Ducks, Ducks, Ducks

Ducks, Ducks, Ducks









Marjorie Bender

American Livestock Breeds Conservancy

Know your goals

then pick the breed that

best fits your needs

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

Lightweight Breeds

– High egg production

– Excellent foragers

– Poor to Fair mothers

– Flightier & Fliers

 Campbell

 Welsh Harlequin

 Runner

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

Runner

 a.k.a. Indian Runner

 Come in many colors

 Most active foragers

 150 – 300 eggs per

year

 Herd-able

 WATCH category

Medium-weight Breeds

– Dual purpose – eggs & meat

– Moderately fast growth rate

– Good foragers

– Fair to Good mothers  Magpie

 Ancona

 Cayuga

 Orpington

 Swedish

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

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

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

Swedish

 100 – 150 eggs per year

 Eggs white, tinted, blue,

or green

 Weighs 7 – 8 pounds

 WATCH category

Heavy-weight Breeds

– Meat production

– Rapid weight gain

– Moderate layers

 Appleyard

– Calm temperaments

 Aylesbury

– Home bodies if well fed

 Muscovy

– Variable mothering ability

 Pekin

 Rouen

 Saxony

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

Aylesbury

 35 – 125 eggs per year

 Eggs white, tinted, or green

 9 – 10 pounds

 White skinned

 CRITICAL category

Muscovy

 50 – 125 eggs per year

 Female 7 #; Male 12 #

 Fly and roost

 Quiet breed – don’t 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.

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.

Rouen

 35 – 125 eggs per

year

 9 – 10 pounds

 Market duck prior

to Pekin

 Excellent roaster

 Production &

exhibition strains

 WATCH category

Saxony

 190 – 240 eggs per year

 8 – 9 pounds

 Active forager

 Adapt well to many environments

 CRITICAL category

Know your goals

then pick the breed that

best fits your needs