I want to know the pros and cons to your ducks

[Runa101]

I really like my Welsh Harlequins. They are beautiful, friendly, and quite calm for ducks. They outlay chickens, when you count eggs per year, and they can keep laying for longer than chickens. They do quack, but only when they're startled, or when there's a predator around, or when they're out of feed. Mostly they're pretty quiet, though they do like mutter to each other about things. That's not a loud sound though. Houses are pretty close together where I live, our closest neighbors aren't more than 20 to 30 feet from us, if that far, and they haven't bothered the neighbors at all. Actually, our closest neighbor loves the ducks - she's quite a gardener, and she's noticed a huge reduction in the number of slugs and snails in her garden. We have three harlequins right now, and one Black Swede. The Swede doesn't lay as much as the harlequins, and it is a bit larger, but it is also fairly quiet and friendly.

We also have three Muscovy ducklings, and so far I'm sold on them. They are even friendlier than the harlequins, come right up to my feet to get their treats. They wag their tails like puppy dogs, and already seem to be developing personalities. I don't know if they're male or female yet, but I do think I hear some quiet trilling. They are supposed to be the quietest duck. One of the reasons we got them is to keep the flies and gophers down. They're already trying hard to hunt flies, and they're only 6 weeks old! they're supposed to be a good duck for eggs too, though not as good as the harlequins. That's ok though, we have plenty from the harlequins.

Duck eggs are awesome for baking - something about them makes baked goods extra light and fluffy. One of our friends is allergic to chicken eggs, but can handle duck eggs just fine.

We used to have chickens, barred rocks, black australorps, and buff orpingtons, but we gave them up once we saw how much we liked the ducks. Ducks aren't as hard on each other as chickens can be, and they don't dig up plants as much. They're much better at foraging. They do poop a lot, and it's more liquid than chicken poop. It's easy to wash down with a hose. As far as work, I find them easier than chickens by far. They take less feed because they forage so well. They seem to be healthier than chickens. In the evening I go out on the deck, call "scoot, scoot," and the whole little flock obediently waddles into the duck house for the night. A pond isn't necessary as long as you have a source of drinking water deep enough for them to clear their bills. We do fill a little plastic kiddie pool with water for them on hot days, and they love that.

I don't have any pictures right now, but I can post some later if you'd like. You can't go wrong with harlequins, and so far I love the Muscovys too.

 

[SMonroe1990]

I really like my Welsh Harlequins. They are beautiful, friendly, and quite calm for ducks. They outlay chickens, when you count eggs per year, and they can keep laying for longer than chickens. They do quack, but only when they're startled, or when there's a predator around, or when they're out of feed. Mostly they're pretty quiet, though they do like mutter to each other about things. That's not a loud sound though. Houses are pretty close together where I live, our closest neighbors aren't more than 20 to 30 feet from us, if that far, and they haven't bothered the neighbors at all. Actually, our closest neighbor loves the ducks - she's quite a gardener, and she's noticed a huge reduction in the number of slugs and snails in her garden. We have three harlequins right now, and one Black Swede. The Swede doesn't lay as much as the harlequins, and it is a bit larger, but it is also fairly quiet and friendly.

We also have three Muscovy ducklings, and so far I'm sold on them. They are even friendlier than the harlequins, come right up to my feet to get their treats. They wag their tails like puppy dogs, and already seem to be developing personalities. I don't know if they're male or female yet, but I do think I hear some quiet trilling. They are supposed to be the quietest duck. One of the reasons we got them is to keep the flies and gophers down. They're already trying hard to hunt flies, and they're only 6 weeks old! they're supposed to be a good duck for eggs too, though not as good as the harlequins. That's ok though, we have plenty from the harlequins.

Duck eggs are awesome for baking - something about them makes baked goods extra light and fluffy. One of our friends is allergic to chicken eggs, but can handle duck eggs just fine.

We used to have chickens, barred rocks, black australorps, and buff orpingtons, but we gave them up once we saw how much we liked the ducks. Ducks aren't as hard on each other as chickens can be, and they don't dig up plants as much. They're much better at foraging. They do poop a lot, and it's more liquid than chicken poop. It's easy to wash down with a hose. As far as work, I find them easier than chickens by far. They take less feed because they forage so well. They seem to be healthier than chickens. In the evening I go out on the deck, call "scoot, scoot," and the whole little flock obediently waddles into the duck house for the night. A pond isn't necessary as long as you have a source of drinking water deep enough for them to clear their bills. We do fill a little plastic kiddie pool with water for them on hot days, and they love that.

I don't have any pictures right now, but I can post some later if you'd like. You can't go wrong with harlequins, and so far I love the Muscovys too.

I will keep all of that in mind. I have a mix flock of chickens right now too and if I decide after having some ducks that I like the ducks better than I won't get anymore chickens after I butcher mine. I have heard how good ducks eggs are for baking and that was another reason I wanted to get a couple. I love to bake and tend to bake a lot in winter. I may have to look into muscovys again, it all depends on where I can order a small amount from. I planned on getting a plastic kiddie pool if I got them to let them swim in. I heard the water that comes out of that is really good for gardens and such.

smonkeySK I might try to slip a call duck in there. I also might just go with a mix. Get 3 or 4 different breeds. It all depends on where I can find ducks next year or where I decide to order them offline from. I know I will probably get hooked on them, it's some of the reasons I'm happy I'm not living on a farm, yet, it means I can only have as many as I have space for. Which I think it's only going to be about 3 or 4. I plan on moving my chickens down to the same run where the ducks are going so I can scrub the coop down that I have now and raise my own turkeys for thanksgiving next year also. All of this does depend on whether or not I end up having the money to buy what I would need to make this happen.

 

[Tevyes Dad]

I have pictures of all my ducks in my signature if you wish to see them. When we got our ducks it was for pets and eggs so we went up and down the Metzer site like a shopping list and got all different ducks (so we could name them and easily tell them apart).

A note on noise: all 13 ducks are relatively quiet most of the time. They forage right behind our house and mostly we don't hear them at all unless a person or animal approaches. In the morning when the door to their house opens, they all make noise for about 15 minutes. Welcoming the morning. When we go in the back yard where they are, they are excited to see us and make some noise. If we have treats, they make more noise. But mostly they "talk" This varies by each breed. Also, it was nearly as loud when we had only our two Rouen girls. Currently, they almost never quack (since someone else in the flock is doing it)... When they were by themselves, they were the ones that quacked for all the above reasons. So my breed observations apply to my flock and I imagine the hierarchy has something to do with when they quack also. I think if you have a neighbor with a dog/cat at the fence, a lot of squirrels or people approaching your property all the time, it will be much noisier than if you don't and this will make a bigger difference the the breed you select.

Runners: MOST likely to quack. And LOUD when they do. Their "talking" is frequently a very fast nasally chatter that is louder than most, but not anywhere near "quack" volume. They are the first ones to ______. You can put anything in the blank you wish. They are the first to greet you the first to see another animal outside the fence, in the air, in a tree... When our Rouen drake says, "off to the back yard", they are the first to get there. Our chocolate runner in particular is always in the middle of everything. We joke that she is the activity director and coordinator, running around with a clipboard taking notes. When we walk around the yard, they escort us. If you like watching ducks doing ducky things, they do more of them faster than the rest of the flock. They are great fun, but if noise is a primary concern, probably not the best choice.

Pekin: Has only really quacked a couple times ever but it can be very loud. However, she is the most vocal of our ducks. She usually talks in a screechy voice which sounds kind of like a double loud drake quack - loud enough that if she is right by the wall of the house, I can hear her, but mostly you can't here her from inside. And it isn't even close to as loud as a real quack. Since it was mentioned earlier that the Pekins are plain. My wife wasn't too excited about getting a Pekin because they are so "plain". She is now one of my wife's favorites because she is so beautiful. With big beautiful blue eyes. They are big, fluffy, goofy and very smart. Our Pekin is one of the more social ducks with us.

Swedish: We have both a black and a blue Swedish. They are very regal looking and the black Swedish gets the same beetle coloring on her feathers as the Cayuga. In fact, when they were both in their teenage feathers, the Black Swedish out-shown the Cayuga. (In their adult feathers, I would say they are about the same). They almost never quack in our flock and their "talking" is the same throaty thunk thunk that most ducks have, but at a lower pitch. I personally really like their voices. They started off a little more standoffish, but are now quite sociable. They are the peacemakers in the flock (funny because they were the bullies in the brooder).

Cayuga: She also doesn't quack too much. She has the typical throaty "thunk thunk" voice like most of the ducks. Ours is very aggressive toward the other ducks and pecks at them / chases them frequently. Guess someone has to be alpha female. Don't know if that is typical of the breed or just my flock. She isn't skittish, but isn't overly friendly either. She will eat out of our hands, but won't just hang with us for no reason.

Welsh Harlequin: She is the most likely to quack after the runners, but it is only 1 or 2 quacks, then she is done. She talks in the normal duck voice. She is definitely one of the most beautiful of our ducks. She is very calm and a bit shy. She doesn't interact with us or the other ducks as much as the others (she isn't just a bump in the lawn, just not as interactive as the rest of the flock). When we feed the flock lettuce, she usually positions herself under my chair and peeks her head out between my legs. This gives her front row access without having to battle the other ducks for position. If I don't notice her, she will nibble at my legs to let me know she is there.

Rouen: They were good engaged ducks when that was all we had. When we got the rest of the flock, they were reduced to second-class citizens in the flock. It has been 4 months and they are getting better. Hopefully they will eventually fully integrate into the flock. They are very sweet, but they are wary since the flock keeps a little pressure on them.

If you are looking at quiet, beauty and eggs, I would go with the Swedish, Cayuga, or WH. But I have read (and can easily believe from my flock) that Pekins can make the best companion ducks so if that is part of your equation, then I wouldn't discount them either. In fact, if you are getting more than one, I would go with an assortment. It makes them easier to tell apart - even more so when they are ducklings. We have had our two Rouen girls nearly a year and we can tell them apart when they are up close, but if one is darting across the yard by itself, we can't tell you which one it is.

 

[SMonroe1990]

I have pictures of all my ducks in my signature if you wish to see them. When we got our ducks it was for pets and eggs so we went up and down the Metzer site like a shopping list and got all different ducks (so we could name them and easily tell them apart).

A note on noise: all 13 ducks are relatively quiet most of the time. They forage right behind our house and mostly we don't hear them at all unless a person or animal approaches. In the morning when the door to their house opens, they all make noise for about 15 minutes. Welcoming the morning. When we go in the back yard where they are, they are excited to see us and make some noise. If we have treats, they make more noise. But mostly they "talk" This varies by each breed. Also, it was nearly as loud when we had only our two Rouen girls. Currently, they almost never quack (since someone else in the flock is doing it)... When they were by themselves, they were the ones that quacked for all the above reasons. So my breed observations apply to my flock and I imagine the hierarchy has something to do with when they quack also. I think if you have a neighbor with a dog/cat at the fence, a lot of squirrels or people approaching your property all the time, it will be much noisier than if you don't and this will make a bigger difference the the breed you select.

Runners: MOST likely to quack. And LOUD when they do. Their "talking" is frequently a very fast nasally chatter that is louder than most, but not anywhere near "quack" volume. They are the first ones to ______. You can put anything in the blank you wish. They are the first to greet you the first to see another animal outside the fence, in the air, in a tree... When our Rouen drake says, "off to the back yard", they are the first to get there. Our chocolate runner in particular is always in the middle of everything. We joke that she is the activity director and coordinator, running around with a clipboard taking notes. When we walk around the yard, they escort us. If you like watching ducks doing ducky things, they do more of them faster than the rest of the flock. They are great fun, but if noise is a primary concern, probably not the best choice.

Pekin: Has only really quacked a couple times ever but it can be very loud. However, she is the most vocal of our ducks. She usually talks in a screechy voice which sounds kind of like a double loud drake quack - loud enough that if she is right by the wall of the house, I can hear her, but mostly you can't here her from inside. And it isn't even close to as loud as a real quack. Since it was mentioned earlier that the Pekins are plain. My wife wasn't too excited about getting a Pekin because they are so "plain". She is now one of my wife's favorites because she is so beautiful. With big beautiful blue eyes. They are big, fluffy, goofy and very smart. Our Pekin is one of the more social ducks with us.

Swedish: We have both a black and a blue Swedish. They are very regal looking and the black Swedish gets the same beetle coloring on her feathers as the Cayuga. In fact, when they were both in their teenage feathers, the Black Swedish out-shown the Cayuga. (In their adult feathers, I would say they are about the same). They almost never quack in our flock and their "talking" is the same throaty thunk thunk that most ducks have, but at a lower pitch. I personally really like their voices. They started off a little more standoffish, but are now quite sociable. They are the peacemakers in the flock (funny because they were the bullies in the brooder).

Cayuga: She also doesn't quack too much. She has the typical throaty "thunk thunk" voice like most of the ducks. Ours is very aggressive toward the other ducks and pecks at them / chases them frequently. Guess someone has to be alpha female. Don't know if that is typical of the breed or just my flock. She isn't skittish, but isn't overly friendly either. She will eat out of our hands, but won't just hang with us for no reason.

Welsh Harlequin: She is the most likely to quack after the runners, but it is only 1 or 2 quacks, then she is done. She talks in the normal duck voice. She is definitely one of the most beautiful of our ducks. She is very calm and a bit shy. She doesn't interact with us or the other ducks as much as the others (she isn't just a bump in the lawn, just not as interactive as the rest of the flock). When we feed the flock lettuce, she usually positions herself under my chair and peeks her head out between my legs. This gives her front row access without having to battle the other ducks for position. If I don't notice her, she will nibble at my legs to let me know she is there.

Rouen: They were good engaged ducks when that was all we had. When we got the rest of the flock, they were reduced to second-class citizens in the flock. It has been 4 months and they are getting better. Hopefully they will eventually fully integrate into the flock. They are very sweet, but they are wary since the flock keeps a little pressure on them.

If you are looking at quiet, beauty and eggs, I would go with the Swedish, Cayuga, or WH. But I have read (and can easily believe from my flock) that Pekins can make the best companion ducks so if that is part of your equation, then I wouldn't discount them either. In fact, if you are getting more than one, I would go with an assortment. It makes them easier to tell apart - even more so when they are ducklings. We have had our two Rouen girls nearly a year and we can tell them apart when they are up close, but if one is darting across the yard by itself, we can't tell you which one it is.

Thank you for all the info. Your ducks are beautiful. I do plan on getting more then one. The amount would be dependent on how much room I have where I am placing the new coop. After what everyone has told me on here I think going with a mix would be best. I can always figure out which breed I like better and get more of them later on. I'm not so much looking for a companion duck, but I don't exactly want one that's going to be skittish or frightened every time I go into the pen with them. I am thinking the more people tell me it sounds like Cayugas and WH are what I am looking for.

Thank you everyone for your input it has been most helpful.

 

[Alice28]

We have two anconas and one Muscovy. We wanted them for eggs, but it looks like we might have gotten two drakes Anywas, are anconas are amazing foragers! You see them going through the grass all day eating bugs! Are Muscovy (who I sadly think is a drake) is so funny and definitely the friendliest. Anconas are are good layers to and they really aren't loud at all. I highly recommend both breeds. Muscovys fly, so you might have to clip wings, which isn't a big deal. Anconas don't fly. If you want eggs and foragers anconas are really good. We had insane amounts of snails last year! We live in town, it's not like we have a big yard, but snails were everywhere! It was not uncommon for me to find 20 or more a day! This year, most days I don't find any. The most I've found in a day is maybe five. HUGE difference! I just sit and watch them going after bugs. They are so funny!

 

[SMonroe1990]

We have two anconas and one Muscovy. We wanted them for eggs, but it looks like we might have gotten two drakes

Anywas, are anconas are amazing foragers! You see them going through the grass all day eating bugs! Are Muscovy (who I sadly think is a drake) is so funny and definitely the friendliest. Anconas are are good layers to and they really aren't loud at all. I highly recommend both breeds. Muscovys fly, so you might have to clip wings, which isn't a big deal. Anconas don't fly. If you want eggs and foragers anconas are really good. We had insane amounts of snails last year! We live in town, it's not like we have a big yard, but snails were everywhere! It was not uncommon for me to find 20 or more a day! This year, most days I don't find any. The most I've found in a day is maybe five. HUGE difference! I just sit and watch them going after bugs. They are so funny!

I will have to keep the anconas in mind. I think muscovys are out for me unless I find someplace that sells them local to me or online that doesn't have a minimum order for them. I know Meyers you need to order 6, not sure what other places sell them. I am sorry to hear that you might have two drakes. Are you going to at least keep one, if not both, if it turns out you do have two? I will definitely keep anconas in mind when I come to make my decision next year. I think it's going to boil down to ordering from Ideal since they don't have a duck minimum and I plan on ordering turkeys to raise and butcher too. Anyone get their ducklings from Ideal?

 

[Alice28]

I will have to keep the anconas in mind.  I think muscovys are out for me unless I find someplace that sells them local to me or online that doesn't have a minimum order for them.  I know Meyers you need to order 6, not sure what other places sell them.  I am sorry to hear that you might have two drakes.  Are you going to at least keep one, if not both, if it turns out you do have two?  I will definitely keep anconas in mind when I come to make my decision next year.  I think it's going to boil down to ordering from Ideal since they don't have a duck minimum and I plan on ordering turkeys to raise and butcher too.  Anyone get their ducklings from Ideal? 

You can also try going to a thread here with the kind of ducks you want and see if anyone will ship to you! We are for sure keeping the Ancona drake and we might hatch out some ducklings. The Muscovy, if a drake, might hurt are Ancona girl.... she is very small. Not sure if I mentioned, but anconas also don't fly. I also really like there markings. When I was researching ducks my husband and I narrowed it down to magpies, runners, khaki Campbell's and anconas. They all lay lots if eggs, don't really fly and do well in rural environments. Not sure where you live, but you might want to look into those breeds too

 

[SMonroe1990]

You can also try going to a thread here with the kind of ducks you want and see if anyone will ship to you! We are for sure keeping the Ancona drake and we might hatch out some ducklings. The Muscovy, if a drake, might hurt are Ancona girl.... she is very small. Not sure if I mentioned, but anconas also don't fly. I also really like there markings. When I was researching ducks my husband and I narrowed it down to magpies, runners, khaki Campbell's and anconas. They all lay lots if eggs, don't really fly and do well in rural environments. Not sure where you live, but you might want to look into those breeds too

Thank you. I live in a kind of the country but I have two neighbors that are right across the road from me. Other than that my neighbors aren't close. One of the neighbors is a drunk and the other is a person that come up from the city I think. That was why I was kind of looking for breeds that were about the same loudness as chickens. I know with my EEs I don't hear them until I'm right on top of the coop. I will have to look into seeing if anyone on her will ship ducklings my way. I wouldn't even mind driving a couple hours to get them to save the whole shipping process.

 

[Alice28]

Thank you.  I live in a kind of the country but I have two neighbors that are right across the road from me.  Other than that my neighbors aren't close.  One of the neighbors is a drunk and the other is a person that come up from the city I think.  That was why I was kind of looking for breeds that were about the same loudness as chickens.  I know with my EEs I don't hear them until I'm right on top of the coop.  I will have to look into seeing if anyone on her will ship ducklings my way.  I wouldn't even mind driving a couple hours to get them to save the whole shipping process.

Well I rarely hear my anconas. We have close neighbors and no one has ever said a thing. I hear them, but they aren't loud and they don't make any noise at night. Once you decide you should start asking around on here or at your local feed stores. You would be surprised. I went in to are local feed store with my list of ducks I had narrowed it down to, the poultry lady there (anyone around here with poultry knows this is THE lady to talk to!) and she breeds anconas! I was talking to her about magpies and she said "what about anconas?" She had a book and showed me the info on every kind of duck on my list! I also bought stories guide to raising ducks (you should read that!). You will be very surprised if you start asking around you might find someone close by with just what you want

 

[SMonroe1990]

Well I rarely hear my anconas. We have close neighbors and no one has ever said a thing. I hear them, but they aren't loud and they don't make any noise at night. Once you decide you should start asking around on here or at your local feed stores. You would be surprised. I went in to are local feed store with my list of ducks I had narrowed it down to, the poultry lady there (anyone around here with poultry knows this is THE lady to talk to!) and she breeds anconas! I was talking to her about magpies and she said "what about anconas?" She had a book and showed me the info on every kind of duck on my list! I also bought stories guide to raising ducks (you should read that!). You will be very surprised if you start asking around you might find someone close by with just what you want

Thank you for all your advice. I will definitely keep anconas in mind. Especially if they are quiet like you say. I love the sounds of ducks quacking so I don't want to eliminate that completely but a quieter breed would be best. I think I'm going to go with four ducks and get one of a couple of breeds. I am nowhere near ready for ducks this year though so unfortunately they are going to have to wait until next year, but that gives me plenty of time to find out where I am getting them from. I can ask my local Agway if they order ducks, but I don't think they do. Maybe if they order chicks from a hatchery that also does ducks they wouldn't mind adding some ducks to an order for me. I will have to ask the gentleman when the time gets closer to me actually buying the ducks. I will look into the book also. I'm trying to do as much research on them now as I can before I get them.