What breeds should I get?

[ChickForLife]

I'm not sure if Wood ducks would do ok with the bigger domestics. Is there a way you could keep them separate?

Can I put them with quail or too big for them? If I separated them they wouldn't have any other ducks unless I put them with the few bantam chickens.

 

[HuffleClaw]

Khaki Campbell hands down. I used to have them, and my girls never skipped a day laying. They weren’t too loud, and one of them went broody and was easily the best duckie mom ever.

As for small ducks, I would recommend calls. Though, they can be loud and expensive.

 

[noodledog]

I wouldn't get wood ducks unless you know how to care for them and have a proper setup for them. They're harder to care for than domestic ducks, and I believe you need a permit to own them in some places but I don't know enough about that.

All mallard derived ducks are going to be loud if they're female, but Muscovy are pretty quiet. I've heard Khaki Campbells and Pekins are good egg layers but I'm not sure because I don't own them. Welsh harlequins, silver appleyards and Indian runners are very pretty. I just have Calls, they're small and adorable but they're very loud.

 

[KaleIAm]

The only duck you can get that will be a guaranteed not too loud are Muscovy. All mallard-derived breeds can get quite noisy. Out of the mallard-derived breeds i have heard that Cayuga and Saxony tend to be the quieter ones. How many ducks are you planning on getting total? If you want both small and big ducks you could get some call ducks they are very small and come in just about any color you could think of! Some breeds that are very good for egg production aren Welsh Harlequin, Khaki Campbell, and runner ducks. There are all kinds of duck breeds so its gonna be hard to choose. If the "not too loud" thing is super important than you should only get Muscovy. Make sure regardless of which breed you get you only get 1 male per 3-4 females!

My Cayuga was the loudest of all my ducks. She shout quacked all day. Our neighbors could hear her from a mile away. Though I have also heard members saying that they have quieter cayugas, so I believe it may be an individual duck thing more than a breed thing.

 

[ChickForLife]

I wouldn't get wood ducks unless you know how to care for them and have a proper setup for them. They're harder to care for than domestic ducks, and I believe you need a permit to own them in some places but I don't know enough about that.

All mallard derived ducks are going to be loud if they're female, but Muscovy are pretty quiet. I've heard Khaki Campbells and Pekins are good egg layers but I'm not sure because I don't own them. Welsh harlequins, silver appleyards and Indian runners are very pretty. I just have Calls, they're small and adorable but they're very loud.

I guess I should switch wood duck with cayuga then?

 

[HuffleClaw]

I would however never recommend runners for a first time duck parent. They were the worst breed I ever had. Their personalities could never have made up for their ugly looks— considering the drake was a literal demon and terrorized any other animal near him, and they would all flee like I was a murderer if I even got within 10yrds of them. They are also not the best if you want a free range duck... you will most likely end up catching them by hand. They will not go up like the other ducks, and refuse to be guided. Unless you somehow get a good runner... they pretty much suck! But at least the eggs are nice

 

[SolarDuck]

Lol! My wood ducks are the tamest ducks I've ever had. My hen nibbles my ankle until I pick her up and rub her crest.

Wow really!! That's super cool, are they imprinted on you?