Recommend your breed!

[Lil Chickie Mama]

I get to order more birdies!!!!

DH said I can have 15 CHICKENS tops, but since butchering 3 I have space for 3 more, and figured I'd order some ducks (see not chickens, it doesn't violate the rule) while I'm at reordering chickens.

What is your favorite breed of duckie? I currently have 8 Lav Ameraucanas (visual black with that beetle green sheen) and a few plain bantams. I like having breed diversity but my ideal would be a duck that is a docile breed (will be housed with chickens) lays any color but white eggs, and CAN'T FLY!!! Oh, and the more they quack the better

DH and I can't wait to hear them chatter! I was leaning toward Cayuga (adorable and awesome egg color) but their color is too similar to my chickens I think. What is your favorite and what are they like (including egg color)?

 

[1lpoock]

Definetly get cayugas....just look at mine when they were babies!

They are sooo sweet...last night I sat in the pens with them and they just sat on my lap and let me pet them...also they lay very dark, almost black eggs and they progressively get lighter, but they always have interesting speckles on them.

Here are mine with their beetle-green sheen!

 

[Wifezilla]

No white eggs huh? That leaves out my favorite....welsh harlequins. What about Dutch Hookbills? They lay blue eggs. Sometimes runners can lay green eggs but mine lays off white eggs.

"Dutch Hook Bill
A fascinating Dutch breed that has been traced to the 1600’s, the Hook Bill was barely
saved from extinction during the twentieth century. To help preserve them, we imported
stock from Europe the winter of 2000. Traditionally, they were raised along the canals
in Holland and were valued for their meat and eggs. They weigh 3 to 4 1/2 pounds, are good
layers of blue eggs, produce gourmet quality meat, are outstanding foragers and are
surprisingly tame. Their long, roman-nosed bills and sleek bodies give them an
appearance unlike any other duck. There are three varieties: the Dusky (drakes have
eye catching blue bills, green heads and lovely french gray bodies; ducks are uniform dark
mallard color); White-Bibbed Dusky (like Duskies but with a large white bib on the chest);
and White (pure white with pink bill). Nicknamed “Toucan Duck”, they have quickly
become a favorite here at the Preservation Center. We highly recommend them for their
many practical qualities and their unique appearance"

 

[Lil Chickie Mama]

1LPoock you are EVIL. Now Cayugas are back on the list! Too cute.
Wifezilla thanks for the info on the Dutch Hook Bill! I'll have to look up some pics and see where I can order them from. They sound fantastic, blue eggs huh? Awesome.

 

[Lil Chickie Mama]

Quote:
Hey I found this post from another thread, I LOVE IT! There has to be something a little silly about the birds in my flock, this breed has silly in spades!

 

[Wifezilla]

LOL

Yes..the silliness factor is VERY important when it comes to ducks

 

[1lpoock]

Hahah...I cant help it the cayugas are so pretty!

 

[becky3086]

I always did like blue swedish but the magpie ducklings that I just posted a picture of my win as my favorite in the end.

 

[allanimals21]

I'm a fan of muscovys...I think they are very pretty. Have great personalities also. I get a kick out of how they walk around wagging their tails like puppy dogs. They are my first 8 ducks ever and I think they are the coolest thing.

 

[TK Poultry]

SWEDISH OR BUFFS!!!!!!

they are so adorable and the hens are quiet and the drakes talk more than anything

these are my swedes i have 1 black drake, 1 blue drake, and 1 splash drake then i have 4 black hens and 1 blue hen and im hunting for a splash hen or two

i only have 4 buff ducks because they are scarce in my area the only one w/ bq/sq buffs!!!

and fyi swedish can lay a tinted colored egg its possible but they do lay white and so do buff i think mine arent laying