I love love love my Rouens!!!!
They are adorable, quiet, calm, tame, easy keepers, hardy, and active foragers- did I mention adorable?
I got mine at 4 weeks old. They had imprinted on each other. 4 Rouens and 2 Rouen crosses.
Since then, I have fallen in love! They are 9 weeks old now, and have grown a lot. All their adult feathers are in, and the drake is eclipsing. They have been raised outside from day 1, no heat lamp, and are hardy. They eat well, drink lots, and relatively tame. A couple ducks are a bit unsettled, and dislike being picked up, but the rest are good with being handled, although they do run away from me. (They imprinted on each other, and thus why they run away). When I leave, they are VERY quiet- almost nonexistent!
They are so beautiful, and they are good ducks. They herd very well, already know that in the grass there is food, and are on alert for predators- Rouens have excellent instincts, thank goodness. Production Rouens are good layers- 120-200 eggs per year, per duck, year-round (although production increases in summer, as they're closer to the seasonal-laying Mallard than other breeds). Moreso than other breeds, the odd bird will raise ducklings. Their instincts are excellent. They're going to be 6-8 pounds, and tasty (the extra drake, the wild one, will be eaten. They typically can not fly, and even as ducklings are always alert, stopping foraging and watching the sky or ground when an animal or bird passes by. I LOVE my Rouens!
The only other breed I would consider, compared to Rouens, is an Ancona or Welsh Harlequin. But I promise Rouens will always be in my flock!
Here they are now, with the mixed breed in the front:
And a breeding pair: (note differences in bills, head, plumage, and stance)
*As ducklings, hens may have rings around their necks so don't sex by that method.
They are adorable, quiet, calm, tame, easy keepers, hardy, and active foragers- did I mention adorable?
I got mine at 4 weeks old. They had imprinted on each other. 4 Rouens and 2 Rouen crosses.
Since then, I have fallen in love! They are 9 weeks old now, and have grown a lot. All their adult feathers are in, and the drake is eclipsing. They have been raised outside from day 1, no heat lamp, and are hardy. They eat well, drink lots, and relatively tame. A couple ducks are a bit unsettled, and dislike being picked up, but the rest are good with being handled, although they do run away from me. (They imprinted on each other, and thus why they run away). When I leave, they are VERY quiet- almost nonexistent!
The only other breed I would consider, compared to Rouens, is an Ancona or Welsh Harlequin. But I promise Rouens will always be in my flock!
Here they are now, with the mixed breed in the front:
And a breeding pair: (note differences in bills, head, plumage, and stance)
*As ducklings, hens may have rings around their necks so don't sex by that method.