What Breed Should I Get?

[KaleIAm]

always go with themes, for some reason. My cats are artists. My dogs are literary characters. My chickens are all flowers. My goats will be verbs. I'm adopting adult llamas who already have names.

The duckies? I'm thinking either fruit or colors. Weird, I know. Fruit: Persimmon, Clementine, Fig, Mango, and Apricot are all possibilities. Colors: Scarlet, Sepia, Olive, Cyan, Sienna are all possibilities.

And there are always gem stones: Ruby, Opal, Pearl, Peridot...

I like themed names, too. I name my ducks after local plants. Clover, Pigweed, Thimbleberry, Plantain, and Nettle (but not the stinging kind ) Gingersnap came to me already named.

Clover was a cayuga, black with a green sheen, and I used to tease her when she ate clover plants.

I have also found my pekin to have a lot of health issues. Though my other ducks have also had many problems, it is my pekin who our lives revolve around keeping alive. She's also got a great personality and is always the first one to forgive me for giving medication. The theory is that because pekins were bred as food animals no consideration was put into their health past the processing date. This can be really hard for those of us who consider them to be adored pets.

 

[Ratchnick]

The main issues that come up on the forum are leg problems. Half The time its niacin deficiency as a duckling, other half is some sort of leg problem as an adult. I have also seen skin problems. I have never kept a pekin so completely anecdotal. That being said i have also heard they are loud. Between potential health problems and potential noise i decided agaienst pekins.

P.s. Bumblefoot shows up in pekins to but not more then other breeds it seems. Bumble might be the number 1 health issue on the forum.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Very helpful.

@KaleIAm If you don't mind me asking, what issues has your Pekin had? I want to make an informed decision about breeds. This is all great info - from everyone!

 

[thumper650]

I ordered a Pekin. What health issues? I have heard/read this before, but never anything specific.

Mostly

I ordered a Pekin. What health issues? I have heard/read this before, but never anything specific.

Like many have mentioned, it's mostly bublefoot and leg problems since they are just bred for meat.
From personal experience bumble foot has been a problem. I had a pekin that had a prolapsed phallus that required surgery. Another pekin, who was partially blind when we adopted him, needed eye removal surgery, though I'm not sure either of those are particular to pekins. Sadly he died about 3 weeks later. He was pretty skinny, while my others are larger.
I have a call duck and he's hard to catch, but once I have him, he's easily handled. He's the one in my profile pic. Like many have said, a lot has to do with how they're raised, and their individual personalities.

 

[KaleIAm]

Very helpful.

@KaleIAm If you don't mind me asking, what issues has your Pekin had? I want to make an informed decision about breeds. This is all great info - from everyone!

Oh sure, the problem will be remembering them all. Lol. She's 7 now and it has been pretty constant. We adopted her at age 1.

The first issue was reproductive. She had a prolapse with some funky mass thing still attached to her oviduct. She needed surgery or she would have died. She was 1.5 I think. Then she had to have a special diet and sleeping schedule for about 5 months to keep it from coming back.

Then she had bumblefoot pretty consistently for about a year. Twice daily I had to wash and care for her feet, put boots on her, and give her antibiotics. Our vet went over the environment with me and taught me how to make it safer for duck feet. Apparently she mostly needed a softer substrate. So, no pine shavings for my delicate pekin.

About once yearly she needs surgery for her ingrown feather follicles.

Twice she has cut her eye. We don't know what on. The other ducks haven't done this, and it is the same eye!! It hasn't been a big deal, she just needs eye drops for a few weeks. I'm so desensitized. Each time it cost a few hundred between rechecks, eye stains, and meds. She needs the drops 6 times daily but I'm feeling like, eh! It's fine!

She also has poor feather quality. She's not waterproof. If she gets wet in the freezing winter temperatures her feathers will freeze. When she drinks she splashes water down her back. So in cold weather I have to bring her inside, per vet instructions. She doesn't like being inside.

Then there is the current reproductive problem. It started almost 2 years ago now. She stopped laying her eggs and started holding dozens in various stages of development inside her abdomen instead. Her belly almost dragged on the floor and she was very fatigued. She has a strict 10 hour daylight schedule and a strict diet, among other environmental changes. But that means we can't have a life because we have to be home to let them out of their completely blacked out barn room and make sure they go back in year around. It was an almost fatal condition, though.

She's a very loved bird. My favorite. I adore every one of her high maintenance muddy footprints. My other ducks have also had issues. Even though I've taken them all to an avian vet, and done everything they recommend, I've lost 3 of the 6 I started out with. All to medical reasons, no predator attacks.

I also got her as a pond rescue, along with 2 other ducks. A couple months later I got another rescue. I introduced these 4 rescue ducks into my existing flock of 2, and immediately my entire flock became ill with internal parasites, external parasites, and infectious bronchitis. The rescues had been living with wild mallards. Especially the last one had been living on a very large lake with many mallards. I'm sure some of my ducks' medical issues have been caused by this contamination. Also, who knows where she came from, what food she was raised on, and what genetics she has.

This might seem sad... But I try to focus on the positive. I have a pet that I love. I have the ability to give her a great life. She's really happy. She tolerates her treatments well. Her "sisters," love her.

 

[thumper650]

Oh sure, the problem will be remembering them all. Lol. She's 7 now and it has been pretty constant. We adopted her at age 1.

The first issue was reproductive. She had a prolapse with some funky mass thing still attached to her oviduct. She needed surgery or she would have died. She was 1.5 I think. Then she had to have a special diet and sleeping schedule for about 5 months to keep it from coming back.

Then she had bumblefoot pretty consistently for about a year. Twice daily I had to wash and care for her feet, put boots on her, and give her antibiotics. Our vet went over the environment with me and taught me how to make it safer for duck feet. Apparently she mostly needed a softer substrate. So, no pine shavings for my delicate pekin.

About once yearly she needs surgery for her ingrown feather follicles.

Twice she has cut her eye. We don't know what on. The other ducks haven't done this, and it is the same eye!! It hasn't been a big deal, she just needs eye drops for a few weeks. I'm so desensitized. Each time it cost a few hundred between rechecks, eye stains, and meds. She needs the drops 6 times daily but I'm feeling like, eh! It's fine!

She also has poor feather quality. She's not waterproof. If she gets wet in the freezing winter temperatures her feathers will freeze. When she drinks she splashes water down her back. So in cold weather I have to bring her inside, per vet instructions. She doesn't like being inside.

Then there is the current reproductive problem. It started almost 2 years ago now. She stopped laying her eggs and started holding dozens in various stages of development inside her abdomen instead. Her belly almost dragged on the floor and she was very fatigued. She has a strict 10 hour daylight schedule and a strict diet, among other environmental changes. But that means we can't have a life because we have to be home to let them out of their completely blacked out barn room and make sure they go back in year around. It was an almost fatal condition, though.

She's a very loved bird. My favorite. I adore every one of her high maintenance muddy footprints. My other ducks have also had issues. Even though I've taken them all to an avian vet, and done everything they recommend, I've lost 3 of the 6 I started out with. All to medical reasons, no predator attacks.

I also got her as a pond rescue, along with 2 other ducks. A couple months later I got another rescue. I introduced these 4 rescue ducks into my existing flock of 2, and immediately my entire flock became ill with internal parasites, external parasites, and infectious bronchitis. The rescues had been living with wild mallards. Especially the last one had been living on a very large lake with many mallards. I'm sure some of my ducks' medical issues have been caused by this contamination. Also, who knows where she came from, what food she was raised on, and what genetics she has.

This might seem sad... But I try to focus on the positive. I have a pet that I love. I have the ability to give her a great life. She's really happy. She tolerates her treatments well. Her "sisters," love her.

I love that you take such good care of her! My friends sometimes think I'm nuts, spending what I do on my ducks. I'm just happy I can afford the vet bills, not everybody is as fortunate.

 

[KaleIAm]

I love that you take such good care of her! My friends sometimes think I'm nuts, spending what I do on my ducks. I'm just happy I can afford the vet bills, not everybody is as fortunate.

Oh yeah, I'm completely bonkers. Lol. I have the same view point as you. I feel gratitude that I have the kind of life where I can devote myself to my pets. We are very fortunate.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Oh yeah, I'm completely bonkers. Lol. I have the same view point as you. I feel gratitude that I have the kind of life where I can devote myself to my pets. We are very fortunate.

You, @thumper650, and I sound like we share similar philosophies. I would do the same for any of my animals, regardless of species.

Much respect!
❤

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I have 1 kahki Campbell 4 pekins, 1 apricot call duck, a fawn and white runner, and a black runner.
The only breed I wouldn’t get again would be the pekin. They’re cute, but like others have explained they have more health issues.

That's why i recommend the White Layers from Metzer Farms. Same goofiness, less health problems, more eggs.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I ordered a Pekin. What health issues? I have heard/read this before, but never anything specific.

Pekin ducks have been bred for a quick cash return: They have no control of their appetite and grow so rapid that they can be slaughtered at just three month of age.
If you keep Pekins as pets, you need to have an eye on their eating habits - which is absolutely difficult, who can resist an excited peeping duckling, bobbing in front of you asking for some treats…
Due to their heavy weight, even without being overweight, the commercial Pekin breeds likely develop leg and hip problems as their bones and joints could not keep up with the rapid growth of their bodies.
The only thing you can do is to give them extra niacin and (i know i will be beaten up for this!) additional calcium from week 2 on. Pekins need more calcium to grow stronger bones than other ducklings.