Waterfowl Breeding
Whilst Trevor had a few pet ducks and geese when he was growing up, our foray into waterfowl really started when we purchased The Poodle and The Hen farm.
We initially purchased a few Pekin and Muscovy ducks and after a few years of breeding we decided to expand our waterfowl collection with a pair of Emden geese & Toulouse geese.
These days our flock has grown significantly and we keep over 30 ducks and a dozen geese.
Emden/Embden Geese
Emden or Embden geese are gorgeous big birds that are snow white and have very distinct gorgeous blue eyes, orange beaks, legs and feet.
They are a pleasure to have cruising around the property and a sight to be seen when sitting on the dam or roaming around the paddock grazing on the green grass.
Emden are quite hardy geese that can generally hold their own, even against dogs and in some cases foxes, paticularly when in numbers.
They lay around 20 eggs per year and are very protective parents so in breeding season you need to keep on your toes.
Emden geese have fast growth rates along with white skin and feathers which makes for a great table birds.
Muscovy Ducks
Muscovy ducks make great pets as they are very friendly and barely make any noise due to not being able to quack. Instead they make a hissing like noise whilst rocking their heads back and forth, so bothering the neighbors won’t be a problem.
They come in a range of colors, including black, white and blue and are very big ducks, particularly the drakes. Muscovy ducks have quite the appetite and usually shovel their food down, especially when The Poodle and The Hen feed is up for grabs.
Given their size, they make great table birds, but are also excellent mothers. They lay around 14-20 eggs at a time before going broody, which usually happens around 4 times a year. It’s not uncommon for a Muscovy duck to hatch 15 plus ducklings at a time. They’re commonly used as surrogate mothers and in our case hatch most of our Pekin Ducks.
Pekin Ducks
Pekin Ducks, similar to Muscovy Ducks, make great pets and dual purpose birds. They are very easy on the eyes being completely white with bright orange or yellow beaks, legs and feet.
They are great layers, producing upwards of 200 beautiful big white eggs per year. However they are not very good mothers or brooders so these days most Pekin ducks are hatched through incubators or other ducks, such as Muscovys, are used as broodys.
Pekin duck meat can be quite fatty so particular cooking styles suit this bird better, such as cooking Pekin Duck with roast potatoes to make use of the fat.
Unlike Muscovys they do quack and when in numbers, the females in particular, can start up quite a racket.
