Which ducks are the best layers

They all love to swim and play in water, they all love to patrol for slugs and snails, they all lay delicious, rich eggs, they all are very disease resistant, and they are all fun to watch as they go about their daily life.

If this is what you want then any breed of duck will work for you. This is easy. You want Khaki Campbells or a strain bred for egg production. We have developed the Golden and White Layer exactly for this purpose. These birds will lay as well as the best chicken and sometimes surpass them. The eggs are larger than chicken eggs and richer in protein, vitamins, and minerals per ounce than chicken eggs.

Even if you are a seasoned chicken-keeper, these breeds will amaze you with their year-round egg production. To answer this, we asked our team members that care for our ducks on a daily basis. These are the people that are with the birds every day—collecting eggs, spreading bedding, feeding, etc. Each of them ranked the most nervous breed as a 10 and the calmest as a 1 and then graded all breeds from 1 to We averaged their scores and you can see the results in the attached table.

It is important to keep in mind that these are averages for large flocks. Small flocks have a different dynamic and are typically calmer than large flocks, especially if they are around people much of the time.

In addition, there is a great variability in personality of birds within a breed. I know there are very calm, loving White Crested or Khaki Campbell ducks out there that their owners feel are the very best, calmest duck ever. Ability to escape from predators. The only breed we have that can quickly become airborne is the Mallard.

If you cannot shut your birds in at night for protection and must rely on the protection of a pond, then Mallards are your answer. They will start flying at about 10 weeks and be excellent flyers by 15 weeks.

Of course any wild, flying duck such as a Wood or Mandarin duck meets this criteria, but are often difficult to find. Muscovy ducks on the other hand, are excellent at hatching and raising several broods of ducklings every year. Other breeds can do it but the Muscovy is the best by far. Provide her a safe place to have a nest, good food, clean water, and a mate and she will the do the rest for you. You want to help preserve a rare breed of duck? The Livestock Conservancy uses a poultry census to determine which breeds are gaining or losing in population…and some are downright rare.

The eggs produced by hens are smaller than the ones produced by top quality egg and multi-purpose breeds. Typically a Rouen hen should be expected to lay around to eggs per year — if you are lucky.

Mature female Rouen ducks usually grow to weigh between six to seven pounds. A mature male Rouen should be expected to hit the eight to 10 pound mark. While they are a hardy duck that grows substantially large, it takes a few weeks longer, on average, for them to hit butcher weight than the other meat duck breeds included in this guide. The meat produced by Rouen ducks is often considered not just a flavorful lean meat, but one that is also quite juicy and without any of the greasiness that can be associated with duck meat.

Birds included in this breed are also big foragers and love free ranging. I have not personally found Rouen ducks to be as intelligent or easy to train as Pekins, they still are able to learn a barnyard routine fairly quickly and do not wreak havoc at put up time. There is nothing more frustrating for a homesteader or backyard keeper than having to chase one or two ducks around a coop as night starts to fall because the little feathered cutie refuses to go into the coop.

Rouen ducks are fairly quiet more so than Pekins and they will not take to coming and sitting in your lap for a good scratching like some chickens, they are not skittish and have a pleasant demeanor. Keeping ducks is no more difficult than keeping chickens.

Raising ducks and chickens together is completely feasible as well. In fact, because they do not crow at dawn, spawn aggressive males to keep increasing flock numbers, and learn a free ranging routine with ease, I would argue that duck husbandry is far easier than keeping a coop of even just laying hens. The only additional work that keeping ducks for meat, eggs, or both could entail in reference to raising chickens , is the need for a water feature if the birds are not going to be butchered at six weeks old.

Keeping the ducks healthy so they produce meat and eggs you want to feed your family requires the same coop cleaning and disinfecting routine. I have never had a problem keeping ducks, chickens, and guineas together. But, I would highly recommend against adding turkeys or pheasants into the same coop and run due to the size and hardiness differences between the various types of poultry birds. Your email address will not be published. Skip to content Search.

The Ultimate Duck Breed Guide. Choosing The Best Duck Breed Before you go and purchase a box of cute little ducklings, several factors must be taken into consideration for the new homesteading endeavor to yield successful results. Usage — Some duck breeds are raised almost exclusively for meat, others for their eggs. Determining how you want to use the duck flock should drastically influence the breed or breeds you decide to keep.

Housing — Next,, you must consider the space available to create a coop and run. Even if you are going to free range the ducks, they should still have an enclosed outdoor run area attached to their coop for exercise, sunlight, and increased airflow during times they are not released to range.

If you become ill, busy, go on vacation, or a predator is roaming about, it may become necessary for the ducks to remain in a secure environment for many days or even a few weeks. Some duck breeds do far better in a confined environment than others. Knowing the breed characteristics or personality will greatly help you determine which type will best fit your planned husbandry style.

Cost — All domesticated duck breeds are excellent at feeding themselves if they free range and have some type of pond to splash about and hunt in, in my personal experience. These activities not only keep feeding costs down but also provide the ducks with a far more healthy and natural diet during the spring, summer, and fall months.

But, during the winter, you will need to budget for a pound bag of feed once a week for a flock of a dozen ducks, on average. If you are raising the ducks for meat, a high-protein or game bird feed and larger daily supplements, may be necessary.

Flock Continuity — If you are going to hatch ducklings to sell or or to raise to maturity to keep flock numbers steady or growing, a brooder must be purchased or built, as well as small feeders , waterers , and heat lamps purchased. Some duck breeds are excellent layers but lousy sitters, this is something that also must be taken into consideration when determining what duck breed to raise.

The average lifespan of ducks is eight to 10 years. Domestication — It is essential that you purchase domesticated duck breeds if you do not want the birds to fly away from your homestead or backyard — or migrate during the winter months.

Domesticated duck breeds , especially the heavier meat birds, have only the ability to fly roughly one foot in the air and to travel a distance of only a foot or so. All of the ducks featured in this guide are regularly sold as domesticated breeds and readily available from hatcheries , agriculture stores, or localized poultry bird breeders.

Top 4 Duck Egg Breeds Duck breeds generally offer more eggs during the long cold months of winter than chickens on average, in my personal experience. Khaki Campbell This duck breed is not only excellent at laying large which and delicious eggs, but at sitting them, as well. Pekins This is my favorite duck breed. Silver Appleyards This heritage breed of duck is exceptionally hardy. Silver Appleyard Ducklings Silver Appleyard Ducks Due to their size, Silver Appleyard ducks are raised for their meat as well as their eggs, They are excellent foragers with a docile demeanor.

Indian Runners These rather odd looking ducks are also superb layers. Top 4 Meat Duck Breeds If keeping ducks is entirely or primarily being engaged in for meat purposes, choosing a larger duck breed known for achieving good muscle tone is a priority. Pekins Although the many attributes most often associated with this breed have already been noted above, there is still a little more worth learning about this breed while pondering selection options.

Muscovy Muscovy ducks are the quietest breed of duck you can purchase — they do not quack and can only make a low hissing type of sound. Muscovy Duck Hen In Water With Ducklings These odd ducks are voracious eaters and poor egg layers and should never be considered a multi-purpose bird. Aylesbury The Aylesbury is often considered the most popular backyard and commercial type of duck meat in England.

Flock of Aylesbury Duck Eating Feed While they are not proficient foragers, members of this duck breed are known to be quite docile and interact easily with their keepers. Rouen Although members of this duck breed can easily be mistaken for their wild counterparts — the Mallard ducks, they are a hardy domesticated meat duck breed.

Rouen Duck — Looking Similiar to Wild Counterpart The Mallard Rouen hens are decent egg layers, but miss the mark a bit too much to be deemed a true multi-purpose breed. Welsh Harlequins are among duck breeds that can be raised for meat. Magpies tend to be quieter than other duck breeds, offering peace for those that might not enjoy the constant sound of quacking ducks. This England native is an attractive bird that, like the Magpie, comes in many colors and can produce a variety of white, cream, blue and green eggs.

These birds have calm dispositions, prefer ample foraging space, and make good yard or pond birds, as their size protects them from being the prey of winged predators. The Livestock Conservancy lists the Ancona as critically endangered among duck breeds. Other duck breeds are good egg producers, as well. The breed you choose will depend in part on where you live, which ducks are available for purchase and whether you are interested in helping to raise and protect a rare species; however, if quantity of eggs is your goal, these six breeds are bound to please.

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