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Golden 300 Hybrid Layer Ducks
| Sex | Order | 1 to 29 | 30 to 124 | 125 to 299 | 300 to 749 | 750 to 1199 | 1200 to 1999 | 2000+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unsexed | $11.86 | $8.37 | $6.49 | $4.87 | $4.43 | $3.97 | $3.97 | |
| Male | $9.04 | $6.14 | $4.80 | $3.66 | $3.33 | $3.00 | $3.00 | |
| Female | $16.81 | $12.31 | $9.44 | $6.97 | $6.35 | $5.64 | $5.41 |
Because we sell thousands of edible duck eggs a week, it is important we produce eggs efficiently and consistently. In 1996 we developed the Golden 300 Hybrid as they lay more and larger eggs, have a higher fertility and are calmer than the Khaki Campbell. The Khaki Campbell may be a good egg producer in small flocks but we were never satisfied with their production in our larger commercial flocks. Because of this inconsistency, we developed the Golden 300 Hybrid by crossing and utilizing the attributes of different duck breeds.
The Golden 300 Hybrid females are different shades of brown, from very dark to lighter tan. The male can either have shades of brown or have black on them. They do not retain this characteristic in future generations. So if you mate a Golden 300 Hybrid with another Golden 300 Hybrid, their progeny will hatch in blacks, yellows and browns with no relationship between sex and color.
As adults the females range in color from a very light brown to a very dark brown, often with areas of white on them. Males can appear much like a Rouen, or a dull looking Cayuga or with white and dark markings.
Commercial Meat and Egg Production Brochure
| Apr 22 | Apr 29 | May 6 | May 13 | May 20 | May 28 | Jun 3 | Jun 10 | Jun 17 | Jun 24 | Jul 1 | Jul 8 | Jul 15 | Jul 22 | Jul 29 | Aug 5 | |
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| Unsexed | ||||||||||||||||
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• Available
• Not Available
• Limited Availability (<10 birds)
Some of our customers wanted a white bird that laid as well as the Golden 300 Hybrid. In 1999 we developed the White Layer Ducks to meet this demand. The egg production of these two breeds is identical on our farm.
For us, the Golden 300 is a calm bird, much like the Buff, Cayuga, and Blue Swedish. However, we have had reports from some (not all) customers that they are a very nervous bird, much like the Khaki Campbell. We cannot explain why some flocks are calm and some are nervous. Our guess is that at some point they were panicked enough that they were permanently traumatized and spent the rest of their lives nervous. We don't know when ducks are most sensitive to this trauma nor why it happens to some flocks and not others.
If you are interested in producing duck eggs to sell, we recommend you go our Maximizing Duck Egg Production page for more information on this topic.
If you want to find locally produced duck eggs, go to our page Our Customers That Sell Fresh Duck Eggs. If you would like to be placed on this page as a seller of duck eggs, see the requirements on this same page.
Our Breed Comparison chart shows how the Golden 300 Hybrid compares to the Khaki Campbell (historically considered the best egg layer) on our farm.
Customer Reviews of Golden 300 Hybrid Layer Ducks
5.0October 11, 2020 | Arrived Healthy and Happy.
The ducklings arrived right on schedule. They were all healthy and happy and have grown very well. Very pleased, we will order from Metzar again.
December 8, 2020 | Love Them!
Ordered the ducklings and they arrived healthy and active. They settled right in with the others and have been wonderful additions! The colors are outstanding and while they are a bit more skiddish than others in the flock, they do eat from my hand and will nibble on my clothers when I visit with them. Very much looking forward to seeing their egg laying production! Wonderful ducks!
December 28, 2020 | Active and great layers
These birds arrived healthy and happy and starred on my youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YidcRhCAKEQ&list=PL60P0902sv44lpSH-HyIynXCpc0iRDb6r.I raised these females along with 3 males and have since given them to a friend who says that they are active and laying. They come in interesting colors too!
January 11, 2021 | My Sparta
Our little Sparta is a golden hybrid 300. She arrived in early summer and has been our best layer yet! We have Pekin, jumbo pekin, khaki campbell, Cayuga, blue Swedish and black Swedish. Our little Sparta is the smallest of the flock and lays almost everyday this winter. None of our other females are laying. Her eggs are a little bit larger than a large chicken egg. She isn't our friendliest duck, but she's a close second to our black Swedish. She has a lot of energy and when she was a "toddler" she would cry out for us if she didn't see us in the yard. She is always the first to run for food and treats, yet quite a bit smaller than the rest of the flock. We have seen her fly about 4 feet off the ground and can fly over her kiddie pool. No long distances but we are excited when she gets to take flight. We have been so happy with her that we have ordered many more for the spring.
January 13, 2021 | More like Golden 365!
These girls are great! We thought we would have to wait until spring for eggs. Nope. As soon as they got old enough, they started laying and haven't stopped. 6 layers, and we get 5-6 eggs every day. One day, we had 8! (six the day before, so I don't think I missed any).
February 22, 2021 | Bessie and Bee?
We've had our two Golden 300's for about a year now, and we love them so much! They work so hard to give us eggs and they're absolutely adorable. Our two Golden's are absolute best friends, as well. One of them actually provided us with some fertilized eggs, and she had 4 or 5 babies with our Khaki Campbell drake! The girls are always full of surprises:)
March 9, 2021 | Healthy and beautiful ducklings!
Our Golden 300 ducklings arrived healthy and energetic. They have grown into lovely ducks and they are wonderful layers!
March 17, 2021 | Beyond Eggspectations!
It's been a bit chilly(nights to 10F) here on Long Island this winter, but my five beautiful hens have been producing 4.5 to 5 eggs EVERY DAY!. They overnight in an unheated coop and eat a mix of crumble, cracked grain, black soldier fly larvae and some romaine lettuce. We haven't eaten chicken eggs since they started laying 10 months ago. I just ordered a drake to keep the flock robust. Shipping and service has been great. I heartily recommend Metzer Farms. Cheers - Gary
May 18, 2022 | Arrived quickly and in great condition
My ducklings arrived today, healthy and in great condition. They are settling in great.
July 10, 2022 | Very pretty!
For being a "brown" duck, my girl is very beautiful and I get tons of compliments about her! She is "top hen" in my little flock, the largest, and very friendly (2nd friendliest!). She hasn't started laying yet, but she is a wonderful duck so far. A+ experience, wonderful customer service and babies.
September 9, 2022 | Ducks
Got them on time healthy all alive and on time will be ordering again
October 23, 2022 | 3 golden hybrid - 6 month review
Ordered 15 ducks. 6 white layers, 4 Cayuga, 3 Golden, 2 Chocolate runners. All arrived healthy and happy, I was shocked. I didn't think all 15 would survive shipping and their new life in Michigan but they did. They are all doing great 6 months later. They arrived late April. Kept them in the pole barn with a heat lamp for the first month. Slowly introduced them to my existing 5 ducks - 1 KC drake, 2 Swedish ladies, and 2 Runner mixes. Can't believe how big they all are compared to my other 5. All of them started laying at 5 months old except the 2 cayuga ladies. One of the Cayuga ladies is definitely wanting to be a mom. Camera in the coop shows her gathering the eggs the other ladies lay and sitting on them. I say the Cayugas haven't layed yet - but I just haven't seen any darker eggs yet like they say Cayugas lay at first. The Chocolate Runners are tiny at 6 months old compared to the others, and I suspect they are the ones laying tiny little eggs, about 1/4 the size of the others. Anyway, all the ducks ordered from Metzer arrived healthy, and are doing great 6 months later!!! Dont know if its the Goldens or the White layers, but a few of the ladies are laying some monster eggs. I feel sorry for their rear end.
October 31, 2022 | All is well
I ordered 2 sets of 12 Ladies and 2 Drakes Four weeks apart. Total of 24 Ladies and 4 Gents. Both shipments arrived health and safely. Looking for production to start late March, early April of 2023. First group was a little more nervous than I would like; but the second group seams to be comer. Thinking they will all work out in the production of eggs. As egg production starts I will be selling pure breaded fresh eggs; as well as fertile eggs. Quack Quack
March 12, 2023 | Great for Beginners
I ordered 6 of these in a straight run. They are a little more skittish than ducks that I've had in the past but overall an excellent demeanor. I ordered these last May and raised them through the end of the year. I have 2 males and 4 females. I was surprised that the started laying in December as I was certain I wouldn't get eggs until spring. All four females are laying now and haven't missed a day on eggs - you will definitely have plenty of eggs, especially for personal use. These are great producers and I am super happy. My flock is very healthy and it's been relatively easy to get them set up. I plan to buy more in the future.
May 3, 2023 | Smart + Friendly
To echo what other reviewers have said: the 300s are somewhat more skittish than my other girls, but they are still plenty personable and very smart. They'll come right up for treats along with the others and even give my dog a little nip on the toes. I don't know if Metzer intended to, but they sent me one very light one and one darker one - and I appreciate that I get to enjoy the spectrum of the breed's coloring even though I had a very small order. I will try to remember to follow back up once they've been laying for a bit.
May 18, 2023 | Received Safe and Sound
Ducklings in excellent health and arrived safe and sound.
June 4, 2023 | Ducklings
Love them
August 4, 2023 | So cute and so much personality!
These ducklings arrived early and very healthy. At first, they were a bit scared of us, but after hand feeding them for a week, they warmed up to us. They are so cute and grow so rapidly! We are now on week 3 and they are already quacking a bit. They are not scared of us at all, but they do get scared by loud noises and things like that. I love them!
September 9, 2023 | smart and energetic
Arrived happy and healthy. Very agile ducklings like sleeping on top of the brooder plate! A big surprise to us as they were only a day or two old when they started doing it. We love them!!!!
January 24, 2024 | best layers
Nice birds started laying 5 months old AAA plus
February 17, 2024 | Great ducklings
I ordered two females they arrived happy and healthy. Metzer farms was very attentive due to they shipped in a snow storm. I ordered 2 of theses and 2 khaki campbells and they all arrived happy and are thriving!
February 25, 2024 | love my Golden girls
My four 5 year old Golden girls are laying strong. Spring laying began Feb 14th with 4 eggs daily! My flock is a mixture of Blue Swedish, Buffs, Rouen, and Ancona who range in age from 2-4 years and typically start laying mid-March. I will be adding more Golden girls this year! All of my girls have been healthy and lively ducklings from Metzer Farm!
March 3, 2024 | Incredible Winter Egg Production!
I have a mixed flock of ducks and chickens. My three golden 300 hybrid ducks are incredible high-production layers just like my white leghorn chickens. The main advantage of these ducks is the winter egg production rate. If you want the guarantee of eggs all year round, the golden 300 hybrid duck is the perfect choice to add to your flock!
March 7, 2024 | Amazing layers!
I got my ducklings a year ago, and they've been healthy, strong and wonderful! They're surprisingly good foragers and have been doing a great job keeping our slug and snail problem under control. They also laid way more eggs than my chickens all winter!