Can Ducks Fly?

[RichmondHens]

My brother's ducks never seem to fly away. He has a variety of muscovy crosses and some others, don't know what breeds. But they all just sit around the pond quacking loudly!

[Bephlam]

Mo, you should have said 'Chickens are the bReastest!'

[Llamas]

Our campbells are very easly offended, but they are fairly quiet, and they're been super layers thus far. Our fence is only about four feet high, and they don't deign to notice anything outside of it. I think if yours is big enough for them to pootle around and to get away from one another if necessary, you will not have to worry about any flyaways.

[OllieMartin]

If there's a luscious garden full of vegetables next to them, might that entice them?

So can anyone recommend a quiet, attractive breed that are good layers? Personally I wanted to go for white ducks as they're so much more attractive in my opinion.

[Glutton4...]

You need to go wash your mouth out young man.

Now stop this nonsense and go and get some Chickens. Within a week you'll realise what lovely little personalities they are, and you'll be hooked!

[OllieMartin]

You need to go wash your mouth out young man.

Now stop this nonsense and go and get some Chickens. Within a week you'll realise what lovely little personalities they are, and you'll be hooked!

I love to eat them, and their eggs, but there's just something about chickens (and pigeons) that I find a little creepy. I know they're both just as obstreperous, but ducks are just cuter.

[ginger ninger]

Ollie...Why not get some of these? They don't fly, They lay...errr how can I say...Big eggs, and you'd only need one in an omelette
Might have a bit of trouble catching one for Sunday Dinner though

[OllieMartin]

I could use a whole buttered baguette as soliders!

[Nicos]

How about a dinosaur egg....

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph...g_1372350c.jpg

[Nicos]

as an after thought- can running ducks actually fly- or do they just run?

[OverWyreGrower]

as an after thought- can running ducks actually fly- or do they just run?

Our 2 (Francis and Mary) do a lot of flapping, and Francis has, on occasion, got about a foot off the floor.... they don't even run particularly well, though they are more graceful than the Campbells!

[Hilary B]

Campbells and Runners are actually quite small for 'proper' domestic ducks (call ducks are smaller, the equivalent of bantams in chooks, but I don't count them).
If you want a big, placid duck, Aylesbury or Rouen are BIG (eventually), Silver Appleyards, Cayugas or Welsh Harlequins are medium sized but lay plenty of eggs (comparable to the dual purpose breeds of chook), and the Campbells and runners are closer to the laying hybrid types of chook.
As with most species of domesticated creatures, the bigger they come the more likely they are to be quiet and placid (but that is only an average).

[OllieMartin]

Campbells and Runners are actually quite small for 'proper' domestic ducks (call ducks are smaller, the equivalent of bantams in chooks, but I don't count them).
If you want a big, placid duck, Aylesbury or Rouen are BIG (eventually), Silver Appleyards, Cayugas or Welsh Harlequins are medium sized but lay plenty of eggs (comparable to the dual purpose breeds of chook), and the Campbells and runners are closer to the laying hybrid types of chook.
As with most species of domesticated creatures, the bigger they come the more likely they are to be quiet and placid (but that is only an average).

To be honest, my priorities are:
Firstly: Don't fly
Secondly: Are quiet (They'll be in the back garden of a row of terraces with terraces behind, so will annoy as many people as possibly if they're noisy)
Thirdly: Are attractive (call me vein, but I won't be as commited to an animal if I don't like the look of it!)
Fourthly: Good layers.

In my research I'd come up with Campbells as being a good choice, but can't find much information on how high a fence would need to be. And now I'm not so sure that they're all that quiet.

[Hilary B]

To be honest, my priorities are:
Firstly: Don't fly
Secondly: Are quiet (They'll be in the back garden of a row of terraces with terraces behind, so will annoy as many people as possibly if they're noisy)
Thirdly: Are attractive (call me vein, but I won't be as commited to an animal if I don't like the look of it!)
Fourthly: Good layers.

In my research I'd come up with Campbells as being a good choice, but can't find much information on how high a fence would need to be. And now I'm not so sure that they're all that quiet.

I am fond of Cayugas, glossy black with a green tinge, lay lovely blue-green eggs. Harlequins and Appleyards are both more colourful than the Khaki Campbells. They probably COULD fly, but need a decent 'run up' to get launched, and in a normal sized garden run, I really can't see that happening......
Ducks are probably as likely to announce an egg as chooks, (but perhaps more briefly). Drakes are MUCH less noisy. They ARE more likely to be 'talkiative' after dark. Chooks go to sleep when they can't see where they are, ducks may not....

[OllieMartin]

I am fond of Cayugas, glossy black with a green tinge, lay lovely blue-green eggs. Harlequins and Appleyards are both more colourful than the Khaki Campbells. They probably COULD fly, but need a decent 'run up' to get launched, and in a normal sized garden run, I really can't see that happening......
Ducks are probably as likely to announce an egg as chooks, (but perhaps more briefly). Drakes are MUCH less noisy. They ARE more likely to be 'talkiative' after dark. Chooks go to sleep when they can't see where they are, ducks may not....

Thanks HB, very useful.
Think the best plan is to seek out some of these breeds where they're kept and witness the noise level myself.