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[Chicken0Boy]

Ok so I have narrowed down my duck breed pick to Cayugas, Mallards, or Rouens. What are the pros and cons of each breed? I want a good fertility rate, and thats about it. I will be getting them from Metzer! I orginally wanted some Mandarins, but they are PRICEY! Okay, so I have decided to go with Madarins or Wood Ducks! I will just have to splurge some!

 

[ChickenToes]

The biggest disadvantage to Mallards is that they fly, so you will need to clip their wings every time they molt. But they are beautiful birds, probably my favorite breed. My female also goes broody every year. Cayugas and Rouens are both large birds that don't fly. My Cayuga lays HUGE eggs, and she has beautiful plumage. My Cayuga has never gone broody.

 

[1lpoock]

Cayugas
Pros
Lay dark eggs at the beginning of the season
Fairly Quiet
Shine green in the sunlight
Can't fly

Cons
Don't lay too many eggs
Females turn white after a few years

Mallards
Pros
Lay green eggs
Go broody and hatch their own ducklings

Cons
Limited laying season
Can fly away

Rouens
Pros
Look just like mallards, but bigger, and they can't fly away
Lay tinted eggs also

Cons
Not as good as egg layer as say a khaki campbell
Females can be loud

 

[maralynn28]

Rouens and Cayugas lay about the same from what I've seen in duck books, avg about 150 per year. I believe they are both multi purpose birds.

I believe Mallards are just ornamental? If you look at the Metzer website they have a duck comparison chart which shows the Mallard as the most fertile at 90%, Rouen at 87% and Cayuga at 83%. It looks like Mallards are the most fertile but I have never seen anything about the uses of Mallards other than ornamental. If you like the look of a Mallard but want egg production I would recommend the Rouen.

I chose Cayugas 'cause I wanted a duck that looked beautiful and also produced eggs for me to eat up...make the best quiches!

I am a first time duck raiser, but did years of research comparing them for this day!