While rearing ducks is a lucrative business with several perks, it does have one specific downside — they make a lot of noise. Unfortunately, this can quickly become annoying if your poultry is close to your home. Or you have several pet ducks.
You see, ducks can be very noisy, especially the females. They quack when they are happy, hungry, threatened, and sometimes for no apparent reason.
Fun fact? Ducks are typically not as loud as chickens, whose hens can cackle for extended periods without seizing. Even the roosters sometimes go beyond the morning crow and crow nonstop. However, this is usually to exact dominance.
However, the fact remains that ducks can make quite some noise when they get down to it.
Thankfully, some duck breeds are quieter than others. But what breeds are they?
This article walks you through nine of the quietest duck breeds for poultry farms that want some quiet in their homes.
Male Ducks vs. Female Ducks Noises
Before we explore the various duck breeds that are less likely to cause a never-ending ruckus with their noise, you should know that the gender of your ducks can also affect the level of noise they create.
If you keep only male ducks, you will typically experience less noise. Interestingly, while poultry of female ducks will result in significantly more noise, a mixture of both genders is the loudest category.
This is because male and female ducks will quack at one another for numerous reasons — from dispute resolution to mating attempts.
That said, let us examine some of the quieter duck breeds that you can raise as pets and won’t have to wear earmuffs whenever they are around.
Quietest Duck Breeds: Our Top 9 Recommendations
Here is our compilation of some of the quietest duck breeds you’ll find around:
1) Muscovy Duck
Muscovy ducks have a unique red warty face, complete with a glossy black body and white highlights. But, more importantly, they are the quietest of all duck breeds. A muscovy duck will hardly make noise except when it is startled and sometimes when it’s happy.
Unfortunately, you’d hardly find this breed in the US, except in some parts of South Texas. However, it remains the oldest domesticated duck in the world and the largest in North America.
2) Crested Duck
Crested ducks are typically white with black highlights. But that’s not even the best part. These ducks only make noise when the females search for a mate!
The crested duck has been around for over 2000 years and has evolved over the years. Today, they can have any color, from white to black and more.
3) Cayuga Duck
As a Cayuga duck is not hungry, isolated, or threatened, it will remain relatively quiet. However, when Cayuga ducks quack, their calls are somewhat more subdued when compared to other duck breeds.
Another appeal of the Cayuga duck is its beautiful iridescent feathers, which appear black in the dark, but glimmers green in the light.
Cayuga ducks are super easy to raise and handle. They are very friendly, gentle, and — wait for it — really quiet!
Fun fact? A Cayuga duck can give you between 100 and 150 eggs per year.
4) Swedish Blue Duck
Next on our list of quietest duck breeds is the Swedish Blue duck. This duck breed originally came from a part of Sweden that has now become Poland and Germany. With a unique oval and feathers in various blue shades, the Swedish Blue duck is undoubtedly a beautiful bird to behold.
However, this duck breed is not just a pretty head. It is also really quiet, especially when they are around water. Unfortunately, though, Swedish Blue duck numbers are dropping in the US and are less than 500 in the country.
5) Khaki Campbell Duck
The Khaki Campbell duck is another breed that qualifies for the quietest duck category. Unless a Khaki Campbell duck is hungry, threatened, or excited, it will usually not make any noise.
Even better?
When the Khaki Campbell quacks, they usually come out as hushed grunts or soft chatters. Furthermore, they are also very friendly and easy to handle.
Fun fact? The Khaki Campbell duck gets its name from the color of the British Army’s uniform and the name of the person who created the breed, Adele Campbell.
Interestingly, Khaki Campbell ducks can lay up to 300 eggs yearly. So, they’re an ideal breed if you want many more eggs and minimal noise.
6) Appleyard Ducks
Appleyard ducks are a bit of a controversial addition to this list. While they are generally quiet, they can create a lot of noise when they really get at it.
Of course, the drakes are much quieter than the females.
However, Appleyard ducks are also very calm, gentle, and social. They also grow fast and are all-purpose — meat and up to 250 eggs per year.
You can also raise Appleyard ducks for exhibitions and keep them as pets.
7) Magpie Duck
The Magpie duck is an excellent addition to any yard. They are super friendly and make minimal noise. They can also live for relatively long periods, with many living up to 10 years.
Fun fact? Two breeders, M.C. Gower-Williams and Oliver Drake, are responsible for creating the Magpie. After World War I, they first documented the breed in 1920.
Magpie ducks usually lay more than 200 ducks every year.
8) Saxony Duck
The Saxony duck is one of the heavier breeds, with an average weight of around eight pounds. But, they are very friendly and gentle. But, the Saxony duck is also a very lively breed as they enjoy having fun.
Not to worry, they go about their business relatively quietly.
In addition, they also follow the duck sound narrative. Female ducks are typically louder than the males, although their calls are softer than many other breeds.
Fun fact? A Saxony duck can lay up to 240 eggs in one year if you’re a good layer.
9) Runner Duck
Runner ducks are one of the more unusual duck breeds because they have a unique long neck resembling a bowling pin. They also make minimal noise and help reduce the mosquito population around your home.
However, contrary to how they look, runner ducks are super fast and can cover large areas to find their delicacy — mosquito larvae.
Runner ducks can lay up to 220 eggs yearly and experience fast growth.
