ducks

Depends. You need to get a high production breed just like chickens. Ducks like Saxony, Muscovy,and call ducks, aren't gonna be very economical egg-wise. But my Khaki Campbells lay an egg a day(with a few exceptions) for 3 months straight, and their eggs are pretty darn good. I suppose it also depends on what you feed them, and how much exercise they get, but high production ducks are just as good as chickens. Btw, khaki campbells are supposed to lay around 300 eggs their first year, just like a leghorn.
I'm not sure how much food they eat comparatively, but they are great fun to watch and they don't dig pits for dust baths like chickens(they will drill holes in your lawn if you leave the hose running by accident but I NEVER do that
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And remember: ducks are better than chickens coz when they bath, they get clean
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My ducks forage a good bit of the day.
So do my chickens.

When not molting, my ducks lay pretty darn often and they are 4 and 6 years old.
When not molting or sitting on eggs, my chickens lay pretty darn often and they are 6 months and 3 years old. Though somebody has been slacking or is laying them somewhere else, I'm leaning toward the latter.

My ducks enjoy their pond and pool of water.
The chickens just drink from it.

My ducks cost more because their little pool gets cleaned and hosed out often, thought their big pond does not - that is every year or so for 1000 gallons.


I use duck eggs for baking and gelato.
I'm not a fan of yolks in an egg to be eaten to begin with, so I don't like duck eggs for my breakfast eggs and eat the chicken eggs for that.
If I could only keep either chickens or ducks, I'm not sure which way I'd go.
 
Thanks for the input!!! I have a friend with both, and after reading your posts and watching her birds, i have decided that if i get a laying bird, it will be ducks.
 

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