Top 9 Duck Breeds for Sale in 2023

My Pet Chickens offers the best duck breeds for sale! We compiled our 2023 data to find out what duck breeds you, the customer, loved most. And we couldn't agree more with you! 

Ducks make great backyard pets. They are hardy, find a good portion of their own food, eat insects and weed seeds from the garden, and can be very entertaining while they wander around the backyard. There are also many great reasons to consider adding pet ducks to your backyard flock as a source of eggs.

The top 9 duck breeds that sold in 2023 are as follows:

1. Cayuga - Top Selling Duck Breed in 2023

 

The Cayuga duck is one of the few duck breeds originating from the U.S. It comes from the Lake Cayuga region in upstate New York and is thought to have been developed from the wild Black Duck.

Both the male and female have a brilliant green sheen on their greenish-black feathers, though it is especially evident on the head of the male. And they have black or olive-colored bills, dark brown eyes, and dusky black to black shanks and feet. Interestingly, Cayugas turn almost all white after several years, and their black legs become orangish as they age.

Furthermore, their eggs have black or dark gray shells toward the beginning of the season, lightening to light gray, blue, green, or even white at season end.

The Cayuga duck weighs 4.75-6 lbs. It will lay approximately 130-180 large eggs weighing 2.5-3 ounces annually. Read more about this breed in our Cayuga Duck Breed: The Complete Guide blog.

2. Fawn and White Runner Duck

Initially bred in Southeast Asia, all Runners have ancestry that dates back to Java over 2000 years ago. They were mistakenly named “Indian” Runners when first imported to England in the 1850s because they arrived on a ship from India; the importing family finally disclosed in 1909 that these runners were from Southeast Asia.

Runner ducks are hardy because they typically cover hundreds of miles in their travels while foraging for seeds, insects, slugs, and other bugs. However, they are light in weight, so it isn't likely that they will trample your garden or yard.

Their egg production is average now as opposed to a century ago due to extensive breeding with an emphasis on coloration. They weigh 3.25-4 lbs and will lay approximately 100-180 large eggs weighing 2-2.5 ounces per year. Runner females will lay either white or light green eggs, with some laying dark gray or even blackish eggs at the beginning of the season.

3. Pekin - Top Duck Breed for Sale in 2023

Pekin ducks are the top duck breed for sale in 2023! They originated in China and are the most popular domestic duck because of their calm disposition.

Mature Pekins have pure white feathers, orange legs and bills, and blue eyes; as ducklings, they are fluffy and yellow and very cute. Pekin ducks are in the heavy class, weighing 9-12.25 lbs.

The female ducks lay 150-200 extra-large eggs weighing 3-3.5 ounces per year. Almost all the eggs will be white, with less than 2% tinted blue-green.

4. Buff Duck

The Buff Duck, also known as the Buff Orpington Duck (yes, just like its chicken counterpart!), was developed by the William Cook family in the Orpington area of Kent, England, during the early 1900s. Its introduction to the U.S. occurred in 1908, and to this day, it continues to be a remarkably beautiful and popular breed.

The female Buff Duck exhibits an entirely buff plumage, while the male boasts a buff body complemented by a seal brown head. Distinguishing features include the female's brownish-orange bill with a dark bean and the male's yellow bill. Both genders share brown eyes with a blue pupil, as well as orange-yellow shanks and feet.

Known for its serene disposition and adept foraging skills, the Buff Duck weighs between 5 and 6.25 lbs. It lays a substantial annual yield of 130-180 large (80-90 grams) white or tinted eggs. Despite breeding true in terms of color (meaning their offspring maintain the same coloration), Buff Ducks originated from a diverse lineage, including breeds such as Runners, Aylesburys, Rouens, and Cayugas.

5. Khaki Campbell Duck

The Khaki Campbell is one of the more famous and popular duck breeds for sale. The female has excellent egg production, laying between 165-240 large eggs weighing 2.5-3 ounces per year, and it has good mothering abilities. Khaki Cambell eggs will be pearly white, with a small percentage laying blue or green eggs. This duck weighs 3.5-4.5 lbs.

The male has a brownish bronze and warm khaki coloring, dark brown eyes, dark orange legs and feet, and a green bill with a black bean at the tip. The female is seal-brown and khaki, with dark brown eyes, brown legs and feet, and a greenish-black bill with a black bean on the tip.

6. White Crested - Top Duck Breed for Sale in 2023

The White Crested is a classic duck breed, having records of its existence as early as 1660 due to its presence in paintings by the Dutch painter Jan Steen.

The White Crested weighs 6-7.25 lbs and is an excellent breeder. The female lays 100-130 extra large, mostly white eggs, which lay 2.5-3 ounces annually. A small percentage may be tinted, blue, or green.

The males and females are entirely white, including the crest on their heads, and they have blue eyes, yellow bills, and light orange shanks and feet.

7. Rouen Duck

Rouen ducks are very beautiful and closely resemble wild Mallards in coloration. The original breed was developed in France and named after the city of Rouen. They are second only to Pekins and Muscovy in size. They have a calm disposition, and unlike Mallards, they do not fly. A Rouen duck weighs 5-7.25 lbs, about three times as much as a Mallard.We sell the non-show type of Rouen duck because they are better foragers, are more fertile, and lay more eggs. The females will lay 140-180 extra-large white, tinted, green, or blue eggs per year. Eggs will weigh 3-3.5 ounces.

8. Blue Swedish Duck

A top duck breed for sale - the Blue Swedish, was developed in the Pomeranian area of Europe when it was a part of the Swedish Kingdom. These ducks were introduced to the USA in the late 1800s. Blue Swedish ducks are hardy and have good foraging abilities. They have a calm disposition and are similar in size to the Rouen duck.

They weigh 5-6.25 lbs and lay approximately 120-180 large white, tinted, blue, gray, or green eggs yearly. Eggs will weigh 3-3.5 ounces.

Blue Swedish ducks have dark blue heads with dark brown eyes. The males have a greenish-blue bill, and the females have a bluish-slate-colored bill. Their bodies are predominantly blue, with white feathers on the front of their neck and breast. Their shanks and feet are reddish brown with irregular markings of grayish black.

9. Welsh Harlequin Duck

The Welsh Harlequin duck is a fairly new duck breed for sale, developed by Leslie Bonnett in Wales from two off-colored Khaki Campbell ducklings in 1949. They are becoming a very popular breed because they have excellent egg production abilities and will instinctively sit and hatch a nest full of ducklings. They are extremely calm birds but also very inquisitive and excellent foragers.

The feather patterns and colors on the adult females are especially beautiful. Of the two color variations found in Welsh Harlequins (Silver and Gold), ours are the more common Silver variety.

The Welsh Harlequin weighs 4.5-5.5 lbs, and the female lays 100-150 large, pearly white eggs weighing 2.5-3 ounces per year. A very small percentage may be tinted blue or green.