What kind of ducks to get?

[PETERKAY012]

I am 80% sure I am going to get ducks this spring. I have looked into a few different breeds and I really like the Indian runner ducks and white pekin. I have a family of 10 and there are quite a few small children that would be playing with the ducks so I need a friendly breed and I also would like them to be moderately quiet. What kinds of ducks would you recommend?

 

[Free Feather]

Muscovies are quiet, large, cool looking, can fly, and live longer than regular ducks. They are part goose, and are found wild in South America. They were my favorites in my duck flocks in the past because they are more like a goose in their personality and broodiness.

 

[PETERKAY012]

Muscovies are quiet, large, cool looking, can fly, and live longer than regular ducks. They are part goose, and are found wild in South America. They were my favorites in my duck flocks in the past because they are more like a goose in their personality and broodiness.

I have had chickens fly over the fence in the past (after my goats plowed over the fence and set them all free from their enclosure) and the dogs next door are bird dogs and they kill everything that goes over there (they almost killed my small dog). I have heard that lots of people will trim their ducks wings to prevent them from getting hurt but is that humane? I wouldn't want to injure the duck if it tried to fly and ran into something or whatever

 

[Free Feather]

Most ducks, unless a wild breed like a Mallard, will not fly high unless they are afraid. You can clip their wings, first try just one wing, and if that does not work, clip both really short. I do not clip because mine are free range, but I have clipped my mother's birds in the past. Muscovies fly better than chickens. They roost like a chicken at night, can fly up onto the house roof, and can fly ten feet high in the air across the yard for a good distance, even the fat drakes.

 

[buff goose guy]

There is a big misconception when it comes to wing clipping, yes it is very humane and way much more humane that pinioning your birds. The feathers that are cut off is just like clipping fingernails it doesn't hurt the bird. Unless you cut way to much and that will injur your bird

 

[PETERKAY012]

There is a big misconception when it comes to wing clipping, yes it is very humane and way much more humane that pinioning your birds. The feathers that are cut off is just like clipping fingernails it doesn't hurt the bird. Unless you cut way to much and that will injur your bird

Okay thanks!

 

[buff goose guy]

Happy to help and best of luck

 

[Free Spirit]

I am 80% sure I am going to get ducks this spring. I have looked into a few different breeds and I really like the Indian runner ducks and white pekin. I have a family of 10 and there are quite a few small children that would be playing with the ducks so I need a friendly breed and I also would like them to be moderately quiet. What kinds of ducks would you recommend?

I have 3 Pekin ducks and 2 Saxony (1 duck and 1 drake)

The nice thing about Pekins is they don't fly as they are a heavy breed but they are loud and talk and talk and talk. I do love them they are a nice duck. My Saxony is quieter (and doesn't fly either) but is more shy than the rest.

 

[quackingdom]

Indian runners, by the way, are supposed to be pretty flighty and hard to tame. So if you want a friendly breed, they may not be the best choice. My Muscovies are really sweet and some are quite tame, but the males can sometimes get aggressive. They are also extremely quiet. And yes, wing clipping is humane, it's just like clipping fingernails. It doesn't hurt unless you go too far, but it does scare them a bit. You have to redo it every year after the annual molt.

I clip my Muscovies, because I once had a female fly away and I'm afraid of it happening again. However, occasionally we'll forget to clip one for a few weeks. During this time, when we let them out of their night pen, the duck will launch into the air, fly around the property, and then land at the area where they lounge all day. They haven't tried to fly away.

 

[PETERKAY012]

Thanks!