Say what you want ducks for — eggs, a calm pet, meat, slug patrol in the garden, or ducklings of their own — and whether they must stay on the ground, and it puts 21 domestic breeds in order by the waterfowl hatchery Metzer Farms’ own figures: eggs a year, weight, a calm score from the staff who look after them, foraging and mothering. One thing first: a Muscovy isn’t a mallard at all.
21 breeds · eggs
Best for eggs: Golden 300 Hybrid Layer (Metzer’s own hybrid), White Layer (Metzer’s own hybrid) and Golden Cascade
The rest, in order
Breed figures checked 2026-09-27 on Metzer Farms’ duck breed comparison chart.
Quick answer: for eggs, Metzer Farms’ chart puts its own two hybrids on top (200–290 eggs a year) and the Khaki Campbell and Golden Cascade next (165–240). For a calm pet, its staff score the Call, Muscovy, Saxony, Golden Cascade and Australian Spotted calmest of all. For meat, the Jumbo Pekin and the Muscovy are the heaviest. For slug patrol, the Indian Runner and the Muscovy forage best. And a duck that will hatch and raise her own is a Muscovy first. Ducks don’t need a pond. Pick what you want them for, and the finder lists all 21 breeds in that order.
One thing before any breed: the Muscovy is a different bird
Every other duck on this list descends from the wild mallard; the Muscovy doesn’t. Metzer Farms: “They are genetically different from all other breeds of domestic duck (which all originate from the wild Mallard duck). If you cross a Muscovy and any other domestic breed of duck, the progeny are infertile and cannot reproduce.” It behaves differently too. It is “calmer and quieter (no loud Quack like other female ducks) than other ducks”, and “As they are a flying duck, they will often perch in trees though their nests are always on the ground.” If a quiet duck matters — close neighbours, a small garden — that is usually the answer. If a duck that stays put matters more, it isn’t.
Where the figures come from
Every number in the finder is from one waterfowl hatchery’s comparison chart, Metzer Farms’, and it is filed under Metzer’s name. Three of them need their footnotes. Eggs a year: “The lower numbers are if no artificial lights are used, the upper numbers are if artificial lights are used to maintain 17 hours of light during lay.” The calm score: “1.0 indicates a Very Calm breed and 9.0 indicates a More Nervous breed. Average scores by Metzer Farms employees who care for the ducks.” And weight: “These are the weights of our breeders during lay.” Two of the top egg layers are Metzer’s own crosses — “The Golden 300 Hybrid Layer Ducks and White Layer Ducks are two breeds developed here at Metzer Farms to maximize duck egg production” — so the finder names them as Metzer’s every time they appear, and shows the next-best breed anyone can buy.
Do ducks need a pond?
No. Metzer Farms answers the question directly: “No. The birds love it but you are making some headaches for yourself by providing swimming water. The biggest problem is what to do with the water after they have muddied and defecated in it so it becomes dirty. If you do provide swimming water, they don’t have to have it every day.” A tub they can dip their heads in, cleaned often, is what most backyard ducks get. If you already have a small pond, the calmer, grounded breeds are the ones that stay near it.
Ducks and chickens together
Plenty of keepers run both. Duck eggs take longer to hatch than chickens’, and a Muscovy’s longest of all: the incubation planner covers ducks and Muscovies separately. When the ducklings arrive, the duck name generator has names written for them, and the duck lifespan chart shows how long each kind usually lives.