What breed should I get?

[RitaK]

I'm looking to get 4 baby ducks this year. I was thinking 2 male and 2 female. I need them to be hardy enough to handle CT winter, friendly, too heavy to fly, and it would be nice if they were cute with funny personalities. Asking too much? I'm probably not going to eat duck eggs, so that is way down on the list of priorities. TIA!

 

[cosbackyard]

I've had a few duck types and I love khaki campbells. They meet your criteria, although they're not the friendliest breed. Maybe someone else can weigh in on that? Runners perhaps?

I have trained mine with treats to come to me. They respond to my voice and will follow me around the yard and eat out of my hand. They don't love being picked up, though.

If you're not going to eat the eggs then maybe you should get just drakes (males) because ducks can be very regular layers and you may end up swimming in eggs. If you do want females, though, keep three females and one male. Two of each will end up with the females being overbred and eventually injured or killed.

I have two girls and one drake. Works great.

 

[RitaK]

Thank you for that info! I think I'll stick with only drakes. Will they get along? Are Pekin's a good choice?

 

[Angie Poo]

Khaki campbells are good I have also found that black or blue Swedish are friendlier and fit your criteria. I would stay away from Indian runners because they are a more nervous duck although they have lots of personality.

I agree with Cosbackyard that if your not going to eat the eggs to get 4 drakes. If you do however want to try your hand at baking with them or eating them you could get 1 drake and 3 ducks. If you do end up getting females you could offer the eggs to your neighbors or if you have a dog you could feed them the eggs so they don't go to waste.

I never thought I would eat duck eggs or be able to get my family too but now we use duck eggs for almost everything we make. You might be surprised and actually like them.

Good luck on getting yourself some ducks