I have to say, right from the start that I am in love with ducks. I love hearing them quack, and I love their personalities. That’s what makes ducks much more fun than chickens. They love to come and hang out with you and are very curious in seeing what you are doing!
Ducklings are a great animal to start with. Whereas chicks grow into chickens quite quickly, ducklings take their time to mature. Which gives the kids a longer time to play and handle them. They greet you when you come by and will follow behind you. They are a friendly animal.
KHAKI-CAMPBELL
Khaki-Campbell: Strictly an egg-laying duck. They will lay 300 – 325 eggs a year! They continue through the winter. They will be good layers for 3 to 4 years. The females are seal-brown and the males are the same with touches of darker brown. They are excellent forages and withstand cool climates very well. They weigh about 4 1/2 pounds
Although Khaki’s are excellent egg layers, I do find them a little flighty and not as apt to be buddies with you, so if you want a calm, docile duck, Khaki’s may not be the one for you.
But if you are looking for eggs to eat or hatch out in an incubator (they don’t go broody) …this duck rivals any chicken!
WELSH HARLEQUIN
The Welsh Harlequin is a dual purpose duck. That means they are pretty good egg layers and are big enough for a meat bird.
The Welsh Harlequin is a lightweight breed at 5-6 pounds. Harlequins are streamlined, with relatively long bodies. The color and patterning of the Harlequin is complicated. The drake’s head is greenish black, shoulders reddish chestnut frosted with white, and breast creamy with reddish-chestnut. The upper back has a tortoise effect in cream, white, brown, and chestnut while forewings are cream-white and reddish brown, with a shiny green and bronze cross-band. The tail is blackish/bronze edged in white, the legs and feet are orange, and toenails are brownish-black.
The duck has a creamy white head with brown stippling. Often there is a delicate light rust or burnt orange blush to her head, neck, and breast. The crown of the head typically has more brown stippling than the rest of the head. Her body is creamy white with buff and brown-green or bronze bands on her wings. Her tail is a mixture of creamy white and brown. Her legs are orange when young, and brown when older. Toenails are brownish-black. Welsh Harlequin duck and drake ducklings may exhibit a subtle sex-linked difference in bill color at birth.
Harlequins are primarily raised for their wonderful practical attributes. They are highly adaptable, and are outstanding layers producing 240-330 white shelled eggs yearly. They are active foragers, excellent producers of lean meat, beautifully colored and pluck almost as cleanly as white birds when dressed for meat.
There is a critical need for more conservation breeders of Harlequins. Their excellent laying ability, lean meat, and stunning plumage make them a great addition to any small farmstead or backyard producer’s flock.
I find these ducks to be friendly and with a great personality. These are my favorite egg layers.
These ducks are on the “critical” list of the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy
SWEDISH
Another dual purpose duck.
Drakes 8 pounds, and the hens are 7 pounds. Will lay 100-150 mostly white eggs with an occasional blue tint. They are very hardy ducks and good foragers.
These attractive ducks are known for their blue color, and have a white bib that runs down the breast. The Black variety is black with a bib.
The Swedish is a medium sized bird that weighs between 6 1/2 and 8 pounds.
The Swedish matures fairly slowly and provides well-flavored meat. This special flavor may be attributed to the fact that the Swedish prefers to have an orchard or paddock in which it can forage, and grass and natural foods assist in the development of succulent flesh. In confinement they do not thrive as well.
Some say they are less prone to predator attacks due to their coloring
Typically they have calm temperaments and make fine pets.
These ducks are on the “watch” list of the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy
ROUEN (pronounced Roan)
These ducks are similar to the wild Mallard duck in looks. With the beautiful green head. They are larger and unlike the Mallard, cannot fly, which is a trait I love!
Among the domestic ducks raised by French farmers several hundred years ago were some resembling large Mallards. Around 1800, these ducks reached England, where they were variously called “Rhone,” for an area in southwest France, “Rohan,” for a Catholic Cardinal, “Roan,” a mixture of colors, and finally “Rouen,” for a town in north central France.
Rouen ducks are one of my favorites because of the coloring. They are a friendly duck, waddling over to see if I’ve brought out any treats.
Although they don’t lay many eggs (35 – 150), these ducks are excellent meat birds. They can be procesed at 2 1/2 – 6 months of age.
One light drake can service 4 or 5 ducks. The ducks will lay 3+ years. THese ducks also do well in wooded areas, like ours, where a rugged duck with good urvival instincts are required.
They grow slowly, tend to stay close to home, and are kid friendly.
Chinese White Pekin
The most common is the Chinese White Pekin: A large all white breed that are disease and stress resistant, and one of the most popular breeds for a homestead as it is efficient for meat production.
They grow very quickly and can be ready to process in a little as 7 weeks of age.
Originally in China in ancient times. The drakes get to be 10 pounds and hens 9 pounds. One drake can service 3-5 ducks.
They are not a foraging duck, and the females can be noisy. They are a good layer, and will lay 125 – 175 eggs a year!
Although these birds dress out really well, with white feathers and white skin, they are a a bit high-strung and are poor setters.
We do not raise them because we are interested in the ducks foraging trait, but Chinese do very well in a fenced area.
MUSCOVY (pronounced Mus-coh-vee)
These are the ducks with the mask of red skin on their beaks. These are the carruncles on their faces which is more predominant in the males. They are somewhat warty looking. The males are large, weighing up to twelve pounds, with the smaller females reaching only seven.
In females the carruncles aren’t as predominant, and the bright red dulls to a deep orange when they’re broody, right through to raising their ducklings. This is very obvious to the males to warn them to stay away!
Muscovies are not related to any other duck, in fact some believe they are descended from geese rather than ducks. in fact, hey are the only breed of duck that did not originate from the Mallard.
The meat of the Muscovy is unlike that of the other domestic ducks. the meat is dark and very lean . It is not greasy. To cook, slow roast to tenderize the meat as it can be tough on an older bird, and baste frequently as it is so lean
They’re quiet and friendly, they hunt flies (seriously), are very hardy, and produce fabulous eggs and the best duck meat ever.
Muscovy ducks are the quietest of ducks. They do not quack like a regular duck. Instead these guys nod their heads, wag their tails and have a gentle kind of hiss as a greeting.
Can you tell that the Muscovy Duck is a favorite of mine?
Duck Housing
HOUSING:
By age 8 weeks, ducklings can do without shelter, except for shade from the sun, or from chilling rains and freezing weather. By the time they are adults, no housing is necessary at all! Some owners like to provide either a 3 sided shelter, or a totally enclosed shack. They will adapt to this, and enjoy being our of the wind, which they dislike. They do not lie to be confined in a building all the time.
They will lay their eggs before 9 am and are a very habitual animal. If you lock them up every night they will return to their shelter on their own.
If they are to be confined, they need 8″ of floor space and plenty of water.
WATER:
Ducks need water to eat and not choke. Keep a water dish handy, large enough to dip their entire heads into.
For young ducklings, a trough about 2″ deep and 1″ wide will work.
They are VERY MESSY! and enjoy splashing around. Put a thick layer of wood shavings (never cedar as they can cause respiratory problems) on the floor.
DO NOT let the ducklings get totally wet and chilled. THIS COULD KILL THEM! If your duckling gets soaked, dry them with a towel and hair dryer.
I’ve read different accouts saying that the mother duck coats the babies with a waterproof oil from her tail, and other’s say the ducklings have it themselves.
Either way, a cold wet, soaked duckling can and will die. For this reason, we are very careful in the early weeks, t make sure they have water to drink, but not to soak themselves.
Under supervision, in a sink or tub, they will have a lot of fun.
FEEDING:
Ducklings should NOT be given medicated chick starter feed. Some medications for coccidiosis can cause death
Commercial Feeds: Ducks do best on crumbles, rather than mash. You can feed them ducking starter, turkey poult starter or gamebird starter.
Ducks need a very low protein diet in order to avoid “angel wing”
Angel wing is a condition where the last joint on the wing is distorted and causes the end feathers to stick out laterally – or sideways – instead of lying against the body like the wings should. If only one wing is affected, it’s typically the left wing for reasons unknown.
Switch to a lower protein diet after 3 weeks or so. 3-9 weeks: (15-17% protein). 9-20 weeks: (15% protein). 21 weeks – old age: (layer feed – 15% protein with added calcium).
You can also add the following ingredients to chicken layer feed to help your ducks get the nutrition they need:
Brewers Yeast. This will give ducks niacin which helps with proper bone growth.
Or: pure niacin powder goes in water. 1/8 tsp, is already 273 mg, in a gallon of water
Oats. Add raw, uncooked oats to the feed, gradually increasing to a 25% oat to 75% feed ratio. This will lower the amount of protein you are feeding your ducks. Protein is used in bone growth. If you lower the amount of protein in your ducks diet, their bones won’t grow as fast.
Homegrown Starter: This can make the duckling very messy and cause their feathers to matte, but if you watch them carefully and want to save money, this is the way to go…
Breakfast: cooked oatmeal covered with a little water
Lunch: Scrambled eggs covered with a little water
Dinner: homemade whole wheat bread with water covering it. Chop up some tender greens such as onion tops, dandelion greens, and sprinkle on top of the water.
Month-old: By 4 weeks, ducklings can forage for tender grass, clover, green leafy plants, insects, slugs, snails, weeds, berries, and seed. You can add to this: housescraps, milk, and hardboiled eggs.
Ducklings are fed all they will clean up three or four times daily for the first four weeks and then may be cut down to two feeds daily. Sand or grit, or both, must be kept before them at all times
Ducks do eat some green feed and farm flocks are usually allowed to run at large. Cut green feed can be supplied to the birds when they must be kept inside in bad weather.
DO NOT feed cracked or whole grains until they are at least 4 weeks old. Feed once in the evening, unless they are not able to forage, then feed twice a day.
Older ones get feeder fish in their pool, which is fun for them.
SWIMMING: Adult ducks do not need a pond to swim in, but a little baby pool with clean water will be readily enjoyed. We have raised ducks for many years without a pond to swim in. They get wet and splash about in troughs, muck buckets, and rain puddles!
