Ducks vs Chickens: Pros and Cons for Raising Each Species
Raising ducks or raising chickens is becoming a far more frequently asked question. Backyard chicken keeping has been popular for many years as more folks became engaged in homesteading in small urban and suburban settings, as well as the more traditional larger scale rural setting. Duck keeping is garnering increased attention because the common myth that you need a pond to keep ducks for eggs has been busted … that and the huge creamy duck eggs being simply delicious.
If you have a homestead, you probably already have chickens.
Known as the “starter animal” for most small farms or backyards, this animal is one of the most versatile creatures you can keep. It produces tons of eggs, can be raised for meat, and also does an excellent job of keeping all the bugs down.
However, if you’ve been raising chickens for a while – or even if you haven’t and are looking to get your feet wet in the world of raising backyard poultry – you may have asked yourself whether it would be worth your time to raise ducks, too.
If you’re having trouble deciding whether chickens or ducks would be best for your homestead, ponder no more.
Here are all the factors that go into raising both types of birds to help you figure out which species might be best for your small homestead.
Egg Production
Many people assume that chickens are better egg producers than ducks simply because we are so accustomed to seeing chicken eggs lining the grocery store shelves.
However, ducks are equally good layers and, in some cases, even better.
If you live in a climate that is better-suited to ducks, such as the northwestern portions of the United States, you are actually going to find that ducks are better adapted to the climate.
As a result, the best-laying duck breeds outperform the best-laying chicken breeds each and every time.
Why?
Ducks have the unique ability to free-range on foods that chickens can’t.
They will eat a variety of foods like slugs and snails and also perform better in rainy, wet conditions.
As a result, their laying ability will remain consistent in these climates while you may find that a chicken’s tapers off.
In addition, people who are allergic to chicken eggs can often eat duck eggs.
While there are some people who are allergic to both, this is quite rare, and you won’t usually find a person who is allergic to duck eggs but not to chicken eggs.
Which Are Better, Duck Eggs Or Chicken Eggs?
There are many facets to consider when attempting to decide which eggs are best – part of the equation boils down to something as simple as family taste preference.
Chicken And Duck Egg Nutritional Facts
- Chicken eggs usually weigh around 1 and a half ounce (50 grams) and duck eggs weigh slightly more than two to two and a half ounces – or 70 grams.
- Chicken eggs contain about 148 calories. Duck eggs contain approximately 185 calories – slightly more if the eggs are laid by Jumbo Pekin hens.
- The protein count in duck eggs is higher than the percentages present in chicken eggs.
- Eggs from both duck hens and chicken hens typically contain roughly 1 gram of carbohydrates.
- Chicken eggs are about 10 grams of fat whereas duck eggs contain around 14 grams.
- An egg from a duck hen contains approximately 21 percent of the recommended amount of iron we need per day. Chicken eggs contain only 10 percent of the iron percentages the body needs on a daily basis.
- Chicken eggs possess 141 percent of the daily recommended amount of cholesterol and duck eggs have 295 percent.
- An egg from a duck hen has 17 percent of the vitamin D the body needs daily and chicken eggs has just 9 percent.
Although it is not commonplace, some people who are allergic to eggs laid by chicken hens are not allergic to duck hens. Before trying a duck egg if you are allergic to chicken eggs, a physician should always be consulted – especially if the allergic reaction is severe.
Laying Cycles
Ducks tend to be productive while laying eggs for much longer than chickens.
In fact, ducks from some of the top egg-laying breeds lay for years, outperforming chickens by far.
Chickens, on the other hand, usually taper off after year two or three.
Ducks lay eggs that are much larger than chicken eggs.
Many people assume that duck and chicken size will correspond with egg size, but interestingly, some dual-purpose duck breeds (like Anacondas) lay eggs that are much larger than you would expect for the duck’s size.
Ducks have a tendency to produce eggs that are larger than those produced by chickens of a similar size.
Ducks usually lay their eggs between 4 am and 8 am every day. Their eggs are usually laid in the pens where they are kept at night.
This can be quite convenient for people who raise ducks – because eggs are laid before they even are let out of the pen, you probably aren’t going to have to go looking for a nest of eggs.
You can collect eggs just once a day when you let the ducks out.
Chickens, on the other hand, have a 26-hour laying cycle. Each day, your hens’ laying times might be unpredictable.
While chickens won’t usually lay later in the day, you may have an unbalanced egg basket if you collect at the same time every day!
That being said, chickens are superior to ducks in the fact that they almost always return to the nest boxes to lay.
Once they’ve been trained to a specific area, they are very predictable and you usually won’t find their eggs hidden all over your property.
Chickens also need more daylight hours to lay. When you have fewer daylight hours during the winter months, you may have to supplement your light or see a decline in egg production.
Chickens also eat more in the winter since they can’t eat bugs and grass. This is not the case with ducks.
Both chickens and ducks molt.
Chickens usually molt during the fall and need to be fed more protein during this time. Egg production can slow or even stop.
Ducks molt in a different fashion.
These creatures have “nesting molts” during which downy feathers are removed from their bodies to feather their nests.
These feathers are regrown at some point over the next few weeks.
Like chickens, ducks molt in the fall and late summer. Females spend less time molting than males and also lose fewer feathers.
Most Productive Egg Laying Duck Breeds
The laying ability of your flock will depend largely on the breeds you select. Some duck breeds are better at laying eggs than others.
Here are some to consider that will give your chickens a run for their money.
- Anacona: 210-280 white, blue, cream, or green-colored eggs each year
- Buffs: 150-220 large white to cream-colored eggs each year
- Campbell: 250-340 white to cream-colored eggs each year
- Cayuga: 100-150 charcoal-colored eggs each year
- Magpie: 240-290 white, cream, blue, or green colored eggs each year
- Muscovy: 180-200 extra-large eggs each year
- Pekin: 200 large/extra-large white eggs each year
- Runner: more than 300 white and blue-green eggs each year
- Saxony: 190-240 white and blue-green eggs each year
- Silver Appleyard: 220-265 extra-large white eggs each year
- Welsh Harlequin: 240 to 330 cream-colored eggs each year
Most Productive Egg Laying Chicken Breeds
Just as people value certain breeds of ducks for their egg-laying abilities, so are certain breeds of chickens prized.
Here are some of the best egg-laying chicken breeds.
- Golden Laced Wyandotte: 200 large brown eggs each year
- Isa Brown: 300 large brown eggs each year
- Rhode Island Red: 150-200 medium brown eggs each year
- New Hampshire Red: 299 large brown eggs each year
- Red Star: 300 medium-large eggs per year
- Marans: 150-200 chocolate-colored eggs per year
- Ancona: 180-220 white eggs per year
- White Leghorns: 280-320 medium white eggs per year
- Golden Comet: 250-300 large brown eggs each year
- Barnevelder: 180-200 chocolate brown eggs per year
- Ameraucana: 250-260 eggs of various colors each year
- Buff Orpington: 150-200 eggs per year
- Australorp: 250-364 eggs per year
- Speckled Sussex: 200-300 eggs per year
- Hamburg: 200-210 medium white eggs each year
- Barred Plymouth Rock: 200-280 light brown eggs each year
- Welsummer: 150-160 dark brown eggs per year
Meat Production
Chickens and ducks can both be raised for meat.
Duck meat is mostly dark meat, while chicken meat will contain a mixture of white and dark cuts.
Both chicken and duck meat can be equally healthy for you – ducks that are raised in a natural environment will have meat and eggs with higher contents of omega-3 essential fatty acids and other nutrients, just as chickens do.
Raising chickens and ducks for meat is an identical process – as is butchering and processing.
Ducks can be a bit more difficult to pluck as they have denser feathering and down.
Best Duck Breeds for Meat Production
Thinking about raising ducks for meat? Here are some of the top breeds to consider, along with their ideal processing weight.
- Pekin: grows up to 7 lbs
- Jumbo Pekin: grows up to 11 pounds
- Rouen: grows up to 9 lbs
- Muscovy: grows up to 14 lbs
- Saxony: grows up to 10 lbs
Best Chicken Breeds for Meat Production
As with ducks, choosing the best chickens bred for meat production can make a major difference on your homestead. Here are some to consider:
- Cornish Cross: grows up to 12 lbs
- Jersey Giant: grows up to 13 lbs
- Bresse: grows up to 7 lbs
- Orpington: grows up to 10 lbs
- Buckeye: grows up to 9 lbs
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