[Tattyanne456]

Can anyone give me some advice please? I currently have a pair of calling ducks, male and female, and I would like to get a couple more ducks. I would rather not get more calling ducks as I feel that more than one female would be too noisy! Can anyone suggest a breed of duck, that would be suitable for a largish garden with  pond. I would only want maybe two or three more, if I get a different breed, would I need to get a same breed drake? I dont really want to breed , and I was thinking more along the long the lines of getting fertile eggs to put under a broody chicken.

[Sassy]

Sorry I can't help but would be interested in any response

[Fifitrix]

Would you like mine???!!!!!  (refer to my post about hainvg problems with the drake with my chickens)  You can have them for free!

I have a male and female they are very large white ducks and I think they are runners though I'm not sure.  They are just under a year old  and are lovely.  My only problem is that the drake is being too amourous with the chickens and I don't have room to seperate them.  He and his lady friend are very happy together though.

[Kate and her Ducks]

This is a hard question to answer without knowing exactly what you are looking for.  If you don't want to breed then you are fine and don't need a drake, although I am sure that your existing drake will be more than happy with some more femal company!

Do you want them for eggs or just appearence/as pets? There are lots of good laying breeds that are relatively light so wouldn't completely overshadow your existing call ducks.

Most ducks are pretty noisy although as you have found out calls are vey much so (the clue is in the name ). Muscovies are an excepting but are big ducks and also good fliers.

If you are thinking about hatching you need to think about what you are going to do with all the inevitable boys.

[Tattyanne456]

Lol TY Kate. I had thought about that, and I live near quite a few farms, so I figured that they would be happy to take them, or do you think not? If I got more it would be for their eggs. So as call ducks are not the best layers, would it matter if I got a different breed, but my drake mated them? What do you think about buying fertile eggs for hatching? Any useful information? Or am I going in too deep?

[Kate and her Ducks]

Hatching is always a risk and you will get boys (sometimes a lot more than girls). Most farms would not be interested in taking them, they have quite enough of their own and too high a percentage of drakes is not good for the girls. Rehoming them is very difficult unless you are happy for them to go for the pot. I hatch my own and have been lucky rehoming a few but any not go for the pot (do love duck! ).

When you are just starting buying POL  is probably the safest bet but if you are keen to have ducklings you can buy anything from day olds (they are usually more expensive if they are sexed for you to ensure girls). If you go down this route make sure you prepare as they need safety, heatlamp, non-medicated chick crumb and lots of cleaning out!

Good laying breeds are ones like runners (very distictive slim, upright stance in a multitude of colours - don't really sound like yours, Fifitrix  ), Campbells (the best reputation for laying, come in a few colours, I'm not a big fan as they are really nervous) and Welsh Harlequins which are very pretty and less nervy.

Any breeds (except Muscovies which is more complicated) can cross breed but obviously the more disperate the size, they less likely they are to be successful