Need help choosing a breed

[TennesseeTruly]

As far as wing clipping, there are videos online that will help you with that. I have 26 parrots and I do regular wing trims. Its really very simple to do.

Laurie

 

[Wifezilla]

I currently have a buff, a khaki, a runner, a rouen, and a buff/khaki mix. My next breed is going to be Welsh Harlequins. They lay eggs like a khaki but are more mellow.

Buffs have a lot of personality, but darn they are LOUD!!!
My rouen is pretty, but rouen egg laying ability leaves a lot to be desired.
My khaki is a butthead. Beautiful bird but skittish. Part of that is the breed and part of that is I got him as an adult and he was flock raised...not people raised. I had a khaki hen that was cool but she died after a leg injury. She was not people friendly either but she laid eggs like a champ and chased squirrels out of the yard. I sure do miss her

My runner is smart, but afraid of her own shadow.
My little baby buff/khaki mix is a real sweety. Likes being petted and everything. Uno is very bonded to us, but is also buddies with the rouen. It will be interesting to see how this mix develops. It seems to have inherited the outgoing nature of its buff mom. Hopefully it wont be nearly as loud! LOL

 

[cici_p]

Well, nobody has mentioned pekins yet, so I will! I l*o*ve my pekin babies! They are so much friendly than the last ducks we had. Perhaps not as good a food to egg ratio, but it is okay with me to get the extra friendliness. . .
Our last ducks were golden 300s. They were fantastic egg layers, but never really that friendly. Not too flighty I guess either, but then I don't have a lot of other breeds to compare them too. . .Oh, they also *hated* the snow, and winter in general, but I am guessing that goes for all ducks. . .

 

[shelleyd2008]

You mentioned cayugas looking like mallards? I think you have them confused with rouens. Cayugas are completely black: bill, feet, feathers. They are very good layers, mine matches my pekins egg for egg.

I have pekins, rouens, and cayugas, and none of them are really 'skittish'. They will take off like a bat out of heck when the puppies get too close, but the pups are always chasing them too, so they know to be on the look-out.

All three of these breeds will lay an egg every day during laying season. I have one pekin that I assume is a bit older than the others, she lays for 3-4 days then takes a day off. But still, I get 5 eggs a week from her at least, and 6-7 from each of the other ones.

These are some of my ducks. In the back is the rouen hen duck, the two black ones are the cayugas, the multi colored one is a rouen drake, and the whites are the pekins.

I love them all, and could never decide between one breed!

 

[momma's chickens]

I have a Cayuga drake, a Swedish drake and a Rouen drake. The Cayuga I can pick right up and cuddle with. He just got over bumblefoot and he was very easy to doctor, sat in my lap.

My hens are Pekin, Swedish (2), Rouen. I have four hens old enough to lay and I swear the have all gave me an egg for the last 6 weeks every day except one. That day only 3 did. They lay like there is no tomorrow.

I have two ducklings, an Indian runner and a Khaki Campbell and they are about 6 weeks old. Raised in the house and they are just crazy, skittish and loud and aways run when we go over there. I believe they are both hens, I lucked out, because they are both very loud.

Out of mine the Cayuga and Pekin are my favorite. The friendliest of them all.

 

[shelleyd2008]

momma's chickens :

I have a Cayuga drake, a Swedish drake and a Rouen drake. The Cayuga I can pick right up and cuddle with. He just got over bumblefoot and he was very easy to doctor, sat in my lap.

My hens are Pekin, Swedish (2), Rouen. I have four hens old enough to lay and I swear the have all gave me an egg for the last 6 weeks every day except one. That day only 3 did. They lay like there is no tomorrow.

I have two ducklings, an Indian runner and a Khaki Campbell and they are about 6 weeks old. Raised in the house and they are just crazy, skittish and loud and aways run when we go over there. I believe they are both hens, I lucked out, because they are both very loud.

Out of mine the Cayuga and Pekin are my favorite. The friendliest of them all.

You should know by now if the babies are male or female. If they are female, they should either be quacking already or should start within the next week or so. My pekin baby started quacking around 2 weeks old. There was no mistaking her! I think my rouen and cayuga babies waited till they were more like 5 or 6 weeks old before they started quacking.​

 

[Alpacamama]

I have a Rouen, Runner, Khaki, Pekins. My Pekins and Rouen are the most laid back. Khaki is a close third and my runner is high strung. I love my Pekins and that would be my vote.

 

[Kelpie]

I think campbells are the most charming ducks, not skittish at all in my experience.

 

[TheBoonducks]

We raise Ancona's mainly from holderreads lines. They are calm, friendly, excellent egg layers, and the best foragers (the females are dominant unlike other breeds so they lead the flock to forage). They are also cutely speckled so each is easily distinguishable and unique. (We have pics and more info on our site, boondockersnaturals.com) If you are going to ship, sand hill is great but we absolutely love Dave Holderread, he knows what he is doing with his breeding program (heck- he standardized the breed!) and his ducks are the healthiest and most hardy birds, worth the price.

 

[pringle]

Quote:
I think you should definitly get pekins they lay huge eggs are very calm and also like to be pet they look beutiful especially when you see them swimming in a pond and although they are considered a meat breed they still have that natural instinct to forage well and to look out for predators like hawks(though I think a hawk couldent pick one up

.Khaki cambellls are ok they are a lil skittish at times but they are great egg producers