Buff Duck Eggs

Buff Duck Hatching Eggs

If you are looking for a solid utility and production duck, Buffs are a great choice. Buff Ducks were developed by the same breeder who developed the Buff Orpington Chicken, William Cook. Some people still refer to Buff Ducks as Buff Orpington Ducks. 

Buffs are very attractive ducks and very striking as a flock on the lawn. They are good all-around birds and fit into almost every farmstead or backyard flock as well as into commercial operations. 

The Buff Duck is the perfect dual-purpose heritage duck breed. They make great meat birds, reaching a mature weight in 8-10 weeks. They have light-colored pin feathers, making butchering easier, and nice-looking table birds. Females can lay between 150 and 220 white eggs per year, making them excellent for egg production as well.

Temperament: Buff Ducks are social and gregarious ducks. They are great foragers and garden companions.

History: In the early twentieth century, the famous William Cook of Orpington, Kent in England worked on creating this breed as the ultimate production duck. His goal was a dual-purpose bird that laid a large number of eggs and also could be used as an efficient meat bird. He did succeed. In 1908 Cook showed off his Buff Ducks in the U.S. for the first time at the Madison Square Garden APA Show. The breed was accepted into the APA in 1914. 

Colors: Buffs are a golden blond color but a bit more fawn than the chicken of the same name. Sexes are quite similar in coloring. Both have orange legs and feet. Males have orange bills and darker heads. Females have a distinctive brown-gray bill. Both have dark eyes set into a full and round-shaped head. 

Livestock Conservancy Status: Threatened, fewer than seven primary breeding flocks in the U.S. It seems that as commercial producers started to focus on the Pekin for fast meat production, the number of breeders of the Buff declined sharply. 

Body Type: The Buff Ducks are medium-sized ducks, with an upright stance, enhanced by a long, graceful neck and tight body. 

Standard Weights: Young Male 7 lbs, Young Female 6 lbs

American Poultry Association Class: Medium Duck