The White Layer was developed several years after the Golden 300 Hybrid as some of our customers wanted a white egg laying bird. The advantage of the white color to these customers is the embryo is a lighter, yellow color which is preferable to the variety of colors in the Golden 300 embryo for balut production. Balut are duck eggs incubated to 17 days, removed from the incubator and cooked. This is a delicacy among some Filipinos, Vietnamese and other southeast Asia populations.
Commercial Meat and Egg Production Brochure
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• Limited Availability (<10 ducks)
The White Layer has equal egg production to the Golden 300 Hybrid. The only minor difference between it and the Golden 300 Hybrid is that the White Layer lays fewer bluish colored eggs. All the progeny of the White Layer are white.
For us, the White Layer 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 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.
This table shows how the White Layer compares to the Khaki Campbell (historically considered the best egg layer) on our farm.
White Layer | Khaki Campbell | |
Eggs In 40 Weeks of Lay | 230 | 195 |
Eggs In 52 Weeks of Lay | 290 | 240 |
Egg Weight | 82 gr., 2.9 oz | 76 gr., 2.7 oz |
Average Fertility | 93% | 90% |
Average Hatch of Fertile | 88% | 83% |
Mortality During Lay | 3% | 4% |
Pounds of Feed Per Duck Per Day During Lay | .40 | .36 |
Temperament | Calm | Excitable |
Consistency of Production | Very Good | Average |
Age at 5% Egg Production | 23 Weeks | 22 Weeks |
Number of Females per Male | 5.75 | 6.0 |
Weight of Female at 23 Weeks | 4.65 lbs. | 4.15 lbs. |
White Layers are one of the best duck breeds i have ever had: They are as goofy and laid-back as Pekin ducks, but without the leg and hip problems that the heavy Pekins will develop later in their life.
Excellent egg layers, expect one huge white egg per duck on over 350 days per year, only during the fall molt have my girls stopped to lay for a couple of days.