My leukemia's back.

[N F C]

They were breed to lay eggs...they are egg laying machines....mine are real friendly but the breed isn't known for being pets. I just think mine are because in continually handling, spoiling them. Mine are very people orientated if we aren't home they go hang out with my neighbors. My little girl likes to be picked up and cuddled.
(Or maybe she just tolerates it).
My ducklings not so much...but they do settle down once picked up. And I think it's just a matter of time...it took a while for my big ducks to get settled to the idea.
You only need drakes if you want ducklings....other wise just hens....my hen gives me an egg most days.
I kinda think I want runners.
Oh I recommend not getting more than one drake. As because of the whole dog killing half my ducks this summer. I am having issues because I have two adult drake's and only one hen....hoping the four little girls I add in solves that or one drake will have to be dealt with.
And my wife said I can't kill it and eat it...so that means finding it a new home. Although I warned her any ducklings we hatch out next year are not to be pets and will be eligable for the freezer.
I ordered my ducklings from mcmurray hatchery they have an online catalog with lots of ducks in inventory.

Oh yeah NFC I read somewhere that the ideal ratio was one drake per five hens
But someone with more duck knowledge could probably tell you more.

Thanks for the info Phil, very helpful!

I have catalogs from McMurray, Cackle and Meyers (and have used MM for chicks), Meyers is known for their waterfowl too. Shipping cost and minimums will play a part in who I go with. The local feed store usually has a few ducks but you can't get particular about breed and they mainly seem to have meat ducks rather than layers. I want duck eggs, lol!

I like the Runners but wondered about their temperament, seems a lot of sites describe them as "flighty" and I want something calm, especially just starting out. I kind of like the sound of the Welsh Harlequin and the Khakis and the Blue Sweedish ducks... might just try a couple of each.

You're right on with your drake to hen ratio. The Learning Center says 1 drake to 4-6 hens. That's another thing I have to figure out, whether to go straight run or pay a bit extra for sexed ducks.

Guess I have some things to ponder this winter!

 

[LittleLakePhil]

Last order I bought all hens. But I do love my ducks....
I want to get some others but if I decide to hatch some I don't know if having mutts would be to my advantage.

 

[LittleLakePhil]

Well now it's 8 degrees out side but the sun's up so should start too warm up. I hope so I got more work to do on that van again.....

 

[N F C]

That's part of what's hanging me up on whether to get a drake or not. Questions like: is it better to stick with 1 breed and have a drake or does it not really matter to most backyard folks that they have duck mutts (if I sell ducklings from whatever hatches). Do I want to deal with a drake, I like not having a rooster for the chickens?

Some of the stuff I have to figure out.

 

[LittleLakePhil]

The only deal about duck mutts would be that some breeds don't lay year round and KCs do...also KCs are supposed to be very cold hardy...that doesn't matter where you live but does here.
But I say but what you think you would like.
A friend of mine had Cayugas and she loved them very pretty duck.

 

[Bunnylady]

The only ducklings that have been available around here were straight run, and most of the time when I have bought them, I got a disproportionate number of drakes . . . . I reckon I may know where the extra males from the sexed batches went.

Pekin ducks (the big white kind) are pretty reliable egg layers; the hens I have had cranked eggs out at the rate of one every day or two. They are readily available, and have the advantage that they can't fly off (some of the smaller, sleeker breeds can).

As long as you are honest about what you have, there shouldn't be a problem with having cross-bred ducks if you are selling them.

Drakes aren't the hassle that roosters are. They can be brutal to the duck hens (I've heard of hens getting drowned by too-ardent drakes) but IME, they aren't territorial, and they are actually quieter than the hens (one of the ways you can spot a drake is his raspy, whispery voice; the really honkin' loud QUACK! is a hen).

If you don't have a rooster, extra drakes may be a problem. The most aggressive, dominant drake may claim all the duck hens, and thus all the breeding opportunities. When that happens, the frustrated bachelors may attempt to breed the chickens; I have seen this happen. I actually had a male duckling that was raised with chicks that I named Ferdinand (from the movie "Babe") because he "tried it with the hens." As his namesake said in the movie, it didn't work (he may not have known he was a different species, but the hens did!). Fortunately for him (and me!), penning him with a couple of duck hens got him flying on the right course.

 

[donrae]

My mom had Khaki Campbells for egg layers and loved them. They're calm, easy going and great layers. I don't remember if they went broody much, but it seems ducks do overall more than most hatchery chickens. I know there are new laying hybrids since she had her ducks years ago, they might be what you're looking for also. I don't think you want to go with any of the runners, they like to live up to their name. Blue Swedes are beautiful ( I have a thing for blue animals lol), and decent egg layers but not on a par with the Campbells.

I'd order one drake and some hens. I agree a drake isn't as noisy as a rooster, and mine haven't ever been people aggressive. I'd house them apart from your chickens, both for the mating and for the water issues.

 

[N F C]

Thanks Bunny and Rachel, this is the kind of info I'm looking for. Could have posted on the duck forum but I "know" you guys and trust your opinions.

From what I've read, the KC aren't broody, the Blue Swedish are (I'm with you Rachel, love the blues and don't have anything that color now). I think I'd rather go with paying a bit more for sexed ducks, even though it's not 100% sure, than end up with too many males. Maybe a few of those 2 breeds would be fun.

DH and I've already talked about where we could set up for ducks. The chickens have a huge area outside that is fenced but they only use about 1/2 of it (that's not including their 300 sq. foot run). So with a bit of fence moving, we could split the outdoor space in half...one side for chickens and one for ducks. The big shed would be in the middle of the two areas and that's where we already keep feed for the other animals so that would be close enough to either ducks or chickens to be handy.

Thank you so much everyone, this has really helped!

 

[lazy gardener]

I agree with PPs. If you plan on ducks just for eggs, do without the drake. But, if you want to hatch ducklings for future replacements or even to sell, I'd recommend that you stick with a single breed. I may be different from the average person who would be buying ducklings from a back yard flock... but, if I were looking for ducklings, I'd be looking for a specific breed, not a mutt. Campbells have a great rep for outlaying hens. There's also a sex linked duck available now that lays on par with Campbells.

 

[N F C]

I agree with PPs. If you plan on ducks just for eggs, do without the drake. But, if you want to hatch ducklings for future replacements or even to sell, I'd recommend that you stick with a single breed. I may be different from the average person who would be buying ducklings from a back yard flock... but, if I were looking for ducklings, I'd be looking for a specific breed, not a mutt. Campbells have a great rep for outlaying hens. There's also a sex linked duck available now that lays on par with Campbells.

Do you know the name of that sex-link duck LG?