Ducks, Ducks, Ducks

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Ducks, Ducks, Ducks

• Marjorie Bender
• American Livestock Breeds Conservancy

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Know your goals then pick the breed that
best fits your needs
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Cautions

• Most breeds of ducks are rare
• May be hard to find and obtain
• ALBC can help
• Wide range in conformation and productivity
• Test stock from different sources
• Lack uniformity
• Consider becoming a breeder

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Lightweight Breeds

• High egg production
• Excellent foragers
• Poor to Fair mothers
• Flightier Fliers

• Campbell
• Welsh Harlequin
• Runner

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Campbell Welsh Harlequin

• Closely related to each other
• 250 340 eggs per year
• White eggs
• Campbells weigh 4 4 ½ Harlequins weigh 1
  more.
• Very adaptable to a range of climates
• Obtain purebred stock that has been selected for
  egg yield
• Campbells WATCH category Welsh Harlequins
  CRITICAL

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Runner

• a.k.a. Indian Runner
• Come in many colors
• Most active foragers
• 150 300 eggs per year
• Herd-able
• WATCH category

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Medium-weight Breeds

• Dual purpose eggs meat
• Moderately fast growth rate
• Good foragers
• Fair to Good mothers

• Magpie
• Ancona
• Cayuga
• Orpington
• Swedish

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Magpie Ancona

• Closely related to one another
• 210 290 eggs per year
• Eggs white, tinted, blue, green or spotted
• Magpie weighs 5 6 pounds Ancona 1 more
• Best foragers and best layers of this group
• Dress cleanly
• CRITICAL category

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Cayuga

• American breed
• Once a significant dual purpose farm duck.
  Replaced by Pekin in 1890s
• 100 150 eggs per year
• Eggs light grey, blue, green, or white
• Weighs 7 8 pounds
• RARE category

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Orpington

• a.k.a Buff
• Excellent dual purpose bird
• 150 220 eggs per year
• Eggs white or tinted
• Weighs 7 8 pounds
• Dress well
• RARE category

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Swedish

• 100 150 eggs per year
• Eggs white, tinted, blue, or green
• Weighs 7 8 pounds
• WATCH category

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Heavy-weight Breeds

• Meat production
• Rapid weight gain
• Moderate layers
• Calm temperaments
• Home bodies if well fed
• Variable mothering ability

• Appleyard
• Aylesbury
• Muscovy
• Pekin
• Rouen
• Saxony

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Silver Appleyard

• Most active foragers and best layers of the
  Heavyweight breeds
• Purported to produce more flavorful meat w/ less
  fat than more rapid growing Pekin
• 200 270 eggs per year
• Eggs white
• Weighs 8 9 pounds
• CRITICAL category

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Aylesbury

• 35 125 eggs per year
• Eggs white, tinted, or green
• 9 10 pounds
• White skinned
• CRITICAL category

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Muscovy

• 50 125 eggs per year
• Female 7 Male 12
• Fly and roost
• Quiet breed dont quack
• Broody
• Aggressive in crowded conditions claws.
• Many strains vary dramatically
• Meat is lean can resemble beef or ham
• Living wild relatives, native to Mexico, Central
  South America.
• Not rare.

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Pekin

• 125 225 eggs per year
• 9 10 pounds
• Popular market duck since arriving from China
• Hardy, rapid growth rate, high feed efficiency
• Calm temperament
• Readily available. Used in commercial production.

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Rouen

• 35 125 eggs per year
• 9 10 pounds
• Market duck prior to Pekin
• Excellent roaster
• Production exhibition strains
• WATCH category

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Saxony

• 190 240 eggs per year
• 8 9 pounds
• Active forager
• Adapt well to many environments
• CRITICAL category

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Know your goals then pick the breed that
best fits your needs