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?
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?
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
6.50 - 15.00 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
Brazil
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 - 15.00 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
Brazil
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.