1. I take cholesterol reducing meds daily. Duck eggs are high in cholesterol. Therefore, I've never considered ducks for eggs. Is that reasonable?
The cholesterol in eggs does not actually increase your blood cholesterol, at least for most people. They are very high in antioxidants, which can negate the potential harmful effects of cholesterol. Duck eggs are also much more nutrient-dense than chicken eggs and contain much higher levels of Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, and many other things.
2. If I decided to raise ducks for eggs, what do I need other than the pond?
Like
@Sosalty said, some kind of shelter or coop for the night.
3. Do they retire to a chicken coop structure at night, and need to be locked in?
They won't on their own. You can train them to come to a coop at night, but this could be tricky with an 11-acre pond. We have a pond, not nearly as large as yours, probably less than half an acre. Getting the ducks off of it in the evening can be difficult. If we don't feed them at all during the day, then they're usually hungry enough by evening to come to their pens. If they don't come, we do happen to have a little toy remote-controlled boat which works quite well to herd them off the pond!
4. Should I build them a coop they can fly in/out? Do I need to lock them in at night?
Depends on the predators in your area. If predators are a major risk, a coop/night shelter would be important.
Predators aren't an issue for us, but we still need to lock our Saxony and Khaki Campbell ducks up at night just to be able to consistently collect the eggs in the morning. They don't usually make nests and will just drop their eggs wherever, and I've heard some people's ducks will even lay their eggs in their ponds. So we try to wait until they've laid their eggs before letting them out. If we let them out early, then we usually find eggs scattered around the pond bank or in some tall grass near the pond bank.
As for Muscovies, they will hide their nests, and locking them up at night doesn't stop them--they'll just wait until they're let out and then run to their nest. Finding nests in a large area can be difficult. We often find hidden clutches of 10-15 or more eggs.
I also have a pair of Mulards (infertile Muscovy/Mallard hybrids) that found our larger pond in one of our sheep pastures. They live in it 24/7 and only occasionally visit our main yard for a snack. They're very independent. But we don't get eggs from them.
One note--domestic ducks can't fly. Muscovies can, Mallards can, and the bantam breeds can, but the others generally can't. They will only use a ground-level coop and also don't roost like chickens.
5. What would be the best breed for eggs and survivability in the wild (pond)?
I would say Magpie ducks if you can find them. They were bred to be close to self-sufficient and they are also very good layers.
Muscovies are very hardy and good foragers, but they don't lay much, their eggs could be hard to find, their wings might need to be clipped every year, and they also don't like water as much as Mallard-derived ducks. Many of my Muscovies don't even swim daily. This could mean they'll be easier to bring to a coop for the night, though.
6. If I'm just going for eggs, would I need a drake?
No.
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