Egg laying ducks?

With my food allergies I’ve been looking into alternative foods. I was thinking about getting ducks? Would they be easier then chickens? What would be the best breed of duck for egg laying purposes?

Do predators tend to eat ducks as easily as chickens? I had Muscovy ducks before as pets but the eggs were not very good.

I believe Khaki Campbells are considered the best layers. The females are fairly drab looking but the drakes are beautifully colored.

ETA: ducks are equally vulnerable to predators IME. They tend to wander farther afield if allowed, and don’t like to “go to bed” easily like chickens.

They’re incredibly messy too, poop-wise, and need clean water to dunk their bills while eating (which instantly becomes dirty water) and to wash off their heads/eyes the rest of the time, and ideally need swimming water.

Duck eggs are a lot richer than chicken eggs, and taste differently so make sure you like the taste before pulling the trigger on ducks.

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I would suggest buying different types of eggs before investing in a duck project, with all of the duck health upkeep and maintenance. Experience first, trial & error first, before adding living animals. :slight_smile:

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Um…typo.

Awww you fixed it.

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I have both ducks and chickens. Ducks are messy. The ones I have lay eggs in various places so I don’t always find them and don’t know how old they are and I throw them away. My first ducks needed a home after being brought to the shelter I work at. Then TSC had ducklings half price, I could not resist. I love my ducks and sometimes just sit and watch them do their duck stuff. But for eggs I feel chickens are better.

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The one time autocorrect does the opposite of what you want. :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

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Are you allergic to chicken eggs? Or are you just wanting to try something different to help with allergies.

Quail might be worth looking into. Their eggs are tiny, but allegedly “magical” depending on who you ask.

{schoolgirl giggles at @chestnutmarebeware typo}

I don’t care for duck eggs to eat, but they’re great for cooking, especially baking.
I’d love to get some Runner Ducks, they make me LOL, looking like living bowling pins :laughing:
But, as others said, they’re messy & require more upkeep than chickens.

Yeah, just saw that! :rofl:

This made me laugh when I needed a laugh lol thank you autocorrect!

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I’m not allergic to chicken eggs so it may be easier to get chickens, but i miss having ducks. I asked a friend to save me some eggs so I can at least try them and see what I think. If nothing else they may be fine for baking. Although it probably is easier to just buy eggs…

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I am now certain that you and I were separated at birth. I want Indian Runners too but we have a law here that when buying poultry babies you have to buy six. It’s a good law but I don’t need six more beaks to feed.

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I have never eaten duck eggs but I read somewhere (probably here) that they can give certain people digestive upsets. I would test that out before I invested in egg layers.

They’re quite vulnerable to predators since they don’t fly and sleep on the ground. They’re also quite wet and messy, especially their poops. They need an open water container near their feed so that they can dip their bills fully under, which makes it foul quickly. They also really like somewhere to swim with steps or a ramp to get in and out. If you have somewhere dry that you would like to be wet, ducks are for you :laughing:

They’re very cute though.

If you’re really wanting lots of eggs there is an egg laying hybrid called Golden 300 I believe, probably from Metzger Farms. Don’t know if anyone would be carrying those locally or if you’d have to order; I suggest not ordering live poultry mailed anymore, I’ve had miserable luck this year.