Home Duck Breeds: 17 APA Identified Breeds

Home duck breeds are available in many colours and sizes. From tiny Name geese to huge Muscovy geese, there’s a breed to suit your whole wishes. So whether or not you carry geese for eggs, meat or pets, those breeds have you ever coated. Whilst different breeds of geese are to be had in america, this text covers the 17 breeds known the American Poultry Affiliation.

The APA divides duck breeds into 4 categories: bantam, gentle, medium and heavy. What weight magnificence you select in large part will depend on whether or not you carry geese for eggs, meat, exhibition or pets. Let’s discover the breeds in every magnificence to find the most productive breed in your yard.

Bantam Home Duck Breeds

Bantam geese are in most cases raised for exhibition functions or pets. Whilst they lay a medium vary of eggs, those geese are basically decorative.

Name: With their giant eyes and rubber duckstyle our bodies, those pleasant geese have a big following. One of the vital two smallest duck breeds known the APA, Name geese have been at the beginning bred to suit within duck hunters’ wallet. With their loud, chronic quack, Name geese acted as reside decoys calling in wild waterfowl for the hunters to shoot.

After reside decoys have been banned from searching practices, Name geese received reputation for exhibition and space pets. Those geese have a candy, endearing character and love interacting with their favourite human.

As display birds, those geese will have to weigh lower than 2 kilos. Whilst Calls are available in many colours, the APA handiest acknowledges Blue Bibbed, Blue Fawn, Buff, Butterscotch, Chocolate, Grey, Pastel, Snowy and White.

East Indie: Regularly known as Black East Indies, this breed resembles a miniature Cayuga. Nicknamed the Labrador, Black East Indies have black plumage with iridescent sunglasses of inexperienced, blue and pink.The invoice, legs and ft are beetle black, and the eyes are darkish brown.

As Black East Indie hens age, white feathers would possibly seem. Whilst an ageing drake’s frame stays black, it should recreation white circles across the eyes. White feathering is a disqualification, so handiest younger East Indies are used for appearing functions.

This breed has but to achieve the recognition many different breeds have because of their deficient laying and problem breeding, and so they’re handiest saved for exhibition functions.

Black East Indies are robust fliers and wish their wings trimmed to stop flying. This breed enjoys foraging and swimming. The breed weighs in at 24 to 32 oz..

Mallard: The biggest of the 3 bantam breeds, Mallards are superb moms and truthful layers, generating 60 to greater than 100 tinted, blue or inexperienced eggs yearly. Mallards are superb fliers and can migrate if given the chance. Trimming wings and housing in enclosed runs are the most productive techniques to stay those geese from straying. Regardless of those traits, Mallards revert to captivity briefly and make pleasant pets. Mallards weigh between 2 and four kilos and are available in two known colours: Grey and Snowy.

Ahead of obtaining Mallards, take a look at along with your native natural world mavens to peer if a license is needed to possess, breed or promote Mallards to your state.

Light-weight Highlight Similar to their identify suggests, Runner geese run somewhat than waddle. Those pleasant geese are simple to herd and are the primary farm animals many herding canine discover ways to herd ahead of shifting on to bigger farm animals. Fashionable within the display ring, Runners come in different known colours: Black, Buff, Chocolate, Cumberland Blue, Fawn and White, Grey, Penciled and White. Runner geese can also be frightened however make ideally suited circle of relatives pets when saved in small numbers and treated incessantly. Hens are just right layers, averaging 100 fifty to 2 hundred white eggs in step with duck.

Light-weight Home Duck Breeds

Those breeds are the champion egg layers of the duck international, with drakes and hens weighing in between 4 and 6 kilos.

Khaki Campbell: Probably the most prolific egg layer, this duck competitors the Leghorn rooster for egg-laying consistency. Those beautiful geese are superb foragers and like to devour bugs. They have a tendency to be frightened however can also be tamed in small yard flocks.

Campbells should be fed an entire well-balanced layer ration to provide numerous eggs. Drakes are full of life breeders, so preserving multiple drake in step with flock isn’t suggested. This duck is handiest known within the breed’s authentic colour, Khaki.

Magpie: Believed to descend from the Huttengem duck, Magpies are a phenomenal breed recognized for his or her distinct coloring. The breed is known in two types: Black and White, and Blue and White. Drakes and hens recreation white our bodies with black or blue caps masking the highest in their heads. The again is cast black/ blue from shoulders to wingtips. When seen from above, the coloured marking will have to resemble a center.

Magpies are high-strung and startle simply. They are able to fly small distances when nervous, so their wings will have to be trimmed to stop them from straying. Hens are just right layers of 200 principally white eggs yearly.

Welsh Harlequin: The calmest of the light-weight breeds, Welsh Harlequin hens are just right egg layers (averaging 100 to 200 eggs yearly) and superb moms.

Whilst the Welsh Harlequin can also be present in two standard colours, silver and gold, the APA handiest acknowledges the Silver selection. Silver drakes resemble Mallard drakes; hens are silvery white with black penciling and a blue wing speculum. This breed is calm and curious and loves interacting with their favourite human.

Middleweight Highlight Crested geese can also be simply known the large pom poms on their heads. This crest of feathers is brought about a mass of fatty tissue rising out of a hollow within the duck’s cranium. Whilst a duck of any breed can also be crested, breeders have sparsely decided on geese to reproduce for this fancy feather-do. Crested geese are frightened and can also be simply injured or bullied (particularly the drakes) non-crested breeds. Steer clear of free-ranging, as predators can simply select off those geese. Crested women are respectable egg layers, generating a median of 120 creamed-colored eggs yearly. The APA acknowledges two types: Black and White.

Middleweight Home Duck Breeds

Medium-weight geese are the dual-purpose breeds of the duck international. Those hardy breeds are much less frightened and lay fewer eggs than their light-weight cousins however don’t produce as a lot meat because the heavyweight magnificence, with hens and drakes averaging 5 to eight kilos.

Buff: Buff geese are the one poultry breed known through the APA to be named after its handiest colour. Buff geese are superb desk birds and make rather just right layers, generating a median of 100 white or tinted eggs yearly.

Hens and drakes are pleasant, docile, alert and clever. They don’t have any flying skills and are ideally suited geese to lift in a yard.

Cayuga: The primary meat duck in america within the mid-Nineteenth century, Cayugas are an superb desk hen for the ones searching for darkish meat. With their black feathers, legs, invoice and darkish brown eyes, those pleasant geese appear to be massive variations of the Black East Indies.

Cayugas are quiet, hardy birds that like to forage. Hens are just right layers, averaging 150 eggs yearly. Eggs get started black however briefly fade to white during the egg-laying season. They simply are available in a Black selection.

Swedish: Swedish geese are an orchardist’s perfect buddy. Those geese like to forage and are happiest when allowed to free-range in orchards and pastures, trimming weeds and grasses, and feasting on destructive pests. The disadvantage to those geese is that they may be able to and can fly, so trimming their wings is important.

Swedish geese produce awesome tasting meat and are superb desk birds. Hens are just right layers, averaging 150 white or greentinted eggs yearly. Blue is the one usual selection, however you’ll be able to additionally to find them in black, silver and splashed colour patterns.”

Heavyweight Home Duck Breeds

The draft horses of the duck international, the heavyweight magnificence, are recognized for his or her excellent meat, calm and pleasant temperaments, and willingness to brood and lift younger. Heavyweight breeds moderate between 7 and 14 kilos.

Aylesbury: Aylesbury geese appear to be Pekins with faded expenses. Aylesbury’s expenses are purple as an alternative of the brilliant orange expenses maximum Pekins recreation. Those geese are calm, like to devour and will simply transform obese. Hens are deficient layers, averaging 30 to 100 white or green-tinted eggs yearly. White is the one selection.

Heavyweight Highlight Regularly known as a Silver Appleyard, this duck is definitely known through its chunky measurement and pastel Mallard coloring. Appleyards like to devour and will briefly transform obese. Permit geese get right of entry to to inexperienced pastures and keep away from overfeeding to stop weight problems. If fed a just right high quality layer ration, hens are superb layers of 150 white eggs yearly. Appleyards are superb moms and make ideally suited circle of relatives pets.

One of the crucial tricky geese to reproduce, Aylesbury geese want get right of entry to to swimming water to reproduce. By no means permit breeding inventory to transform overweight.

Muscovy: The one home breed known the APA to not originate from the Mallard, Muscovies are an atypical duck. Whilst maximum geese quack, Muscovies hiss, croak and coo. Muscovy geese also are the one ones with naked pores and skin on their faces. This trait makes them at risk of frostbite in less warm climates. Those geese are recognized for his or her superb meat qualities and brooding and mothering abilities.

Muscovy geese are an invasive species and feature been banned in different states. Ahead of obtaining Muscovy geese, take a look at along with your native fish and natural world division to peer if it’s felony to possess Muscovies to your space. Muscovies are available in 5 known colours: Black, Blue, Chocolate, Silver and White.

Pekin: The “king of geese,” Pekins have earned their reputation in egg and meat manufacturing. Pekins are quick growers and succeed in marketplace measurement in 7 weeks. As egg layers, Pekin hens moderate 100 to 200 white or tinted extra-large eggs.

When opting for a circle of relatives puppy, it’s tricky to overcome the Pekin. Gregarious, talkative, pleasant and a laugh, those geese imprint on their human circle of relatives as ducklings, making a bond that may remaining their whole lifestyles. Pekins are available in one selection: White.

Rouen: Bred a number of hundred years in the past in France, Rouens have been as soon as standard geese raised for his or her excellent high quality darkish meat. Nowadays, this Grey breed is principally saved for exhibition, egg manufacturing (hens lay a median of 100 and fifty white, blue, or inexperienced eggs yearly), and pets.

Rouens appear to be extensive Mallards with duller markings and are available in two selection traces: Manufacturing and Exhibition. Manufacturing Rouens moderate 6 to eight kilos, whilst exhibition Rouens tip the size between 9 and 12 kilos. Each traces are calm, make just right pets and require swimming water for a success breeding.

Saxony: Albert Franz bred Saxony geese within the Thirties in East Germany to be fast-maturing desk birds. Whilst they’re nonetheless thought to be a meat breed, Saxony geese are most commonly saved as egg layers and pets in yard flocks. Hens are superb egg layers, generating a median of 150 white to blue-green eggs yearly.

Drakes and hens have calm, quiet, and delicate personalities and revel in foraging. Saxony geese are known in a single unnamed selection.

Geese are a very good addition to any dwelling house or yard flock. So whether or not you’re elevating geese for excitement or benefit, believe making an attempt any such breeds known the APA.

This newsletter about home duck breeds was once written for Chickens mag on-line. Click on right here to subscribe to Chickens mag.