What ducks would be recomended for urban areas

[Oregon Blues]

All ducks are quite loud, with the Muscovy being the only exception.

The smaller the breed of duck, the more noise they make. So you wish for a small quiet duck is not going to be fulfilled.

If you can't have noise, I suggest either rabbits or quail. Both of those are quiet. Rabbits don't make any noise and the quail sound like crickets chirping.

I've got some geese who never make a sound except for the occasional hiss, but that doesn't guarantee that others, even of the same breed, are quiet. Plus, they are along ways from being considered small.

Or consider pigeons. Some of the fancy pigeons make good pets and even though they make a lot of noise, the cooing sound doesn't seem to bother people like crowing or quacking does.

 

[aaabirdman]

Would you then recommend keeping ducks in urban areas or not? Because it seems like there is not any species that is fairly quiet, docile and capable of being kept in urban areas. Would it be fine if I kept 2 drakes then of the same species. Because you say they are quiet.

 

[destinduck]

I would .I do. There are also ornamental and migratory ducks. I have or have had just about every duck there is. Again like Tahai said What is your purpose for getting them? Your questions are too vague. Pekins are not small they arent very loud either. Out of all the ducks I kept calls are aboutthe only domestic ones anyone will ever notice truthfully.

 

[jamband]

Would you then recommend keeping ducks in urban areas or not? Because it seems like there is not any species that is fairly quiet, docile and capable of being kept in urban areas. Would it be fine if I kept 2 drakes then of the same species. Because you say they are quiet.

noise is relative, are you trying to hide the ducks or just dont want to annoy neighbors?? 2 muscovy hens would be very quite and give you a decent # of eggs.

 

[Mum]

Would you then recommend keeping ducks in urban areas or not? Because it seems like there is not any species that is fairly quiet, docile and capable of being kept in urban areas. Would it be fine if I kept 2 drakes then of the same species. Because you say they are quiet.

I keep ducks in an urban area. I have a trio of Khaki Campbells and 2 Indian Runner ducklings. Yes, they do quack, but not constantly. Actually, they make less noise than the Herring Gulls which are nesting on the chimneys of the neighbouring houses! Equally, there is a park and duck pond not too far away, so we are used to the wild mallards visiting (which my ducks strike up a chorus of protest about!)

I do know of people who only keep drakes because they are quieter and they want the interaction and are not concerned about eggs.

If you want interaction and no eggs, by all means keep a couple of drakes.

 

[jdywntr]

I live in the suburbs with neighbors houses <20' away on each side. I have had runners, rouens and muscovy. My favorite are the muscovy. They are quiet, though right now the ducklings can create quite a peeping rackey. Mom and dad are VERY quiet. My drake is large, probably 10 lbs but the female is very petite, maybe 5 lbs. They have very nice personalities and come when I have treats.

My runners were crazy noisy things but very funny. The rouens I just rehomed because of the noise.

You could keep 2 drakes as others have suggested. 2 Muscovy hens or a pair would work for the noise level.

I think ducks are much more work than chickens. Ducks are messier. Another + with muscovy is they don't "dabble" as much as other ducks. They are not as messy with their water. They do love a kiddie pool to preen in though.

 

[ChristineR]

I think it depends on your definition of quiet. I don't think ducks are that loud (not as loud as roosters crowing) and their quacking doesn't bother me at all, never wakes me up, etc. It drives my husband crazy, though, when my female Welsh Harlequin wakes him up quacking in the morning. Females are louder than males. If you don't care about eggs, you could always get a couple drakes. They still quack, but have quieter voices.

Growing up in a neighborhood, we had 2 or 3 ducks at a time (Pekins and Blue Swedish) as pets and slug eaters for the yard. This was in the '80's, though, and houses weren't 6 feet away from each other. I think our yard was about 1/4 acre. When you say "urban" what exactly do you mean by that? I think of urban as living in a city, like Seattle. If you're in more of a suburban area and ducks are allowed, I wouldn't think it would be a problem unless you live in one of the newer developments that have tiny yards where you're pretty much living in your neighbor's backyard.

In terms of work, ducks are messy, but if they're well taken care of, seem to be hardier and less plauged with ailments than chickens. What has worked well for me with 2 or 3 pet ducks, is to keep them in a covered chain link dog kennel that I can pull around the yard, instead of a stationary coop. I keep one of those plastic dog houses in there for their shelter. I move it over to a clean spot every day or so. This has worked well for me. I never have to clean a coop and the ducks eat the dandelions and fertilize my yard. This would obviously only work for 2 or 3 ducks though.

Why are you thinking small? Smaller isn't quieter. Call ducks are actually the loudest ducks you could get. For pets, I really like Pekins, but they aren't small. I've found them to be very mellow and comical. I recently hatched Anconas and so far I really like them, too. They are only 6 weeks old right now, but so far they seem pretty mellow. Some of them will even climb up on my lap to snuggle.

 

[aaabirdman]

I would only want to have the ducks as a pet. I don't really want to annoy the neighbors because I don't want them to feel like they are stuck next to a farm. I am sure their children would not get annoyed, but the adults may. Here in ny, our house is only about 7 feet away from our neighbors. Is that too little? I would strongly say our backyard is about 10 feet wide and 15 feet long. I guess I could open my options to having larger ducks or geese but then I can only have 1 or 2 maximum (which I don't mind). Our area is called Bayside Queens which is a pretty suburban area compared to other areas. We are only 45 minutes away from manhattan by car.

 

[desertdarlene]

You're sure that you can definitely keep ducks on your property? Some areas allow chickens, but not ducks.

But, if you are just wanting a pet, I would say get two small drakes of any breed. If you want eggs, then get a couple of female Muscovies.

 

[PetesMom]

Before you make a decision, if you already haven't, I would call the town to make sure you are aloud to have ducks in your area. Check Zoning laws.

I'm not sure about other people's pekin but I know my drake is annoying and loud. Not as loud as the females but he is still loud. The muscovies are my favorite, they are quiet and decently friendly if you spend time with them. Wish I found them before I ordered Pekins lol