What duck breeds are good for beginners? (currently all hypothetical)

[TomCahalan]

More important than breed, is sex. Since you are a beginner, I recommend purchasing only females. You might accidentally get a drake (sometimes mistakes are made), which would be ok too. What isn't ok is buying half a dozen unsexed ducks and hoping that it all works out, unless you are prepared to slaughter the excess drakes.

 

[black_cat]

More important than breed, is sex. Since you are a beginner, I recommend purchasing only females. You might accidentally get a drake (sometimes mistakes are made), which would be ok too. What isn't ok is buying half a dozen unsexed ducks and hoping that it all works out, unless you are prepared to slaughter the excess drakes.

Yes, I was planning to only order females. Are females happier with a drake around? Or is the drake just harder to handle overall?

 

[Duck mommy 2019]

Yes, I was planning to only order females. Are females happier with a drake around? Or is the drake just harder to handle overall?

if you got 5 girls and a khaki drake that would be perfect. if you don’t have a drake, the females will attempt to mate each other. also they are good flock protectors as well as super friendly

 

[black_cat]

if you got 5 girls and a khaki drake that would be perfect. if you don’t have a drake, the females will attempt to mate each other. also they are good flock protectors as well as super friendly

Does having a drake add extra complications, especially if I'm new to ducks, or do the benefits outweigh the risks?

 

[AA Maple]

I'd vouch for the Campbells being incredibly productive layers. I'm about at butchering age for some Pekins I have going now that are very big eaters but good looking fellas. I also got one Rouen with a hatchery assortment this spring that was raised up with my chickens and seems to get along fine with a mixed flock of laying and ornamental (mostly) hens. Rouen is a nice bird as well but I don't think they're really great for laying.

I will say that ducks like company. I put the pekins way on the other side of the yard of my other birds in hopes they'd find the water on the property through a bit of woods but instead they just want to hang out with my other birds (the Rouen, layers, and 30 Cornish X). So I don't think you HAVE to have just ducks but they will absolutely want more birds around. The big bonus about brooding the duck with chickens for me was that it didn't take a month of training to get it to go in its house at night (ducks for me always take forever to train to "home") but just followed the rest of it's flock at sundown.

Fair warning they are very messy in the brooder and you will need to put in some work to keep up with their waterers.

 

[black_cat]

I'd vouch for the Campbells being incredibly productive layers. I'm about at butchering age for some Pekins I have going now that are very big eaters but good looking fellas. I also got one Rouen with a hatchery assortment this spring that was raised up with my chickens and seems to get along fine with a mixed flock of laying and ornamental (mostly) hens. Rouen is a nice bird as well but I don't think they're really great for laying.

I will say that ducks like company. I put the pekins way on the other side of the yard of my other birds in hopes they'd find the water on the property through a bit of woods but instead they just want to hang out with my other birds (the Rouen, layers, and 30 Cornish X). So I don't think you HAVE to have just ducks but they will absolutely want more birds around. The big bonus about brooding the duck with chickens for me was that it didn't take a month of training to get it to go in its house at night (ducks for me always take forever to train to "home") but just followed the rest of it's flock at sundown.

Fair warning they are very messy in the brooder and you will need to put in some work to keep up with their waterers.

For me Evil Plans ™ (they're not very evil) (the evil planning thread is linked earlier in this thread) I'd have quite a few chickens as well. I was planning on keeping them separate, but maybe I could put their runs next to each other? My list has become:
- 1 Pekin
-1 Chocolate Runner
-1 Blue Runner
-1 Blue Swedish
-2 Khaki Campbells (Possibly 1 drake)

 

[Maddog_photog]

I just looked them up, and oh goodness! They are quite something. In my evil plans for the future (which can be read about here) Noise isn't an issue. I was thinking about the other breeds because I have seen a lot about them on BYC, and they are adorable.

If your plans for the future are evil, ducks will be perfect for you! I was just telling my friend today, and there’s a user on BYC that will back me up: “Ducks were made without 4 things: 1) Sphincter muscles, 2) Salival glands, 3) teeth, and 4) Moral Compasses.”

 

[black_cat]

If your plans for the future are evil, ducks will be perfect for you! I was just telling my friend today, and there’s a user on BYC that will back me up: “Ducks were made without 4 things: 1) Sphincter muscles, 2) Salival glands, 3) teeth, and 4) Moral Compasses.”

They're not very evil. They mostly involve graduating college, getting an acre of land, and getting a bunch of birds.

 

[AA Maple]

For me Evil Plans ™ (they're not very evil) (the evil planning thread is linked earlier in this thread) I'd have quite a few chickens as well. I was planning on keeping them separate, but maybe I could put their runs next to each other? My list has become:
- 1 Pekin
-1 Chocolate Runner
-1 Blue Runner
-1 Blue Swedish
-2 Khaki Campbells (Possibly 1 drake)

Like I said, mine are all getting along fine in the yard. The duck that was raised with the chickens is part of the flock with them and the pekins that are much younger and raised and housed separately seem to want to follow them around. There must be some sort of safety in numbers instinct?
What will be most interesting is to see who the Rouen drake makes a play for when he comes of age. I'd bust my sides laughing if he tries to have a go at the chickens, though I do plan to keep a half dozen of the Pekins around for laying after the rest head for the freezer.

 

[black_cat]

Like I said, mine are all getting along fine in the yard. The duck that was raised with the chickens is part of the flock with them and the pekins that are much younger and raised and housed separately seem to want to follow them around. There must be some sort of safety in numbers instinct?
What will be most interesting is to see who the Rouen drake makes a play for when he comes of age. I'd bust my sides laughing if he tries to have a go at the chickens, though I do plan to keep a half dozen of the Pekins around for laying after the rest head for the freezer.

I'd probably raise mine separately, but free range them together and house them near, if not next to, eachother.