A well-planned backyard farm can help you achieve a more secure and self-reliant lifestyle. Such a small farm can supply you with the needed meat, fruits, and vegetables for daily consumption. However, building a small farm takes years, effort, and time. But if you have a definite farm plan and follow through with that plan, you are sure to hedge your household against any inflation or food crisis.
One fowl type that you can add to your backyard farm is domesticated ducks. Of course, ducks are not as popular as chickens, but if you have a small farm, you can raise any duck breed and enjoy healthy and fresh duck meat and eggs at your backyard garden. Since there are many excellent duck breeds to choose from, you must select the species that could be best for your backyard farm. Besides, you can choose duck breeds for egg production or meat production.
Best Ducks to Breed for Your Backyard
The odds of getting your backyard duck farm jumpstarted would be nil if you would not put your good intention into realization. One way to get your duck farm rolling is by selecting and buying the best type of duck to breed. To facilitate the choosing process for you, you can check out the following most recommended ducks to raise in your backyard:
1) Mallard
The mallard might be the most common breed of ducks. In fact, it is the grandfather of ducks because most duck breeds originated from this breed. Mallards are pretty small compared to other duck breeds. Hence, they are lightweight and can fly. Given this fact, mallards are a challenge to keep if you don’t clip their wings.
Mallards lay greenish eggs, which also taste like chicken eggs. Nevertheless, mallards are not known for laying many eggs. It has the lowest rate when it comes to laying eggs, laying only two eggs weekly.
Mallards are native to many regions of the United States. As such, you need to mark your flocks to indicate they are not wild. Moreover, it is prohibited to catch wild mallards for domestication in the United States.
Mallards can be a noisy species of ducks. Its female produces a deep quack while the male sounds phonetically similar to the female.
When bred, mallards showcase wild-type feathers or plumages with varied colors. Because of their lovely plumage, mallards are kept more for ornamental purposes.
2) Pekin
One of the most popular duck breeds is the Pekin. It has white plumage and is very much productive of eggs. Hence, many backyard duck raisers love this breed. If your primary concern is to have many duck eggs, you should choose this breed.
Pekin ducks grow much faster than other species. Besides, they can grow pretty heavy. For this reason, they are also a good source of duck meat.
Currently, around 90% of duck meat in the United States originates from this breed. The good thing about Pekin is that it is curious and calm. It is also great to be around.
3) Rouen
Another domesticated duck is the Rouen. It is often kept for its meat, while some raise it as a pet. It is heavy when fully grown. It is also a fun-loving breed that you would surely love. It originated in France and got later introduced to England.
Through selective breeding in England, breeders produced larger versions of Rouen with refined plumage and markings.
Rouen was first introduced to the U.S. in the 1850s, and soon after, they were utilized as all-purpose farm ducks.
Rouen are docile and quiet. They are easy to care for. Besides, they aren’t good fliers because of their weight and size.
4) Cayuga
The only duck breed developed in the U.S. is the Cayuga. This breed is slow-growing and heavy when fully grown. So, if you intend to use them for meat, you might get frustrated with their slow growth. Nevertheless, you will find this duck affable and pretty.
They feature iridescent black feathers that sport a green hue when struck by certain lights. They are also very calm and laidback.
Since they are slow-growing, they make up for it by being decent egg layers. They can lay up to four eggs each week. Their eggs come in black, making it difficult for other people to eat them.
5) Muscovy
Another excellent breed of ducks is the Muscovy duck. This large duck is native to the North and South Americas. You can find these ducks in the United States down to Argentina. Muscovy, of course, is a different duck species from that of the Mallard ducks. They produce leaner meat characterized by a plump breast like a turkey. They like to roost at night as if they were chickens, but they also nest like ducks.
Muscovy is a large duck and can weigh up to seven kilograms. They got predominantly black and white plumage with iridescent and glossy back feathers. It is a tropical bird that can reasonably adapt to colder climates.
The most commonly bred Muscovy is the Cairina Moschata Domestica or pato criollo. Native Americans have bred this subspecies since Pre-Columbian times. Muscovy will not quack, which makes them perfect for backyard raising.
6) Crested
The crested is usually raised as pets or for exhibition purposes. They are huge white ducks characterized by a crest or ball of feathers on their head. They slowly grow. As such, they seldom get raised for their meat. Nevertheless, they can produce up to four eggs per week. One type of crested duck, the bantam crested duck, comes in various colors.
The crest is considered a genetic mutation that causes a skull deformity. Breeding crested duck can also be a bit tricky. Besides, if you breed two crested ducks, the offspring might die.
So, if you intend to breed them, you can use a non-crested and crested duck. This way, you can expect that half of the ducklings will be crested.
7) Buff Orpington
Another friendly and docile duck breed is the Buff Orpington. These ducks are adorable and attractive. They are also often kept as pets or ornaments on ponds. Besides, buff Orpington ducks provide quality meat which has a robust flavor.
They also cannot fly, which makes them ideal for domestication. These ducks are a byproduct of crossbreeding between Rouen, Aylesbury, Indian Runner, and Cayuga Ducks.
8) Saxony
Another meaty duck breed is the Saxony. It has a blue pigeon head and beautiful feathers. Besides this duck breed was developed in Europe by Mr. Albert Franz in the 1930s. He was trying to create a table duck that could mature within ten weeks.
Yet, during the second world war, the breed got almost forgotten. It was only in 1952 that Mr. Franz started looking for the original breeds from which he used to produce the Saxony.
He then rebuilt the breed using the same methods he used before the war. The Saxony ducks are heavy and belong to the most attractive ones.
9) Swedish
Another slow-growing duck breed is the Swedish. The Swedish ducks are medium-sized ducks that can live up to twelve years. These ducks come in several color varieties like blue, black, silver/splashed, and chocolate Swedish. All these varieties feature a special white bib on their chest and neck.
Swedish was first developed in the 19th Century by breeders in Pomerania, Germany. They got imported to North America in 1884. Swedish ducks are calm, and they are perfect for backyard raising.
The Blue Swedish originated from mallard, and they belong to the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy’s watchlist. This means there are only 2,500 or fewer in the U.S. and less than 5,000 Blue Swedish ducks worldwide.
10) Khaki Campbell
The Khaki Campbell is popular for its excellent egg production. It can lay a maximum of six eggs each week. Its eggs are also creamy in color. The Khaki Campbel is the perfect choice for you if you’re after duck eggs.
Khaki Campbel ducks are small, and they can fly. Thus, it will be best if you devise a way to contain them in a single place. Otherwise, they will simply take off, and you will lose track of your Khaki Campbell flock.
The Khaki Campbell is aptly named for its Khaki coloration. The female Khaki Campbell may sport a lighter color while the drake exhibits dark coloration.
11) White Call
White Call Ducks feature a petite size and calm temperament, making them popular among pet lovers. They are adorable and are lightweight even when they are fully grown. These ducks were originally bred for hunting.
White Call ducks are loud with high-pitched quacks. So, if you have close neighbors, you might as well refrain from raising this breed to avoid disturbing your neighbors.
12) Welsh Harlequin
If you want an all-purpose duck, you might also breed Welsh Harlequin ducks. These ducks are kept for their meat, eggs, and exhibition. They sport a medium-sized body and can lay up to six eggs weekly. They are pretty laidback, and they can forage naturally. They are also the calmest among the different breeds of ducks.
Welsh Harlequins look like the Mallards. Thus, you might mistake them for Mallards. However, they differ in their bill colors.
Welsh Harlequin is a relatively new breed. It could not fly, but it could raise itself a foot off the ground.
13) Runner
The runner duck got previously classified as a light duck, but now it is a class of its own. This breed, however, contributed to the breeding of almost all light ducks. Many pet lovers are happy to keep their runner ducks as pets. Moreover, runners are often used on organic vineyards and farms for pest control.
Runners are excellent egg producers and can lay up to five eggs weekly. They are a nervous bunch of ducks that can stampede when you startle them. They don’t like flying; thus, they are pretty easy to manage.
14) Magpie
The Magpie duck is a lightweight domestic breed of duck that developed in the 20th Century. Raised as an all-purpose duck, it is known for its distinct white and black plumage. It was Oliver Drake and M.C. Gower-Williams who first developed this breed.
You can expect four to five eggs weekly from this breed of ducks. Their eggs may vary from cream, white, blue, to green colors.
Their feathers also come in black and white colors. Nevertheless, you can also find other hues like blue and white. Magpies are calm and quiet and a perfect addition to your small farm.
Conclusion
As you dive into the world of ducks, you will soon realize that ducks are good pets. You will also recognize that they could best complement your other farm animals by providing you with meat and eggs. As you choose duck breeds, however, you will soon find that some species are best for laying eggs while others are best for their meat.
Given the above descriptions of the different duck breeds to choose from, you are now better positioned to select the best duck breed for your backyard or mini farm.
