Rouen or Cayuga Ducks??

[hollyann]

Hi there. I am thinking about getting 2 female Rouens or 2 female Cayugas as pets. Which breed makes the better pet? Can someone please tell me about

- Which is naturally calmer
- Which is bigger
- Which makes more noise
- Which is easier

Also, how tough are both these breeds in relation to foxes ect.... We have 2 Geese that live at the dam at the opposite end of the property which are essentially 'wild', and even the horses are scared of them!

Thanks

 

[turtletriplets]

• Cayuga. The only duck breed developed in the United States, the Cayuga originated near Cayuga Lake in New York State. Unlike Pekin and Aylesbury ducks, which reach market weight in eight weeks, the Cayuga and other heavy breeds take 12 to 16 weeks to finish as a market bird. Today, Cayugas are raised mainly for exhibition, but they also are an option for meat production.
• cayuga ducks:Yes they are calm. They are a great breed of domesticated duck. They don't have a loud quack, and they are good egg layers. They love to eat slugs, snails, and any insect they can get there hands on. They are also listed as a threatened species.
• cayuga ducks as baby are sometimes noisy and other times not! but other then that they are not usually loud as adults!!
• Rouen. The Rouen reaches 7 to 8 pounds in 12 to 15 weeks, with the bulk of the weight gain happening after the bird is 12 weeks of age. The Rouen not only is a good meat bird, but a Rouen hen can lay an egg every other day during the breeding season. Rouen eggs have a blue tint. Rouens also are popular for decorating ponds because they are colored like the wild mallard but are too heavy to fly away.
• Rouen Ducks are the basic coloration of the Mallards only larger and do not fly more than 100 feet. A French breed that is used both for eggs and meat and admitted into the American Standard of Perfection in 1874. A great water fowl for the ranch pond. They make good backyard ducks and are good for insect control. The Rouen Duck is calm, sociable and very entertaining as pets. The Rouen Duck is a slower grower than the Pekin. They also make good show ducks. Rouen ducks resemble mallard ducks, but, are slightly bigger in size.
• The Rouen ducks resemble mallard ducks, but, are slightly bigger in size. This breed of duck originated in France. They are heavy and bulky. They cannot be used primarily for production of eggs, because, they are not as fertile as other ducks. Rouen ducks are calm and friendly. The males have a green head and the females have brownish feathers.

HOPE THIS HELPS YOU ON YOUR FIND TO WHAT DUCK YOU WANNA HAVE AS A PET!!

 

[DUCKOBSESSED]

I cant tell you which one is better but I can say I have both and they are great. Mine are about the same size, the rouens are a tad bigger. I don't think either is to loud. They are both very friendly if you hand raise them, mine eat out of my hand. I have geese in with mine and they get along fine. I get eggs form both, still and we have snow were I live already. So whatever one you choose will be a good choice.

 

[hollyann]

Thanks for replying How tough are these ducks against predators?

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

Actually I think that's one area where all ducks are same, regardless of breed. All ducks have pretty much zero defenses against predators, except for the little bit of flying that *some* domestics do. (& some- like mine- don't fly at all). That is why predator proof housing is so critical. Read more about that in the Learning Center. Or hang around these forums long enough and you will read many sad stories about predators and ducks.