After having kept chickens, mallard derived ducks, muscovy ducks, and quail, I’ve compiled a comparison chart for their different characteristics. I hope this will be helpful to those who are trying to decide which poultry to keep. Each has its pros and cons, strengths and weaknesses. While I am keeping only muscovies now (and a couple of remaining quail), that’s due to the fact that I prefer their strengths over the others. Your needs (and tastes) may be very different than mine. I have both a visual chart attached and a more in depth look at each of the variables that went into deciding which poultry I wanted to keep.
| Chickens | Ducks (Mallard Derivatives) | Ducks (Muscovies) | Quails (Coturnix) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Egg Production | High - Depending on the breed, chickens can lay 360+ eggs a year, although artificial light needs to be provided for them to do so. It also cuts down on the total length of their lay life. | High - Some duck varieties bred for laying can produce up to 340 eggs a year. Almost as much as high production chickens. | Medium - Muscovies can produce up to 200 eggs a year and are more seasonal layers. | High - Coturnix quail can lay up to 300+ eggs a year, with supplemental lighting. |
| Female Noise Level | Medium - Chicken hens will cluck and sing an "egg song" when they lay. Sometimes they may squawk loudly as well. | High - Duck hens quack a lot, and some breeds are louder and more anxious than others, raising their noise level. If you have the space and don't mind the noise, they are fine to keep (just not too close to the house.) | Low - Muscovy hens will peep and trill, but are relatively silent. They can be startled into making a "quack" sound. | Medium - Quail hens chirp and peep pretty consistently. A large group of them can make a moderate amount of noise. |
| Male Noise Level | High - Roosters will crow very loudly, and while you can buy "crow collars," it will be mostly dependent on the individual rooster himself as to whether or not it works. | Low - Drakes can only hiss and are otherwise silent. | Low - Drakes can huff and hiss and are otherwise silent. | Medium - Male quail can crow but the noise level is nowhere near that of roosters, although a large group of them can get loud. |
| Food Requirement | Medium - Chickens don't eat as much as ducks do, and tend not to gorge themselves so they consume less feed. | High - Mallard derived ducks will sometimes eat themselves to death, so they tend to consume a lot more feed than other poultry. | Low - If fed solely on commercial feed, muscovies fall somewhere between chickens and mallard derived ducks. While they consume more feed than chickens do, once they are full, they stop. However, if allowed to free range, they tend to consume a lot less feed than either chickens or mallard derivatives. | Low - Due to their small size, quail eat far less feed. However, if they are in a caging system where they have mesh floor, because they scratch the feed, they can be wasteful if the feed system is not set up in a way where they can't scratch. |
| Water Requirement | Medium - Chickens go through far less water than ducks do due to the fact that they don't play in it. | High - Mallard derived ducks require a lot more water since they like to play in it. Even watering systems where only their head can go through will need to be changed once or twice daily, since they will dabble their food in it and wash out their nostrils. | High - Muscovies use less water than mallard derived ducks but still require daily water changes to prevent it from stinking. They will also bathe/put food into the water if given the chance. | Low - Quail has the lowest and easiest water requirement since a hamster bottle will suffice. |
| Pest Control | Medium - Chickens will eat ticks and other insects but tend to leave slugs, snails, and certain bugs (such as flies and mosquitos) alone. They will eat weeds but are indiscriminate between that and grass/ornamentals. | High - Mallard derived ducks will eat the vast majority of pests in the garden. However, they will leave certain bugs alone (flies and mosquitos.) Certain species will also eat weeds if trained from an early age. | High - If it moves, muscovies will eat it. they tend to be the best at controlling pests (although they are rather indiscriminate towards them and will also eat beneficial insects too.) They do not eat as many weeds as some mallard derivatives will but sometimes they take a fancy to certain weeds and will eradicate them. | Low - Due to their small size, they are really only useful in cleaning up ticks, but since they do not come back the way chickens and ducks do, you can't free range them so their pest eating abilities can't be used. |
| Fertilizer Quality | High - High nitrogen content but chicken manure must be aged/composted before use or else it will burn the roots of the plants. | Medium - Does not contain as much nitrogen as chicken manure but can be used directly without aging/composting. | Medium - Does not contain as much nitrogen as chicken manure but can be used directly without aging/composting. | Low - Their small size means there is much less fertilizer usable. Since they are related to chickens, it's best to age their manure if you collect it for fertilizing your plants. |
| Messiness | Low - Chickens are relatively clean and don't make a mess due to the fact that they don't play with water. | High - Ducks are very messy so keep their water source out of their coop, and their run must be well drained. | Medium - While muscovies don't like water as much, they will still bathe daily so keep their water source out of their coop, and their run must be well drained. | Low - They drink from a hamster bottle and their droppings are negligible if not keeping a lot. They do scratch their food, but a scratch proof food container will help cut down on the mess. |
| Smell | High - chicken poop smells badly, so it's pretty terrible if you track it into the house. | Medium - Their smell mostly comes from their water because they play in it so much. Their droppings are not very noticeable unless they're brooding. | Medium - Their smell mostly comes from their water because they play in it so much. Their droppings are not very noticeable unless they're brooding. | Low - No discernible smell from their manure if in dry conditions. It could be because they are so small that it dries too quickly to smell. Will smell similar to chicken manure when wet. |
| Breed Variety | High - Chickens, being one of the oldest poultry kept, have so many varieties to choose from depending on what you're looking for. | High - While not as many varieties as chickens, mallard derived ducks do come in breeds that have distinct characteristics. | Low - Other than a difference in color, there are no muscovy varieties other than the wild ones versus domesticated ones. | Medium - There are several species of qual that can be kept, such as coturnix, button, bobwhite, etc. Within the specific species, there are also color and size variations. |
| Brooding Skills | High - Some breeds like silkies are great brooders, but others, especially meat and laying breeds may not be. | High - Some breeds are good brooders but some meat/egg breeds are not. | High - Muscovies are excellent broodies and can hatch 60 - 80 ducklings a year. | Low - Coturnix quail have been bred in a way where domestic stock have mostly lost the ability to brood. |
| Friendliness | Medium - Some chickens are very cuddly, others are more hands off. It depends on the individual chicken. | High - Ducks recognize humans as part of their flock and sometimes as parents. They can be very friendly, depending on breed. | Medium - Once adults, while they will take food from your hand, they will not like being picked up. More hands off. | Low - Can be very aggressive, and in general not tame. However, they will recognize you provide food and will come over when you approach. |
| Vegetable Garden Compatibility | Low - Chickens will eat your vegetables so using them as pest control is only adviseable during the end of the season/before planting for them to clean up leftovers and aerate the soil. | Medium - Ducks will eat your vegetables but not to the extent that chickens will. You can allow them to free range under supervision. | High - Due to the high volume of pests they have available to them, my muscovies do not touch my fruits or vegetables at all. Your mileage may vary if your area is small. | Medium - They are too small to do real damage and they eat very little. However, if you let them free range, you are likely never getting them back. |
| Predator Resistance | Low - Hawks and other predators will take chickens with no problem. Free range at your own risk and make sure their coop/run is predator proof. | Low - Hawks and owls and other predators will find taking ducks a very easy feat. Make sure their coop/run is predator proof. | Medium - Since muscovies can fly, have sharp claws, and are larger than mallard derived ducks, hawks tend to leave them alone and they're able to escape ground predators by taking to the sky. However, owls are still a threat, as are ground predators if their wings have been clipped. Make sure their coop/run is predator proof. | Low - Everything wants to eat them. Their only hope is lots of cover. Make sure their caging system is predator proof. |
| Cold Hardiness | Medium - Some breeds are more cold hardy than others, but frost bite on their comb is something that chickens are susceptible to. If you live in a colder climate, choose a breed that's suitable for the cold. | High - Mallard derived ducks are very cold hardy, often opting to lay in the snow. Some are more cold hardy than others but in general can survive below freezing climate without too much protection. | Medium - Muscovies are less cold hardy than mallard derivatives. They can be susceptible to frostbite if they don't have shelter. They are more susceptible if given access to water they can bathe in, so don't give them a pool during the winter. | High - Coturnix quail, as long as they have shelter from the wind and precipitation, are very cold hardy. |
| Maturation Speed | Medium - Some varieties mature faster than others but in general, they reach egg laying age by 24 weeks, and can be processed as early as 10 weeks of age (for meat breeds). | Medium - They can begin to lay as early as 18 weeks and processed for meat as early as 8 weeks of age. | Low - Muscovies take longer to start laying (about 6 - 7 months of age although many will wait until the next year in colder climates.) Although they can be processed at 10 weeks of age, they are small, and would provide more meat per bird at 13 weeks. | High - Coturnix quail will start laying eggs between 6 to 8 weeks of age, and can be processed at 6 weeks of age with no significant weight differences with older quail. |
| Ease of Flock Integration | Low - Chickens can be very aggressive to new members and call kill them. Be cautious during the integration process which can take over several days/weeks. | High - As long as there is adequate space to escape for the newcomers, ducks are very easy to integrate, taking only a few hours. | High - Muscovies are very easy to integrate as long as newcomers have a place to escape to during their establishing the new order. | Low - Quail can be very aggressive and will kill newcomers if given the chance. Be cautious during the integration process which can take days/weeks. |
| Ease of Herding | Low - Chickens explode everywhere when you try to herd them. It would be easier to lead them to where you want to go with treats. | High - Ducks can be herded just by walking slowly behind them. they flock together and will follow each other. | High - Ducks can be herded just by walking slowly behind them. they flock together and will follow each other. | Low - Like chickens, quail are almost impossible to herd if you have them in a large area. It would be easier at night when they can't see, or tempting them with their favorite treats. |
| Scrap/Garbage Disposal | High - Chickens will eat almost anything, making them great for scrap disposal. | High - Mallard derived ducks tend to eat everything too and make great garbage disposals. | Medium - Because muscovies are more predatory, they don't clean up vegetable scraps as well. Carbohydrate and meat scraps are welcome though. | Low - They might pick at some vegetation but their small size makes them not terribly useful as scrap disposal. |
| Flying Capabilities | Medium - Many varieties of chickens can fly, albeit not far or very well. | Low - Most breeds of domestic duck cannot fly. | High - Muscovy hens can fly very well, although drakes cannot. | Medium - Quail can fly as a defense mechanism and tend to shoot straight up for some distances. |
| Ease of Artificial Incubation | High - Chickens are very easy to incubate artificially and takes about 21 days. | Medium - Depending on the breed, duck eggs are a little harder to hatch, and take 28 days to hatch. | Low - Muscovies have a reputation for being difficult to hatch artificially and judging by my abysmal hatch rates, I agree. Some people have more luck with it than others. I have developed a hands on hatching method in order to address late in shell deaths/deaths at pip—read more about the method here: Incubating Muscovy Eggs | High - Quail eggs are very easy to hatch, and take only 17 - 18 days. Read about my quail haQuail Hatch-A-Longtching experience here: |
| Ease of Processing | High - Chickens are easier to pluck than ducks since they aren't waterproof. | Medium - You will have to scald them for longer and they have a lot more feathers than chickens. The plucking process takes longer due to duck feathers being waterproof. | Medium - You'll need to scald them for longer and depending on the age at which you process them, they may have more pin feathers. | High - Small and easy to pluck, they are very easy to process. |
| Meat Quality | High - Chicken, especially those that had access to pasture are especially delicious, flavorful, and juicy. | High - Fatty, flavorful, and juicy, fresh duck is a treat. There are many ways to cook a duck. | High - Very lean meat but still tender and juicy, almost completely fat free. Some say it tastes like a nice piece of veal, but to me it tastes like duck, just not as oily. | High - Quail are tender and delicious, basically mini chickens. Make sure not to overcook because their small size makes them easy to dry out. |
| Life Span | Medium - A chicken will live about 7 - 8 years. | High - Some ducks can live 10+ years (and there have been cases of them living for 20.) However, most will have a lifespan about 8 - 10 years. | Medium - Muscovies in general will live to.be about 7 - 8 years. | Low - The lifespan of quail is usually 2 to 2.5 years. |
| Illness/Parasite Susceptibility | Medium - Chickens tend to be more susceptible to mites, worms, and viruses than ducks. | Low - Ducks are less susceptible to illnesses and parasites due to having waterproof feathers, tight down, and tendencies to take baths. | Low - Ducks are less susceptible to illnesses and parasites due to having waterproof feathers, tight down and tendencies to take baths. | Medium - Quail tend to be more susceptible to mites, worms, and viruses than ducks. |