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 Choosing your ducks

Duck Species

Maybe you have already decided, but if not, now would be a good time to choose what species of duck you would like to raise. You can typically get two different species of duck. Muscovy ducks and Mallard ducks. Muscovies are typically larger than Mallard species. If you are looking for a very calm and confident duck Muscovies might be the species for you. In the case you try to breed Muscovies with Mallards you will end up with a mule (although probably still cute). When it comes to Mallard ducks there are a wide variety of options.

Mallard duck breeds

Indian runners, Rouen, Peking, Cayuga, the list goes on. There is a whole slew of Mallard duck breeds with various different characteristics. Indian runner ducks are very slender and stand up straight as opposed to a Cayuga is a little larger and waddles along the ground. Do your research (probably lots of time on Wikipedia) to decide exactly who you would like in your flock.

Boys vs Girls

Unfortunately, it is difficult, nearly impossible to tell if a duckling is a boy or girl. If you are willing to wait, some online farms will DNA test their ducklings and send you only the ducklings you want. Typically you will only know if you got boys or girls when their adult feathers come in and their adult voices come through. Normally Mallard boys will have a curl at the end of their tails and quietly murmur. The Mallard girls on the other hand won’t have the curl and can honk loudly. When it comes to Muscovies, the boys will have more of a wattle around their faces and be much larger. In general, ducks are kind of the opposite to chickens. The girls are normally much louder than the boys.

Flock Size

Just like humans, ducks are social creatures. There is a reason you don’t normally see a duck by itself. That is why it is best to have more than one or two ducks in your flock. Some farm stores make sure, with good reason, that you either purchase or already have enough ducks to form a good sized flock. We recommend at least 6 ducks in a flock, especially if you have any boys. When breeding season comes around one boy will be more than enough for 3+ girls. When ducks are doing the deed the boy will grab onto the feathers of the girl’s neck. If you don’t have enough girls for a boy they might develop bald spots on the back of their necks.