Need help deciding new duck breed

[GoofyNewt]

I have 3 cayuga ducks right now, 1 male 2 females. They are about 7 1/2 months old now and still have not layed an egg. They seem to have reached their full size which seems a bit small to me so I'm thinking about adding a new breed to the flock for increased meat production. My cayugas are extremely quiet and only quack when separated so they seem to be working volume wise, but in my research I haven't found a larger duck breed that is also relatively quiet. The ideal breed i would go with are silver appleyards but they have a reputation for being on the more noisy side. The only breed I found that is large and also quiet are Muscovys but they only seem to be seasonal layers and not as effective for egg laying purposes. Any suggestions for a bigger bird that might also lay a little more efficiently but still stays quiet would be appreciated!

 

[Conan]

I have 3 cayuga ducks right now, 1 male 2 females. They are about 7 1/2 months old now and still have not layed an egg. They seem to have reached their full size which seems a bit small to me so I'm thinking about adding a new breed to the flock for increased meat production. My cayugas are extremely quiet and only quack when separated so they seem to be working volume wise, but in my research I haven't found a larger duck breed that is also relatively quiet. The ideal breed i would go with are silver appleyards but they have a reputation for being on the more noisy side. The only breed I found that is large and also quiet are Muscovys but they only seem to be seasonal layers and not as effective for egg laying purposes. Any suggestions for a bigger bird that might also lay a little more efficiently but still stays quiet would be appreciated!

Quiet Cayugas??? It's a miracle! Mine are insanely loud... but excellent layers. They are in their third laying year and still going strong into the Winter with no light.
My quietest birds are my Magpie hen and my Welsh Harlequin hen. They are both excellent layers as well.
Hope that helps!

 

[TSOWOATNKC]

My egg layer 300s are great layers, and pretty quiet. Our Buff, Pekin, and Runners are the loudest.

 

[chickens really]

Get Appleyard in my opinion anyways.

 

[Jpat]

If part of your goal is meat consider that muscovie meat is different than mallard meat

 

[PirateGirl]

Swedish are dual purpose. My Swedish drake is definitely larger than any of my assorted chickens and ducks, with the females close behind him in size. They are one of the larger breeds without going to Pekin. My girls lay me a large egg a day each all summer as well and produce better than any of my chickens in both egg size and quantity. They are still laying some even though days are short and the snow is flying and are seem very hardy and friendly.

 

[happy duck]

I would say pekin but unless you get males you will definitely have a quack shack.

 

[GoofyNewt]

Get Appleyard in my opinion anyways.

The only reason I was opposed to them was because of their reputation for being loud and I'm in a somewhat urban area... Other people around me have chickens and I always hear a few roosters so maybe their quacking will be tolerable

 

[Conan]

Yeah the reason i highly considered cayugas was because they had a reputation for not being so loud, do you remember when yours started to lay?

I got my original stock four years ago, in September, and they were about four or five months old, I want to say. They started laying in December and never let up til the following Winter.
They are fantastic layers, I will give them that. We are hatching next Spring for replacement layers seeing as all the girls will be in their fourth season, at the least.
We butcher the drakes at six months. They are big and juicy by then.

 

[GoofyNewt]

I would say pekin but unless you get males you will definitely have a quack shack.

I wanted eggs so males aren't really a good option, but I might order a few Pekings to raise for the freezer