Golden 300 Hybrid Layer Ducks

Because we sell thousands of edible duck eggs a week, it is important we produce eggs efficiently and consistently. In 1996 we developed the Golden 300 Hybrid as they lay more and larger eggs, have a higher fertility and are calmer than the Khaki Campbell. The Khaki Campbell may be a good egg producer in small flocks but we were never satisfied with their production in our larger commercial flocks. Because of this inconsistency, we developed the Golden 300 Hybrid by crossing and utilizing the attributes of different duck breeds.

The Golden 300 Hybrid females are different shades of brown, from very dark to lighter tan. The male can either have shades of brown or have black on them. They do not retain this characteristic in future generations. So if you mate a Golden 300 Hybrid with another Golden 300 Hybrid, their progeny will hatch in blacks, yellows and browns with no relationship between sex and color.

As adults the females range in color from a very light brown to a very dark brown, often with areas of white on them. Males can appear much like a Rouen, or a dull looking Cayuga or with white and dark markings.

Commercial Meat and Egg Production Brochure

Some of our customers wanted a white bird that laid as well as the Golden 300 Hybrid. In 1999 we developed the White Layer Ducks to meet this demand. The egg production of these two breeds is identical on our farm.

For us, the Golden 300 is a calm bird, much like the Buff, Cayuga, and Blue Swedish. However, we have had reports from some (not all) customers that they are a very nervous bird, much like the Khaki Campbell. We cannot explain why some flocks are calm and some are nervous. Our guess is that at some point they were panicked enough that they were permanently traumatized and spent the rest of their lives nervous. We don’t know when ducks are most sensitive to this trauma nor why it happens to some flocks and not others.

If you are interested in producing duck eggs to sell, we recommend you go our Maximizing Duck Egg Production page for more information on this topic.

If you want to find locally produced duck eggs, go to our page Our Customers That Sell Fresh Duck Eggs. If you would like to be placed on this page as a seller of duck eggs, see the requirements on this same page.

Our Breed Comparison chart shows how the Golden 300 Hybrid compares to the Khaki Campbell (historically considered the best egg layer) on our farm.