Question on possible breed of ducks to get for our little farm.

[emjay]

I , like you, am new to ducks and did some reading before finding some. I had the same ideas in mind of what I wanted in a duck as well. I decided on the Welsh Harlequin and that is what I got.

I quite like them, they don't fly, they try to on the pond, but get no where. They are a nice size if looking at having one as dinner. My drakes are a good size right now, getting nice and plump for winter. But, I won't be eating mine. Never have eaten duck, never will. But, if someone was looking for a good size bird, they fit the bill.

They have just started to lay eggs and mine I find are actually quite clean overnite. I feed them before lockup, has worked so far.

they are fairly quiet, they do have their outbursts , but are shortlived.

they warm up to people quickly, mine now get underfoot all the time, I've had them about 4 weeks now. and have been underfoot for more then two of them. haha.

they mingle with my chickens during the day, no problem.

I do find the drakes are getting a bit assertive, so I may need to show them who is boss very soon, they do the whole head and neck down, fluffed up, trying to come at me. But, other then that. they are wonderful, comical and very pretty.

 

[chickenwire]

love our muscovys! weve had runners, roens but now only muscovys. Although theyre capable of flying they rarely do, never go far, love to forage, like the pond but not in it alot, theyre quackless, fairly quiet, friendly u almost trip over them but dislike being touched or picked up. theyre a great meat bird low fat good weight. amusing to watch with their tail wagging and catching raindrops ( looks like) antics .They brood and raise their own young.

 

[Senna95]

Cayugan are also realy nice. They lay tons of beautiful green eggs, are relatively quiet, don't fly, are gorgious, super winter hardy (don't know where you live), and are perfect for a 2 or 3-person meal. Only problem, they're hard to pluck clean because of their black feathers (in the past I've just skinned them, who needs all that fat anyway?). Rouens would be great too; bigger than the cayugan. And I agree with everyone else, Welsh Harlequins are wonderful!

My pekins are the fastest growers, and are great layers (huge eggs, and lots of them), but they're LOUD! Plus they don't forrage as actively, so they eat a lot! Indian runners are awsome, but almost not worth eating because of their size, and they're flighty. Don't get them unless you want a bunch of clowns running around the farm.

All ducks have their own pros and cons: each was bred for it's specific purpose, including some that were bred specifically for "small farms" like yours. There are some good books out there, or lots of information on the internet.

Whichever you choose, good luck and have fun, and welcome to ducks!

 

[Snakeman]

I have some Muscovy and while they can fly, they rarely do. They are excellent layers and friendlier than any of my ducks. I also have Silver Appleyards, Pekins, Rouens, Black Swedish and 2 runner mixes. They all lay well. The runner mixes lay eggs about the size of a large chicken egg, the Pekins a little bigger and so on up to the SA which lay a monster sized egg. They are not very skittish(you can get within a few feet of them before they get nervous) but I haven't really fooled with them much. When I have treats or feed, they get right under my feet and have all been tripped over or kicked at least once. lol

I would recommend any of these.

 

[HeatherLynn]

Ok I have another questions. Do any of you find duck meat greasy? I swear my parents are driving me mad. They seem to dislike everything right when I decide to do it. My dad is insistent that duck meat is nasty and greasy. This might be because of how it was made. Thats what I think. It was in veitnam when he was stationed there years and years ago. The only kind have had was not but looking for other opinions. Again I would like some of these for their meat too. Trying to find healthy alternative meats that I can raise.

And I also had mallards who flew. The main reason they had to be rehomed to a private lake. They decided to spend their days on our neighbors roof. Some neighbors did not mind and found it cute. This neighbor did not. So I had to rehome all my ducks and geese. The geese didn't fly but were noisy. She did miss the geese when the teens could come into our backyards without fear again. I am rural now, so the time is right for the ducks. My neighbors lets people hunt his land for a fee though and we have probably 20 or 30 different people out around us hunting. I don't want the ducks flying to their pond and getting killed. I would prefer they stay on our pond so I really need those who could not fly far. I like the welsh ones. They are very pretty. I think I will try to find some or break down and order online in the spring.

 

[Ms~Silkie~Girl]

I like Pekins, but they're pretty big, but i love mine, also mallards are nice, but they are really flighty.

 

[Blooming chicks]

I really enjoy my welsh harlequins. I can't answer the Q about the taste--but I would imagine as with other game animals it is a lot in the way you feed it while raising it and how you prepare/cook it. I know there are a lot of recipes out there. Good luck with your decision.