I ordered some black Swedish ducklings a few years ago and they are great ducks to have. They are very calm and friendly. I allow mine to free range and they are great for foraging. Black Swedish ducks also get along with all the birds I keep them with (chickens, guineas, etc.) They rarely go broody, which is good or bad depending on what you want. Overall, they are a great bird and I recommend them to anyone!
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Reviews by Poetastic
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- Poetastic
- 5.00 star(s)
Pros: Beautiful, calm, lays many eggs, hardy, cold hardy, friendly, good foragers
Cons: Can be loud, predators can get them easily
Pros: Beautiful, tame, alert, curious, broody
Cons: Lay few eggs, can be too flighty, loud
I have owned Silver Duckwing Phoenixes for about three years. I started off with five hens and two roosters. They were relatively easy to tame and I even trained a few to fly on my arm. They are loud, a little crazy, and love to forage. I free range my birds and they venture out very far, sometimes too far, and are prone to get eaten by predators. They are very quick and alert, however, so more times than not they can escape possible danger. They are broody birds, and hatch many batches of chicks. The first few times they raise babies they tend to not be very great mothers. After gaining more experience raising chicks, phoenixes are great mothers and are fiercely protective of their young. I have had two phoenix hens team up and raise one batch of chicks at one point with great success. They love their babies, and even will take care of chicks that aren't theirs! The roosters are generally good birds as well. They are very protective of their flock. I once witnessed one of my phoenix roosters die trying to save his flock from coyotes. It was a sad moment, but he died with honor. I also watched one of my phoenix cross roosters attack a hawk, successfully scaring it away. The roosters are brave birds. I wouldn't recommend the phoenix to a first time poultry keeper or someone who doesn't have room for them to roam because they aren't your average bird. The phoenix is probably my favorite chicken breed and I would recommend them to someone who is experienced with poultry and has room for them to forage.
- Poetastic
- 3.00 star(s)
Pros: Small, friendly, beautiful, good for show, good with beginners
Cons: Prone to predators, fragile, frostbite, slow, kill chicks
I have owned belgian d'Uccles for four years. Overall, they are friendly birds. I free range my birds year round, and I have problems with the predators. I have had several d'Uccles get eaten by hawks and other predators. The hawks are especially a problem due to the d'Uccle's smaller size. Otherwise, they are great birds and are generally easy to tame. Mine have hatched many chicks, and have had mixed results. They are good at raising babies, only if they don't kill them on purpose first. I have had both of my d'uccle hens have problems with killing chicks of their own as well as chicks of others. They have even killed ducklings. Ironically, they are extremely broody. I have had two d'Uccle roosters. One was very aggressive and would attack humans, and the other was very friendly. I think it all depends on the birds, however. I would recommend d'Uccles to any chicken owner because they are small, generally friendly, and overall good chickens.
Pros: Beautiful, great layers, good foragers, curious
Cons: Flighty, combs prone to frostbite, can be noisy, not easily tamed, roosters generally mean
I've had brown leghorns for about a year now. I showed them in 4-H and did very well. I raised them from chicks and even while they're young they are definitely a handful. When they begin to learn how to fly, which is early in their lives, they will attempt to escape their enclosure. This a problem for me when they're chicks, but not so much when they're adults. At the moment, I let my leghorns free range just like the rest of my birds. They enjoy foraging, and venture out a bit farther than other birds. My leghorns have plenty of space to roam, which is probably a good idea. Based off my observations, I don't think leghorns would be very good for first time chicken owners or people living in the city, due to their flighty tendencies and love for large spaces. Another thing I've noticed is that their personalities vary. Many of my birds are flighty, some more than others, and a select few are very calm. The ones who are flighty to begin with tend to mellow down a bit once they get used to being around people. Mine lay a lot, but currently aren't laying at all in the winter. Overall, I like leghorns but I probably won't be getting more of them in the future. I'd recommend them to people who have lots of open space available and people who are experienced chicken owners.