I saw baby ducks at TSC yesterday and want some! I think I want a slightly unusual variety, maybe Blue Swedish or Cayuga rather than plain ol' Pekins. I really don't care about meat or egg laying ability- they'd just be farm ornaments. I thought I'd order 15-20 and sell half later in the spring -if I'm lucky I may break even! What can y'all tell me about either of those two breeds? Are they calm or skittish, hardy or weak, friendly or standoffish etc.

-- shakeytails in KY (shakeytails@yahoo.com), February 03, 2002

Answers

I ordered my first ducks from Ideal and they will be here on Thursday! Can't wait. My daughter picked a pair of crested white and I picked Khaki Campbells since I want the eggs. I would love to have the crested runners also, they are so cute! Check out the Metzer Farm page for info on those breeds that you want, great pictures too. www.metzerfarms.com

-- shari (smillers@snowcrest.net), February 03, 2002.

They are both very pretty ducks. In fact, I like almost all ducks LOL. Blue Swedish are very striking with their white bib against the blue feathers but if I had to choose between the two breeds, I'd pick the Cayuga, especially since you don't have to worry about pin feathers. Cayugas are a beautiful bettle green and are a bit calmer than the other breeds we have. They are good foragers (as are the Swedish) and are quieter and have more of a tendency to stay close to home (while Swedish are a bit more daring and will roam some). Hope this helps. Good luck.

-- Trisha-MN (coldguinea@netscape.net), February 03, 2002.

i have pekins and cayuga's, i love them both! cayuga's are wonderful sitters and will hatch out babies ( if she has the company of a drake) and i have found them to be very hardy. they are always walking around finding something to eat, but they are so funny when it is feeding time. they will run to the pen, see that i'm not there yet and run back to me. then run to the pen, see that i'm not there yet... and so on until i get there. when i get there they are so noisy and excited. they seem to want to know what took me so long! i think any duck can be friendly depending on how it is raised. try to get them to eat out of your hand, mine do but if you reach to pet them they scoot away. i'v often thought that with the next hatching i will take one duckling and hand raise it so it will be very friendly (had one like that when i was a kid, she would sit in your lap) but i just don't have the heart to take them away from mom when she has worked so hard and she is so proud of them. cayuga'a are good mothers too. you will have fun watching them, good luck!!

-- Susan (dsowen@tds.net), February 04, 2002.

Well, there is another unusual thing about Cayuga ducks - they lay black eggs. I'm not aware of any other bird that does.

-- Sandy in MN (onestonefarm@hotmail.com), February 04, 2002.

I have not kept Blue Swedish (yet) but I can enthusiastically recommend Cayuga ducks. these ducks are my favorites. I keep other breeds for eggs but the Cayuga's are here because I like them. as mentioned above they are relatively easy going, striking in appearance and quiet little guys. have you seen the Crested Blue Swedish in the McMurray catalogue? I'm thinking of trying these this spring for something new around the place.

what is TSC?

-- B. Lackie - Zone3 (cwrench@hotmail.com), February 04, 2002.

TSC is Tractor Supply Company, a farm store chain- sort of like Quality Farm and Fleet(now going out of business).

Thanks for your responses. I'm thinking of ordering from Ideal off the eggbay site. Now which to choose...I don't have room for both!

-- shakeytails in KY (shakeytails@yahoo.com), February 04, 2002.

Hi, I have the bantam edition of the Cayuga, Black East Indies. They are adorable! You know, you don't have to have just one breed. You can order from someone like the Holderreads Duck Preservation Center in WA and get any mix you like. I also have other bantam duck breeds and because I just can't resist the droll appearance and great personalities, I have Indian Runners too. I know whatever breed you get you will have a great time with them. I would also post your questions on www.thepoultryconnection.com, Genera Waterfowl Forum for lots of advice and pictures of the many duck breeds kept by the experts on this forum. Good luck and have fun, LQ

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), February 04, 2002.

I couldn't decide which duck I wanted so I bought every kind of domestic available. They are all the same in hardiness, eating amount & cleaning up the insects & weeds & seeds. They are all easy to care for & have the same temperment.I got lucky since I was able to buy out three individuls that had show ducks. Just pick the ones that tickle your fancy the most. They are all a little skidish until they get the routine down. I taught my flock of 108 to be whistled into the barnyard at night. Good Luck...Susan & the Kids

-- Susan Dunn (sld5825@comteck.com), February 04, 2002.

If there is anything more fun and just plain entertaining than Indian Runners, then I have no clue what it is. They also lay well. Depends upon your desires. Maybe your hubby would find Playboy more entertaining. Maybe not! But the Indian Runners get my vote! GL!

-- Brad (homefixer@SacoRiver.net), February 06, 2002.

Cayugas only lay black eggs in the beginning -- ours laid green eggs generally. Since you're not concerned about meat or eggs -- get a variety. All ducks are great! I, too, thought Pekins were boring, but I've got some of those, too, now and I like them just fine. They lay great big eggs, too. You'll be suprised -- once you start eating duck eggs, it's hard to eat those insipid chicken eggs anymore.

-- snoozy (bunny@northsound.net), February 06, 2002.