Questions about different duck breeds

[Papaye]

Hello.

I would like to add some new duck breeds in my yard...

I already own Indian Runner ducks and chickens.
I would want to add at least one breed that could live and free range together with my birds - with these qualities if possible :
1 - good egg layers (a breed that lays even in winter would be great);
2 - good meat, in case I need to cull the extra drakes;
3 - good looks;
4 - bad flyers - being ducks that don't fly away from home;
5 - not destructive, because I want to keep my yard intact.

(Considering the quality of meat is a first for me, because I NEVER culled an animals. Besides, I am kind of afraid of corpses...
Nevertheless, I know if I have too much drakes amongs the ducklings born in my garden, I will eventually need to kill them if nobody wants them.
So, I think that's time for me to prepare myself...!)

...My two favorite breeds to bring home would be Cayuga and Khaki Campbell, but I am also interested in Duclair, Magpie, Ancona, and Welsh Harlequin ducks.

...What I would need is : pros and cons, and personal experiences with these ducks.
Or even OTHER duck breeds you could think about : I am still not decided with what I will bring home, after all...!

Ideally, I would want ducks that could peacefully go to bed together with my Indian Runners.
I would separate them if possible, but preferably, I would not want to : when storms are coming, it would be easier for me if I could just herd all of my duck in only ONE run and not worry about them ending up to fight each other in their enclosed space.

(Speaking about herding : do these breeds are ducks easy to herd?)
I also would want ducks that are not particularly heavy or destructive.
...because my Indian Runners are not : they don't make any damage to the yard, and only the ducklings and juveniles eat my grass and my veggies...
And I really don't want to bring home ducks that will destroy my garden and my plants (rosemary, lavender, thyme, etc...)...

Of course, I would need these duck to stay home, so...
...Do they need to have a constant access to a pool?
Because I will separate my ducks in different parks for mating season, but I probably will not have a pool for each one of them (just small basins)...
So : would these ducks (try to) fly away if they don't have a pool?

...In fact : what could you tell me? And recommend me?
How many hens for these drakes...?
...Are they gentle? ...Good pets?
Etc... whatever you think about...!

(If you have pictures and stories to share, I would really love it if you do...!)

Also... do somebody know if Australian Shellducks and/or small ornemental ducks could all also live and go to bed together with Runner ducks without killing each others...?

And not to be horrible, but just in case I can't give away all of my young runner drakes before next winter : what about Indian Runner's meat...?

(...Last question : given chicken hens can keep and use their rooster's sperm during three weeks after the mating... do I have to assume it is the same for ducks?
It is just to know how long my ducks need to be separated in different parks for me to be sure the ducks' eggs are fertilized by the drakes of my choice...)

Thank you!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Other than Indian Runners I have Muscovy, Buffs and 1 Cayuga. My Cayuga came to me with her best friend an Indian Runner the member who had them was moving to France so I got to adopt these 2 girls. This Cayuga I just love she is very laid back and is not the least bit destructive. She came with a bit of attitude [thought she was the body guard of the Runner] and would try and run off any other ducks who got close but that soon settled down and now she is just lovely. Even at 4 yrs old she is laying. She is part of my flock of 17. My 2 old Muscovy ladies are kept separate to keep the drakes off them. Buffs are another great breed good egg layers. My only drakes are 2 Indian Runners but they have plenty of females to keep them busy. I think both Cayuga and Buffs are considered dual purpose. We have never eaten any of our ducks. All my ducks know to go into their coop at evening We don't have a pond to keep that from happening. My only flyers are my Muscovy and I clip one wing each fall after molt to keep them inside their fencing. They all do love their pools, especially my Ruuners.

 

[Papaye]

Hi!

Thank you for your post, @Miss Lydia!

Other than Indian Runners I have Muscovy, Buffs and 1 Cayuga.

"Buffs" are Buff Orpington ducks... right?

I actually already thought to take some home (I really love their colours), but I now think Cayuga and Khaki Campbell ducks would just be better.

This Cayuga I just love she is very laid back and is not the least bit destructive.

Oh yeah?
I was thinking Cayuga would be destructive, since they are bigger than Runners!

You reassure me! (Because I could not wait and have already posted an add online to get Cayuga ducks!!)

She came with a bit of attitude [thought she was the body guard of the Runner] and would try and run off any other ducks who got close but that soon settled down and now she is just lovely.

Oh my God...
That's just... so cute!

Even at 4 yrs old she is laying.

Does she lay a lot of eggs, or less than when she was younger...?

She is part of my flock of 17. My 2 old Muscovy ladies are kept separate to keep the drakes off them. Buffs are another great breed good egg layers. My only drakes are 2 Indian Runners but they have plenty of females to keep them busy.

So... 2 Runners drakes for 15 girls...?

Are you not worried 15 females are just too many for them?
Since Indian Runner drakes are, apparently, particularly prone to prolapse... (I read about that some times ago!!)

I think both Cayuga and Buffs are considered dual purpose. We have never eaten any of our ducks.

I know Cayuga ducks are.

I don't want to have to cull my birds, and I won't kill the ones I keep, since they are pets... but the young drakes, if I can not give them away...? I would not have the choice. (I would eat them. Hoping their meat would be worth it at least!)
(I feel so bad... but sadly, life is becoming much too hard and costly...)

All my ducks know to go into their coop at evening We don't have a pond to keep that from happening.

So... I am going to assume these breeds are easy to educate!
Thanks God...!

My only flyers are my Muscovy and I clip one wing each fall after molt to keep them inside their fencing.

Your ONLY flyers are Myscovy ducks?!

Wow... I would have thought they were your only ducks that could absolutely NOT fly, so heavy they are...!

(I know Indian Runners CAN fly, since I own a drake that have learned... and I also read about some Cayuga flying...)

 

[Miss Lydia]

This Cayuga named Olive came to me at 4 yrs old and I never thought to ask if she was a heavy layer I don't want a breed that lays tons of eggs and their health pays for it I want to keep my diucks as long as possible. My oldest Muscovy was 15 when she passed. As for the Cayuga she has been a steady layer since she started back this spring He egg shell haven't been black but charcoal colored and get lighter as she keeps laying. She has never tried to fly and she isn't a large Cayuga. Back in early spring when my 4 Fawn and Whites were just coming into hormones I did clip each ones wing because they were getting lift as they came down from the upper property and flying out of their fencing is not a good thing with the predators we have.
Well my oldest Runner drake is 8yrs old and I was worried about him trying to keep up with all the girls but his son is now helping lol and neither one seems to mind and I haven't had a prolapse in either thank goodness.
I know people eat their ducks I don't have a problem with it when we were raising chickens of course we had to process our extra roos. I just don't think I could eat one of my ducks. We had 2 drakes hatch last June and I did get to rehome one. I was very happy about that.

 

[Beanfox]

Hello.

I would like to add some new duck breeds in my yard...

I already own Indian Runner ducks and chickens.
I would want to add at least one breed that could live and free range together with my birds - with these qualities if possible :
1 - good egg layers (a breed that lays even in winter would be great);
2 - good meat, in case I need to cull the extra drakes;
3 - good looks;
4 - bad flyers - being ducks that don't fly away from home;
5 - not destructive, because I want to keep my yard intact.

(Considering the quality of meat is a first for me, because I NEVER culled an animals. Besides, I am kind of afraid of corpses...
Nevertheless, I know if I have too much drakes amongs the ducklings born in my garden, I will eventually need to kill them if nobody wants them.
So, I think that's time for me to prepare myself...!)

...My two favorite breeds to bring home would be Cayuga and Khaki Campbell, but I am also interested in Duclair, Magpie, Ancona, and Welsh Harlequin ducks.

...What I would need is : pros and cons, and personal experiences with these ducks.
Or even OTHER duck breeds you could think about : I am still not decided with what I will bring home, after all...!

Ideally, I would want ducks that could peacefully go to bed together with my Indian Runners.
I would separate them if possible, but preferably, I would not want to : when storms are coming, it would be easier for me if I could just herd all of my duck in only ONE run and not worry about them ending up to fight each other in their enclosed space.

(Speaking about herding : do these breeds are ducks easy to herd?)
I also would want ducks that are not particularly heavy or destructive.
...because my Indian Runners are not : they don't make any damage to the yard, and only the ducklings and juveniles eat my grass and my veggies...
And I really don't want to bring home ducks that will destroy my garden and my plants (rosemary, lavender, thyme, etc...)...

Of course, I would need these duck to stay home, so...
...Do they need to have a constant access to a pool?
Because I will separate my ducks in different parks for mating season, but I probably will not have a pool for each one of them (just small basins)...
So : would these ducks (try to) fly away if they don't have a pool?

...In fact : what could you tell me? And recommend me?
How many hens for these drakes...?
...Are they gentle? ...Good pets?
Etc... whatever you think about...!

(If you have pictures and stories to share, I would really love it if you do...!)

Also... do somebody know if Australian Shellducks and/or small ornemental ducks could all also live and go to bed together with Runner ducks without killing each others...?

And not to be horrible, but just in case I can't give away all of my young runner drakes before next winter : what about Indian Runner's meat...?

(...Last question : given chicken hens can keep and use their rooster's sperm during three weeks after the mating... do I have to assume it is the same for ducks?
It is just to know how long my ducks need to be separated in different parks for me to be sure the ducks' eggs are fertilized by the drakes of my choice...)

Thank you!

I don’t have a whole lot of pros and cons on duck breeds, as mine are about to turn 5 months old. I have Magpies, Cayugas, Blue & Black Swedish.

I did want to say though that if you’re comfy with ordering ducklings online, you can choose which sex you want from most places (like Metzer). That could potentially eliminate the issue of having too many drakes.

Also, with small ornamental ducks, I think one issue would be the chance of injury/death from the normal (bigger) drakes trying to mate with them. I’m not sure how big of an issue it would be, just something that came to mind when thinking about their size difference.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I don’t have a whole lot of pros and cons on duck breeds, as mine are about to turn 5 months old. I have Magpies, Cayugas, Blue & Black Swedish.

I did want to say though that if you’re comfy with ordering ducklings online, you can choose which sex you want from most places (like Metzer). That could potentially eliminate the issue of having too many drakes.

Also, with small ornamental ducks, I think one issue would be the chance of injury/death from the normal (bigger) drakes trying to mate with them. I’m not sure how big of an issue it would be, just something that came to mind when thinking about their size difference.

The OP is in France. I love this Cayuga they may not all be as laid back as this gal but I couldn't ask for a better personality.

 

[Beanfox]

The OP is in France.

Sorry! Didn’t notice that

 

[Miss Lydia]

N

Sorry! Didn’t notice that

No need to apologize you have a few of the breeds she is interested in so that is whats important, just didn't think Metzers would ship across the ocean lol

 

[Beanfox]

I don’t have a whole lot of pros and cons on duck breeds, as mine are about to turn 5 months old. I have Magpies, Cayugas, Blue & Black Swedish.

I did want to say though that if you’re comfy with ordering ducklings online, you can choose which sex you want from most places (like Metzer). That could potentially eliminate the issue of having too many drakes.

Also, with small ornamental ducks, I think one issue would be the chance of injury/death from the normal (bigger) drakes trying to mate with them. I’m not sure how big of an issue it would be, just something that came to mind when thinking about their size difference.

I will add to my reply now that I have a minute

All of the breeds I currently own are fabulous! They’re all friendly. While most of mine are quite nervous at times, they do warm up quickly. They also get along great, but I got them all as ducklings at the same time. Initially my favorite were the Magpies, they were always the first to come up to me to eat snacks out of my hand. But recently, the Blue Swedish are making their way to my favorite. No reason in specific. I think now that they are warming up to me, I see a bit more of their personality and friendliness. Truly though I love them all and am very happy with them.
I’d say the Swedish ones “matured” the fastest. They grew like a weed and got their adult feathers first. The Swedish drake I have was also the first to start mating.

None of them fly per-se. Sometimes they jump a few feet off the ground while flapping. Or will fly a few feet low to the ground from our hands. But I don’t think any of them would have the ability to legit fly/fly away.

I know Cayuga was also on your list! I have two females and they are sweet. Pretty quiet (for a duck). I don’t hear much from them lol


Like I said before, I don’t have any cons, or really any specific to say about the breeds, because I haven’t had them for very long.

I will be adding 2-3 more females to the group though here soon. Most likely Harlequin and/or Silver Appleyard

 

[Papaye]

Hello!

My oldest Muscovy was 15 when she passed.

Wow... She had a long live for a Muscovy...!!
I heard they only lived for 6-8 years... knowing drakes live generally longer than females, since they don't have to exhaust themselves by laying eggs...

She has never tried to fly and she isn't a large Cayuga.

Your experience with Cayuga reassure me.

I have another hen that is going broody (I think)...
She is an Azur hen, and I don't know... I think I could put 8 eggs underneath her? Maybe even nine or ten...?
So, I am trying to find 10 Cayuga eggs.

Well my oldest Runner drake is 8yrs old and I was worried about him trying to keep up with all the girls but his son is now helping lol and neither one seems to mind and I haven't had a prolapse in either thank goodness.

Yeah... you are indeed lucky!

I am probably being stupid, but since I have learned about prolapse in RUNNER drakes, I now prefer to have a "2-3 hens per drake" ratio.
Thanksfully, the only problem I currently have with my ducks is the fact my drakes are making their favorite girls bald... (3 drakes for 8 hens. But one drake is living his first mating season, so he is a MONSTER...)
But if ever I see it becomes dangerous, I can always separate them until the mating season ends...!

I just don't think I could eat one of my ducks.

Ducks are indeed differents...
They are cuter, have a pretty bill, and it is just so sad to have to kill them...

I don’t have a whole lot of pros and cons on duck breeds, as mine are about to turn 5 months old. I have Magpies, Cayugas, Blue & Black Swedish.

All experiences are good to take...!

I'm envious... Your birds have to be beautiful!!

I did want to say though that if you’re comfy with ordering ducklings online, you can choose which sex you want from most places (like Metzer). That could potentially eliminate the issue of having too many drakes.

I don't think a lot of place sells chicks or ducklings online, in France.
Or that we could choose the sex we want...!

Actually, I would not even buy a sexed duckling : I heard vent sexing them could increase the risk of penile prolapse...?
If it's true : sounds terrible...

Also, with small ornamental ducks, I think one issue would be the chance of injury/death from the normal (bigger) drakes trying to mate with them. I’m not sure how big of an issue it would be, just something that came to mind when thinking about their size difference.

That's also what I thought about.
I don't know if drakes like Runners, or Cayuga, or Khaki Campbell would try to mate with smaller ducks, since they look so differents... but if they do, I would worry about my drakes hurting the ornemental ducks.

All of the breeds I currently own are fabulous! They’re all friendly. While most of mine are quite nervous at times, they do warm up quickly. They also get along great, but I got them all as ducklings at the same time. Initially my favorite were the Magpies, they were always the first to come up to me to eat snacks out of my hand. But recently, the Blue Swedish are making their way to my favorite. No reason in specific. I think now that they are warming up to me, I see a bit more of their personality and friendliness. Truly though I love them all and am very happy with them.
I’d say the Swedish ones “matured” the fastest. They grew like a weed and got their adult feathers first. The Swedish drake I have was also the first to start mating.

Thank you for telling me that...!!

Magpies look gentle and friendly. I would like to have at least 2 black and white (1 drake and 1 hen), since they are so cute...

I don't know about Swedish ducks : Duclair - they look alike - would be more accessible to me, since they are a French breed.
But I do wonder if Swedish and Duclair also have a similar behaviour...?
A Duclair pet would do a fine pet!

None of them fly per-se. Sometimes they jump a few feet off the ground while flapping. Or will fly a few feet low to the ground from our hands. But I don’t think any of them would have the ability to legit fly/fly away.

Nothing can surprise me anymore : I have a Runner drake that has learned to fly, and now, I know even Muscovies can fly...!

I know Cayuga was also on your list! I have two females and they are sweet. Pretty quiet (for a duck). I don’t hear much from them lol

Oh yeah?
...Whatever : I would not feel bothered if they were loud.
(I actually like my ducks to be loud, so they can alert me if there are burglars!)

Like I said before, I don’t have any cons, or really any specific to say about the breeds, because I haven’t had them for very long.

But I'm still thanskful for your post.
Thank you!

I will be adding 2-3 more females to the group though here soon. Most likely Harlequin and/or Silver Appleyard

When you do, feel free to share your experiences with them.
And pictures...!! Always nice to see them!