Duck, Goose & Chicken Hatchery

Compare Duck Breeds

Compare Duck Breeds
Use this table of duck breeds to compare all the different types of ducks for sale at Metzer Farms. This data comes from our experience on the farm, feedback from customers, and information gathered from researchers. With so many breeds offered at Metzer Farms, we want you to make the most informed choice. Depending if you want a duck specifically for egg or meat production, foraging, show, a pet, or one of the many other reasons people raise ducks, this will help you find the best duck breed for you.

Today most domesticated types of ducks originate from the wild Mallard and a few from the Muscovy. Ducks were domesticated in Asia, but now there are many different duck breeds developed for all different climates and applications.

Due to all our domesticated ducks originating from the mallard, any one of the breeds we sell can produce fertile progeny if they cross with any other breed. Ducks will fully integrate with all the other breeds we offer. Therefore, if you want purebred ducklings hatching from your ducks, you need to keep the breeds separate during the breeding season. Or you can let them cross and see what different shapes and colors you will get in their ducklings. What will you get if you cross a Mallard with a Fawn & White Runner, or a Cayuga and a Pekin, or a Khaki Campbell with a White Layer?

Download our breed identification chart.
Click/tap an attribute name to compare that attribute across breeds. Click/tap it again to show all attributes.
Breed
Temperament1
Weight2
Egg Production3
Mothering
Bluish Eggs
Egg Size4
Fertility5
APA Class
Foraging Ability
Conservation Status6
Our Show Quality7
Flying Ability
Origin
Temperament1 1.0
Weight2 1.00 - 2.00 lbs
Egg Production3 25 - 50 /year
Mothering Good
Bluish Eggs  
Egg Size4  
Fertility5 50 %
APA Class Bantam
Foraging Ability Good
Conservation Status6 No Rank
Our Show Quality7 Good
Flying Ability Very Good
Origin  
Temperament1 1.0
Weight2 6.50 - 13.00 lbs
Egg Production3 100 - 150 /year
Mothering Excellent
Bluish Eggs 0%
Egg Size4 75 - 85 grams
Fertility5 90 %
APA Class Heavy
Foraging Ability Excellent
Conservation Status6 No Rank
Our Show Quality7 Average
Flying Ability Excellent
Origin France
Temperament1 3.5
Weight2 3.25 - 4.00 lbs
Egg Production3 100 - 180 /year
Mothering Poor - Fair
Bluish Eggs 70%
Egg Size4 65 - 80 grams
Fertility5 84 %
APA Class Light
Foraging Ability Excellent
Conservation Status6 Recovering
Our Show Quality7 Average
Flying Ability None
Origin Indonesia
Temperament1 2.3
Weight2 5.00 - 6.25 lbs
Egg Production3 130 - 180 /year
Mothering Fair
Bluish Eggs 20%
Egg Size4 80 - 90 grams
Fertility5 85 %
APA Class Medium
Foraging Ability Good
Conservation Status6 Watch
Our Show Quality7 Average
Flying Ability None
Origin Germany
Temperament1 4.0
Weight2 3.25 - 4.00 lbs
Egg Production3 100 - 180 /year
Mothering Poor - Fair
Bluish Eggs 70%
Egg Size4 65 - 80 grams
Fertility5 84 %
APA Class Light
Foraging Ability Excellent
Conservation Status6 Recovering
Our Show Quality7 Average
Flying Ability None
Origin Indonesia
Temperament1 3.0
Weight2 5.00 - 6.25 lbs
Egg Production3 120 - 180 /year
Mothering Fair
Bluish Eggs Less than 5%
Egg Size4 80 - 95 grams
Fertility5 85 %
APA Class Medium
Foraging Ability Good
Conservation Status6 Watch
Our Show Quality7 Average
Flying Ability None
Origin Germany
Temperament1 3.0
Weight2 5.00 - 6.25 lbs
Egg Production3 130 - 180 /year
Mothering Fair
Bluish Eggs 20%
Egg Size4 80 - 90 grams
Fertility5 85 %
APA Class Medium
Foraging Ability Good
Conservation Status6 Threatened
Our Show Quality7 Average
Flying Ability None
Origin England
Temperament1 8.8
Weight2 4.75 - 6.00 lbs
Egg Production3 130 - 180 /year
Mothering Fair
Bluish Eggs Less Than 2%
Egg Size4 75 - 90 grams
Fertility5 83 %
APA Class Medium
Foraging Ability Good
Conservation Status6 Watch
Our Show Quality7 Excellent Color, Good Type
Flying Ability None
Origin USA
Temperament1 4.3
Weight2 3.25 - 4.00 lbs
Egg Production3 100 - 180 /year
Mothering Poor - Fair
Bluish Eggs 75%
Egg Size4 65 - 80 grams
Fertility5 86 %
APA Class Light
Foraging Ability Excellent
Conservation Status6 Recovering
Our Show Quality7 Average
Flying Ability None
Origin Indonesia
Temperament1 5.0
Weight2 5.00 - 6.00 lbs
Egg Production3 100 - 150 /year
Mothering Fair
Bluish Eggs Less Than 2%
Egg Size4 70 - 85 grams
Fertility5 90 %
APA Class N/A
Foraging Ability Good
Conservation Status6 No Rank
Our Show Quality7 Not Shown
Flying Ability None
Origin France
Temperament1 7.5
Weight2 3.25 - 4.00 lbs
Egg Production3 100 - 180 /year
Mothering Poor - Fair
Bluish Eggs 35%
Egg Size4 65 - 80 grams
Fertility5 85 %
APA Class Light
Foraging Ability Excellent
Conservation Status6 Recovering
Our Show Quality7 Average
Flying Ability None
Origin Indonesia
Temperament1 7.7
Weight2 4.50 - 5.75 lbs
Egg Production3 200 - 290 /year
Mothering Fair
Bluish Eggs 5%
Egg Size4 75 - 90 grams
Fertility5 93 %
APA Class N/A
Foraging Ability Good
Conservation Status6 No Rank
Our Show Quality7 Not Shown
Flying Ability None
Origin Metzer Farms
Temperament1 5.5
Weight2 9.00 - 13.50 lbs
Egg Production3 140 - 175 /year
Mothering Poor
Bluish Eggs Less Than 2%
Egg Size4 90 - 100 grams
Fertility5 85 %
APA Class Heavy
Foraging Ability Fair
Conservation Status6 Abundant
Our Show Quality7 Good for Meat Classes
Flying Ability None
Origin China
Temperament1 9.0
Weight2 3.50 - 4.50 lbs
Egg Production3 165 - 240 /year
Mothering Good
Bluish Eggs Less than 5%
Egg Size4 75 - 85 grams
Fertility5 87 %
APA Class Light
Foraging Ability Very Good
Conservation Status6 Watch
Our Show Quality7 Very Good
Flying Ability Maybe
Origin England
Temperament1 4.5
Weight2 4.50 - 6.00 lbs
Egg Production3 120 - 180 /year
Mothering Good
Bluish Eggs 20%
Egg Size4 65 - 72 grams
Fertility5 86 %
APA Class Medium
Foraging Ability Good
Conservation Status6 Threatened
Our Show Quality7  
Flying Ability None
Origin England
Temperament1 5.0
Weight2 2.25 - 2.50 lbs
Egg Production3 60 - 120 /year
Mothering Very Good
Bluish Eggs 70%
Egg Size4 65 - 75 grams
Fertility5 90 %
APA Class Bantam
Foraging Ability Very Good
Conservation Status6 Abundant
Our Show Quality7 Too "Chunky"
Flying Ability Very Good
Origin North America
Temperament1 1.0
Weight2 6.50 - 13.00 lbs
Egg Production3 100 - 150 /year
Mothering Excellent
Bluish Eggs 0%
Egg Size4 75 - 85 grams
Fertility5 90 %
APA Class Heavy
Foraging Ability Excellent
Conservation Status6 Abundant
Our Show Quality7 Average
Flying Ability Excellent
Origin France
Temperament1 5.5
Weight2 8.00 - 12.25 lbs
Egg Production3 150 - 200 /year
Mothering Poor
Bluish Eggs Less Than 2%
Egg Size4 90 - 100 grams
Fertility5 89 %
APA Class Heavy
Foraging Ability Fair
Conservation Status6 No Rank
Our Show Quality7 Meat Class Only
Flying Ability None
Origin France
Temperament1 4.5
Weight2 5.00 - 7.25 lbs
Egg Production3 140 - 180 /year
Mothering Good
Bluish Eggs 35%
Egg Size4 80 - 95 grams
Fertility5 87 %
APA Class Heavy
Foraging Ability Good
Conservation Status6 Plenty
Our Show Quality7 Not Shown
Flying Ability Maybe
Origin France
Temperament1 1.0
Weight2 6.50 - 8.50 lbs
Egg Production3 110 - 175 /year
Mothering Average
Bluish Eggs Less than 5%
Egg Size4 80 - 90 grams
Fertility5 85 %
APA Class Heavy
Foraging Ability Good
Conservation Status6 Threatened
Our Show Quality7 Very Good
Flying Ability None
Origin Germany
Temperament1 1.2
Weight2 7.00 - 9.00 lbs
Egg Production3 120 - 175 /year
Mothering Very Good
Bluish Eggs Less Than 2%
Egg Size4 85 - 95 grams
Fertility5 85 %
APA Class Heavy
Foraging Ability Very Good
Conservation Status6 Threatened
Our Show Quality7 Very Good
Flying Ability None
Origin England
Temperament1 1.3
Weight2 4.50 - 5.50 lbs
Egg Production3 100 - 150 /year
Mothering Good
Bluish Eggs Less Than 2%
Egg Size4 75 - 85 grams
Fertility5 75 %
APA Class Light
Foraging Ability Good
Conservation Status6 Watch
Our Show Quality7 Above Average
Flying Ability None
Origin Wales
Temperament1 9.0
Weight2 6.00 - 7.25 lbs
Egg Production3 100 - 130 /year
Mothering Poor - Fair
Bluish Eggs Less Than 2%
Egg Size4 80 - 90 grams
Fertility5 83 %
APA Class Medium
Foraging Ability Fair
Conservation Status6 No Rank
Our Show Quality7 Excellent
Flying Ability None
Origin Holland
Temperament1 6.7
Weight2 4.50 - 5.75 lbs
Egg Production3 200 - 290 /year
Mothering Fair
Bluish Eggs Less Than 2%
Egg Size4 75 - 90 grams
Fertility5 93 %
APA Class N/A
Foraging Ability Good
Conservation Status6 No Rank
Our Show Quality7 Not Shown
Flying Ability None
Origin Metzer Farms
1. 1.0 indicates a Very Calm breed and 9.0 indicates a More Nervous breed. Average scores by Metzer Farms employees who care for the ducks.
2. These are the weights of our breeders during lay. For maximum egg production, their weight has been controlled.
3. The lower numbers are if no artificial lights are used, the upper numbers are if artificial lights are used to maintain 17 hours of light during lay.
4. One ounce = 28.5 grams
5. This is the average fertility we get from our breeders during an entire season of lay (35-45 weeks of lay).
6. The Livestock Conservancy ranks most poultry breeds on how rare they are. For more information, visit The Livestock Conservatory.
7. Summary of comments from waterfowl judges that have visited our farm.

Pekin Grimaud Hybrid Ducks are the most popular type of duck in North America for Commercial Meat Duck Production. Breeding stock from France is imported to give our customers the most efficient, meaty and profitable duck. Pekins are the fastest growing breed and dress very well after processing because of their white feathers. These birds are successfully used by some of our customers for pasture grown ducks. They are not bred for this type of growing, but do well due to the natural hardiness and disease resistance of all ducks.

Khaki Campbell Ducks are commonly known for their exceptional egg laying capability. The Golden 300 Hybrid Layer Ducks and White Layer Ducks are two breeds developed here at Metzer Farms to maximize duck egg production. With proper care and management, these ducks will outperform the better known Pekins, Khaki Campbells, Runners or Welsh Harlequin. The Golden 300 and White Layer ducks are ideal if you are looking to meet a growing market for fresh duck eggs. There is also a steady demand for balut or salted eggs in most local Asian markets.

Metzer Farms is a proud board member and sponsor of The Livestock Conservatory. We actively participate in the preservation of rare heritage duck breeds and encourage others to help increase the population of many of the endangered domestic duck breeds. You can find a list of all officially recognized breeds by the American Poultry Association (APA), the Poultry Club of Great Britain (PCGB), and The Australian Poultry Standards.