Ducks are not for everyone, but they are better than chickens in some ways. They are much hardier in bad weather and almost none of the diseases that affect chickens occur in ducks. They often lay more, or more consistently, than chickens.
Bantam Ducks
Like chickens, bantam ducks are much smaller and take less space (and eat less food). They still lay eggs, perhaps not at many as the laying breeds of larger ducks. The most commonly kept breeds of bantam ducks are the Calls and Black East Indies. These are bred to be very small and as a result, they usually lay few eggs compared to the breeds we offer. Also, Calls can be notoriously hard to hatch, and they are extra delicate when first hatched. All of the bantam breeds we have are regarded as very rare and in danger of being lost.
We currently offer these breeds of bantam ducks:
- Australian Spotted ducks These are the largest birds, with the largest eggs of the bantam breeds. Their eggs are usually a turquois blue, almost identical in color and size to Cream Legbars or Ameraucanas. Occasionally, you will get a white egg. They lay a lot of eggs in the spring and summer, then they often go broody and are excellent mothers. brochure
- Mini Silver Appleyard ducks A little smaller than Australian Spotted, but larger than most Calls. They lay a white egg and have proven to be good layers.
- Aztec ducks A little smaller than Australian Spotted, but larger than most Calls. They lay a turquois egg like the Australian Spotted. They are possibly the best layers of the bantam ducks, or maybe the are just younger overall, but these usually start laying earlier than the other breeds.