Chickens vs. Ducks

Wow, lots to say. I've had chickens for decades, had ducks as well for a few years when I lived in the "holler" and had a creek. Now I live on the ridge, and while I've heard you can satisfy ducks with a kiddie pool, and there is a small pond below the ridge...I do strictly free range, and I know what would happen: the ducks would find the pond, move in there and in short order the predators would get them. Actually, I lost my ducks twice when we had a drought--they'd swim downstream (our creek was a little headwater) and I never saw them again. I assume predators or dogs got them but maybe someone took them and penned them up.
I've had a lot of different chicken breeds but only Khaki Campbell ducks and there is an important thing to know about them--they can't hatch their own eggs. I could hardly believe this but I started with eggs someone gave me and put them under my chickens to hatch. It takes four weeks for duck eggs, so it took multiple setters to accomplish the deed (and I'd give the duck eggs a sprinkle of water daily) but both times it worked out fine, and--nice lesson in "instinct" for the kids. The hen would be followed by a few ducklings and a few chicks, and when she passed the creek all the ducklings would jump in. The mother would run around  clucking urgently: "Get out of there! You'll drown! What are you doing?!" while the ducklings happily sailed up and down the creek, and chicks stayed virtuously on the bank. That the Campbells can't hatch their own I saw proven the one time a hen sat right next to the house, was therefore not molested for the full four weeks, and...the eggs just rotted.
One nice thing about ducks is that they do all their laying by 8 a.m. so all I had to do was not let them out of the coop till then and I never had to hunt duck eggs. Yes, they went in the coop at night--they were raised by hens so that was habit. Actually it's NOW that I have lots of stupid chickens insisting on sleeping in the trees near the coop, instead of in it.
I don't have many slugs but I credit the chickens with all but eliminating ticks (if only they could see the chiggers!) They are not allowed in my gardens except sometimes in the off season.
I had both in the same coop; the ducks are more romantic in their mating--they'd swim circles around each other and bend their necks together, and THEN the drake would hop on like a rooster. I had drakes jump hens only when there were not enough duck-hens, too many drakes.
On chicken breeds--my least favorite, that I've had, are Orpingtons. They don't seem to lay as many eggs, and their lack of interest in setting has been a negative. My favorites are the green egg layers, just for aesthetics--Americaunas--and the best rooster I ever had was one of those. I had a Dominicker, maybe the same thing as Barred Rock (?) who laid eggs quite well till she was 8--she died in retirement at ten. Barred Rocks and Marans are good, The Black Sex-links and Golden Comets have done well for me. I don't like Leghorns because they're scrawny and nervous and lay white eggs, but they are prolific and I acknowledge this is prejudice. Rhode Island Reds are okay but the roosters are, I think, the most likely to be aggressive. For me the problem is easily solved--as soon as it's apparent he isn't gonna knock it off, I change his name to Dinner. Free roosters are easy to find.
Oh, and as with dogs, mutts are fine by me. I won't take a chicken with feathered feet--they're just gonna cake with mud, this is nuts!

I raise both and feel they have very different strengths in some ways, and also a lot of overlap, so it depends on your goals which (or both) will be more appropriate. Both can be great for eggs and meat, but their differences really come out in applied management. They change succession in different ways. If you want a moist high OM area (think elderberry, mulberry, wet woodland crops,) ducks are great. Chickens tend to desiccate/dry an area with their constant scratching (oxidizing) and highly reducing manure. This is perfect for reducing and quickly processing compost. I prefer chickens for establishing an area (disturbance) and ducks for maintaining a large planting, especially in a forest garden scenario. I place the duck house in a sacrifice lot that is deeply mulched, and preferably uphill from planting blocks to trickle nutrition downhill. This area doubles as a holding pen for when a multi inch rain comes to prevent them from going on a rampage. You can either move the area eventually, add more mulch, or muck it out and put it in the compost pile/on perennial plantings.

Ducks:
-Pros
Excellent foragers, not picky about any bugs that I've seen. They will clear any area of any bug they can find.
Less destructive of yard/pasture (but still somewhat destructive if not managed.)
Hilarious - they always seem so upbeat. Entertainment value can't be overstated.
Easy to herd if you understand their flocking.
Reliable egg laying + reliable laying time. My Welsh Harlequins and Campbell are more productive than any chicken I have, including hybrid layers.
Cooler manure, much less likely to burn out grass and other plantings. Better for food forest/orchard settings in my experience

-Cons
Dabble any standing water, they will put ruts in your yard if you get much rain. I prefer this as it improves water infiltration.
Mallard types can be loud, possibly more so than chickens but I'd say it's comparable.
More difficult to process if you're looking for meat.
Mallard types are unreliable for brooding; muscovies are excellent.

Chickens:
-Pros
The best composters. I prefer to put mine on super deep wood chip mulch, innoculate it KNF style, and let them "prep" an area for future planting.
Highly rich manure, excellent for composting and using in vegetable gardens in my experience.
Much better in a confinement scenario (composting in my case,) I wouldn't confine ducks.
Some breeds brood prolifically.
Easy to process for meat.

-Cons
Can be difficult to round up if free ranging and not socialized. Best to train them to a call.
Can be damaging in too small of a yard/pasture.
Roosters can be dangerous if you don't assert your dominance early.
Much more aggressive flock dynamic - sick chickens will have to be removed and protected while they recover if they get too weak.

I have had both and have come to the conclusion that if your after efficiency of work and money then coturnix Quail are the way to go. They lay the biggest eggs for their size, they start laying at 6 weeks and are fully mature and ready to butcher at 12 weeks. You can also keep them in a garage or apartment if needed. The Japanese keep them in a bird cage in their apartment so they also have eggs and meat handy

Mary Cook wrote:Actually it's NOW that I have lots of stupid chickens insisting on sleeping in the trees near the coop, instead of in it.

Do any of your breeds in particular seem to be tree-happy? Depending on how high they go up (and how well they do at surviving), I think this would be an interesting trait to have once I get my own place! It would be nice to have the chickens take care of themselves so I don't have to let them out/in every morning/night.

Logan--no, it doesn't seem to go by breed at all. Some of it is because the rooster (himself a mutt hatched here) leads them into the trees. Three sleep in the coop, one because the idiot thinks she's setting and I haven't been able to dissuade her. And I'd rather lock up and release the chickens than have them weakened by sleeping in trees on cold, wet, windy nights--so far no predation but now that the leaves are off the trees they're more visible

I had Welsh Harlequin ducks and loved them.  They don't fly over fences and they don't dig and scratch like chickens.   Good egg producers from Feb. to Nov.   Hatched and raised their own ducklings when I let them.   Fairly docile, easily herded into their house at night by the dogs.   Winter hardy, no issues in an unheated coop.   I had sandy soil so drainage wasn't as big an issue making them cleaner for me to keep than some other people seem to find.   I'd have them again in a heartbeat.  

I have both.  Let's talk chickens first.  I love the colorful egg assortment you can get.  They are great for bugs but they scratch up everything.  They can turn a beautiful grass area into a pasture of dirt.  If you are going to sell eggs, most people prefer to purchase chicken eggs and colored and speckled seem to be all the rage right now.  They are entertaining and fun.  Now with the arrival of the Bielefelder chicken you can get meat and loads of eggs too.  They are super sweet birds.

Now ducks.  I love ducks!  The sassy way they talk to me when I go to feed them, the way they love water and they can be such clowns.  Depending on the breed they can lay as much as chickens.  They are superior for slugs and snails.  They will eat grass but not tear it up, so far.  Here's where my chef training comes out.  They are superior for baking.  Loftier bread and wonderful cakes.  My favorite pumpkin pie is made with them, delicious and creamy.  They scramble up beautifully too.

I'll throw one more in the mix as a bonus, quail eggs.  I love them, especially pickled and they make beautiful tiny deviled eggs.  I have been reading about quail eggs for people with seasonal allergies.  They may be on to something.  Checkbout the article about the French doctor.  The drawback, they are little prima Donna's and things can affect their laying and boy can they eat.  They need secure quarters from cats and predators.  They are fun and pretty friendly.  When they are happy they can really lay.

Since they all gave pros and cons, I couldn't decide and I have all three plus a couple of chatty geese.  So good luck to you deciding what you prefer.

Had chickens and quaill. No ducks due to no suitable water option for them. Chickens are easiest and my wyandottes laid eggs about 10+ months of the year, even if there where few in nov, dec, they stopped about okt for molting and started up again from about when days got longer (i.e. christmas/newyear time).
Quaill i suspect i am allergic to the eggs, for meat they are to fiddely (small bones) and they are also very messy birds.
I might like duck if i have a place that would work for them, but with the problem with the quaill eggs i'd find some eggs to test before i'd actually get ducks.  Even if only because i don't want to raise ducks for eggs as pig feed. Also because pig is to much animal for me alone and not an animal i want to raise. Their function as composter/eating kitchenscraps and so on i prefer chickens for.

I'm very biased towards my chickens. I love having them as part of my ongoing homesteading attempts. They have chickenalities, can be very pretty, very fun, and very interesting critters.
They also poop a lot, get eaten by almost everything, and will try to eat almost everything.
They definitely brighten up my days.

I can't have ducks. I could make adjustments for them with my land - provide water, give them space, do whatever it is that ducks need.
The problem is more one of philosophy. Part of my critter care ideals is to not have any animal I am not willing or able to eat. While I might not dash right out to slaughter a hen, especially a favorite one, I *could*. I just wouldn't like it. Because I have managed to give my husband food poisoning with the two ducks I have tried to cook, he refuses to try to eat any more duck. I don't blame him at all, after all food poisoning two out of two times is a bit much. I don't care for the flavor of duck meat, myself. So, based on our "rules", no ducks.

I have geese. Yes, I have cooked geese and have dealt with "making" my own. Again, not a fun thing, but I will eat the eggs and will eat a roasted goose, so they are a welcome part of our flock.
We initially got the gaggle to serve as guard geese and they have more than proven themselves over the years. I know how to raise a better guard goose, and will be doing so when I expand the number of geese here (which will hopefully be in the spring). Geese are a welcome part of our experience and I will have them as part of the flock for as long as I can.

I have looked into trying quail. I have a cousin who raised them as part of a homeschooling science experiment. When I was visiting recently, they were down to one lone quail roo who warbled at us. I encouraged her to either find him company or find him a home with others. I have no idea what she decided to do with the lonely lad.
I have some frozen quail to try cooking up. I just haven't done it yet. I ended up forgetting about the quail eggs I found at a local-ish Asian grocery store, so I need to find some more to try those and see if they are good for us or not.
Reading up on them makes raising quail sound like a fun and potentially absorbing project that would add to the rest of the birds. They sound sweet. Birds poop and that can be useful for gardens and the more intensive rearranging of plants and such I intend to do eventually.

In the poultry/bird part of the personal critter hierarchy, I would probably rank chickens at the top for ease of care, ease of feeding, and general ease of sourcing. They have the potential for being a year 'round protein source either through eggs or meat, can eat just about everything, don't take much space, and can be fairly quiet (with caveats - I enjoy roosters and the noises of happy chickens. I know some people don't).

Ducks would probably come next since they are gaining in popularity and, while I can never have them, I can acknowledge their place.

Geese would come next for me. They're can be big and can be a bit noisy or hard to feed if you aren't aware of their grazing abilities, live in the suburbs, or otherwise find it difficult to raise a Very Large and Potentially Angry Bird. I adore mine but can understand when people aren't as pleased.

Turkeys, guineas, Muscovy, and quail all fall into a more "specialty poultry" box. The ones I have met are all great birds who have their place on an integrated homestead. The people who love them, love them.  

I hope to be able to try turkeys in the next few years. I have my eye set on raising Royal Palms for their striking looks and "smaller than many other heirloom turkeys" size.
I would also like to get to know a Muscovy or two. The ones I have met in the past have been interesting and personable birds. I know they are like the missing link between geese and ducks, not being either but having traits of both and ... that's fascinating. I love it!
I can take or leave guinea. They have a valid purpose on a homestead, but I don't know if I would enjoy having them. Maybe I'd enjoy eating them?
I'm researching quail to find out if they'd be worth the bother. I like a lot of what I hear about them, but there are valid reasons to NOT have them, too. I'll try to eat the frozen ones I have, track down some eggs and see if they would be fun to have for eating purposes.

I'm skipping all the Ratites, peacocks and other specialty birds. I would like to learn more about pigeon/dove if only because I think a dovecot, well-managed, would fit in rather easily with a Permie lifestyle. I have found a source for breeding pairs, and general dove/pigeon supplies. I'm having trouble finding squab, though. I may end up going on a shopping trip to some of the ethnic markets in the city if only for some of the more interesting things I can't find closer to me. I can find rabbit and ostrich meat, just no squab.  :p

I have a little over 30 ducks right now.  Yes - it's a lot & I purchased the extras because of the promise of a restaurant contract that eventually fell through, due to the restaurant not getting their construction permits in a timely manner.  It left me with a LOT of ducks who are over-achievers in the egg-laying department!  I have Runners & Khaki Campbells.  The Runners are hilarious, chatty & are always on the go.  They don't really fly, which is a good thing.  The Khaki's are much quieter, but they tend to fly - especially if they decide that they need to get out of their pen!  

Both are excellent when it comes to coming in at night, but that's mostly because I've trained them that dinner is around 5 pm & you have to come in for that.  Their pen is large, because I have 3 obnoxious African geese, too!  There is a dedicated duck pen, with quite a few horse feeders for water tubs & (of course) 3 plastic swimming pools that also get cleaned daily.  The overflow pen is actually my container garden area.  The two areas combined would be about the size of a traditional suburban back yard.

During the day, the ducks are turned-out so that they can go to the pond.  They actually have about 9 acres to roam, should they choose - but they're mostly interested in getting to the pond - then back inside their pens for naps - then back for a swim & back in again for dinner & getting tucked-in.  They are actually very regimented & that makes caring for them much easier.  I absolutely love the duck eggs & sell some of the surplus at Farmer's Markets & to individuals.  Sitting out under the trees with the ducks, in the afternoon, is really relaxing & the perfect time to meditate & recharge for the remainder of the day.  I love my goofy feathered family!

Ducks vs chickens, seriously???   I think it's a bit macabre as a question, but I'd say that although the chicken has a sharper beak and talons, the duck is probably more lithe and muscled from all the swimming, so I'd say that as long as the duck gets in close, the chicken won't stand a chance.  It would be like a trained martial artist vs an out of shape person with a spear and a knife.

Chickens DESTROY. I can let ducks free range in the garden, and they don't really kill anything, and they eat the spiders and rollipollies that eat my plants. I'll fence them out if I'm sprouting peas or beans, but other than that, I really don't worry about them. If a chicken gets in a garden, that garden is tilled and destroyed in like 30 minutes. 1 chicken in garden bed = mass destruction.

This is what I've read from Permaculture books for what it's worth - ducks don't tend to rip out seedlings, while chickens do.  Chickens are like cows - they developed in rare areas of the planet where it was ok if they ripped stuff up.  Living in the PNW, I have no idea what that's like, if it's even true.

While it's tangential, ducks at present are less likely to be kept in chicken-like conditions, if you know what I mean, so in terms of culinary culture, there are probably more people per capita who are comfortable cooking ducks, even if there are more overall who cook chickens.  Salmonella is a terrifying ever-present spectre in chicken, so when I was working as a home care nurse, I took pleasure in cooking duck instead, just because it was more relaxing.

The problem is more one of philosophy. Part of my critter care ideals is to not have any animal I am not willing or able to eat. While I might not dash right out to slaughter a hen, especially a favorite one, I *could*. I just wouldn't like it. Because I have managed to give my husband food poisoning with the two ducks I have tried to cook, he refuses to try to eat any more duck. I don't blame him at all, after all food poisoning two out of two times is a bit much. I don't care for the flavor of duck meat, myself. So, based on our "rules", no ducks.
quab.  :p

Allergies to various poultry do, apparently, exist.

Alternatively, perhaps he likes leg meat?  Duck legs are notoriously slow to cook and are often cooked separately.  Also, if you didn't drain the fat from the skin properly you can/will under OR overcook it.  Also, though duck is far less likely when store-bought to have salmonella, it's not a guarantee, since large companies are developing ways to tortu... sorry, I meant "developing ways to get around that issue", so assuming you bought them....  

I keep my baby Muscovy in a big pen until they get pretty big then they free range. I noticed the girls will fly out but I have to open the gate for the boys.

Well, we've ended up with just ducks (for now, at least).  We've got Anconas.  They are young and haven't started laying yet.  I like ducks, but would have stuck with chickens because it's easier to take care of one thing instead of two or more.  The reason we've switched is because my youngest daughter (handicapped and lives with me) is severely sensitive to chicken eggs.  We are HOPING that sensitivity won't transfer over to duck eggs.  Not sure yet -- the lady I got the ducks from gave me a dozen eggs to try when I picked up the second batch of ducks from her a few days ago.  (Her duck operation is a story in itself -- she raised a huge number of Ancona ducklings this year on a contract to supply drakes for herding dog trials -- no harm to the ducks, they just get herded regularly.  So she had a huge number of surplus females -- they don't herd as politely as the boys do, apparently -- and has been selling them cheap.  So I got a second batch, and now have sixteen or seventeen females and three or four drakes.)

Anyway, day before yesterday we had duck eggs for breakfast.  Yum!  But, my daughter didn't want to eat anything yesterday.  For several years, she's had a problem with being able to eat one day, and not able to eat anything the next day.  I have trouble keeping her weight up to a healthy level because of this.  We've been off of chicken eggs for about a month now (had to use up what was left in the frig), and it had been close to two weeks since she'd had a day where she couldn't eat anything.  So that's discouraging.  I'm going to wait another week or so, and just use the yolks from the remaining duck eggs -- if we can only eat the yolks, that will be fine.  (She's far more sensitive to egg white than to the yolks.)

So there's another possible reason for preferring one type of poultry over another.  And by the way, I asked our doctor how reliable the home food sensitivity tests are, and she said, "Very."  So, no more chicken eggs, no more cow dairy in this house.  I'm working on getting a milking area set up, so I can actually milk my little Nigerian Dwarf goats (or get a Nubian to milk) -- they've been primarily brush eaters.

Living in a cold area, I would agree with Skandi: While I might like to try raising ducks for eggs, (and some ducks give almost as many eggs), my main problem is not having a frost-free pond for those ducks, so in the winter, I cannot keep ducks, period.
For eggs, the ISA reds are my choice: They lay eggs reliably in the winter as well.
For meat, it is a horse apiece: the white Leghorn can be raised very successfully, and if you respect the way they must be raised [keep food away at night, make sure to have a butchering appointment 8 weeks after you get them, keep them super clean because past a certain age, they will not roost, so cleanliness becomes an issue], you will have large tender and meaty chickens to fill your freezer in just 8 weeks.
For ducks, my only experience is with the big white Pekin, and for those, same thing: Respect the way they must be raised. They won't be as tricky as the white Leghorn: They are, by nature a large bird and contrary to the white Leghorn chicken, beside the tender meat, it will also have a thick layer of fat. When you roast it, this necessitate holding it up so you can harvest the fat separately.
Another problem with ducks is you must pick very carefully the butchering time to avoid pinfeathers!:
Trading Feathers says:" Timing of the harvest will go a long way to saving you countless hours of plucking. You'll want to harvest when it's the easiest to get all the feathers out. This is when the feathers are all mature and there are no pin (or immature) feathers, which means at 7, 12-1/2 and 18 weeks of age. Some folks will opt to butcher them themselves. If you do, you could examine the bird and gently look deep in for pinfeathers. Butcher in the period when they don't have any...
As far as other traits, some depend on the breed, but chickens will scratch all your crops out if they get a chance while ducks, who do not scratch the ground, won't do it. So it is more important to keep the "freedom lovers" confined to paddocks.
The white Pekins I had didn't fly, so that's another plus. Some ducks do fly, however, so you have to take precautions or get a breed that doesn't fly.
I found my white Pekins to be well behaved and very easy to herd: they move together. Chickens, on the other hand, will each go their own way when you press them to go somewhere. That's not a big problem except perhaps on butchering day! They will otherwise move back in the coop when it starts to get dark: They have very poor night vision, so perhaps the first or second time, you have to move them and it's a chore. On day 3, I try to have a signal, like I go there with a flashlight. Seeing the light triggers them to go in, or I place the light in the coop and move them gently toward it. They end up getting the message, but they are so much more stupid than ducks!
As far as getting along with them, I definitely prefer ducks. They went in at night with a minimum of "suggesting".
For ducks, I had a straight run, so there were males in the group as well, but because they get butchered before their sexuality totally awakens, I've never had aggressive ganders. With chickens, since you keep them for eggs, you will once in a while encounter a very aggressive roo and you may have to butcher it if it gets too far.

Cécile Stelzer Johnson wrote:Living in a cold area, I would agree with Skandi: While I might like to try raising ducks for eggs, (and some ducks give almost as many eggs), my main problem is not having a frost-free pond for those ducks, so in the winter, I cannot keep ducks, period.
For eggs, the ISA reds are my choice: They lay eggs reliably in the winter as well.
For meat, it is a horse apiece: the white Leghorn can be raised very successfully, and if you respect the way they must be raised [keep food away at night, make sure to have a butchering appointment 8 weeks after you get them, keep them super clean because past a certain age, they will not roost, so cleanliness becomes an issue], you will have large tender and meaty chickens to fill your freezer in just 8 weeks.
For ducks, my only experience is with the big white Pekin, and for those, same thing: Respect the way they must be raised. They won't be as tricky as the white Leghorn: They are, by nature a large bird and contrary to the white Leghorn chicken, beside the tender meat, it will also have a thick layer of fat. When you roast it, this necessitate holding it up so you can harvest the fat separately.
Another problem with ducks is you must pick very carefully the butchering time to avoid pinfeathers!:
Trading Feathers says:" Timing of the harvest will go a long way to saving you countless hours of plucking. You'll want to harvest when it's the easiest to get all the feathers out. This is when the feathers are all mature and there are no pin (or immature) feathers, which means at 7, 12-1/2 and 18 weeks of age. Some folks will opt to butcher them themselves. If you do, you could examine the bird and gently look deep in for pinfeathers. Butcher in the period when they don't have any...
As far as other traits, some depend on the breed, but chickens will scratch all your crops out if they get a chance while ducks, who do not scratch the ground, won't do it. So it is more important to keep the "freedom lovers" confined to paddocks.
The white Pekins I had didn't fly, so that's another plus. Some ducks do fly, however, so you have to take precautions or get a breed that doesn't fly.
I found my white Pekins to be well behaved and very easy to herd: they move together. Chickens, on the other hand, will each go their own way when you press them to go somewhere. That's not a big problem except perhaps on butchering day! They will otherwise move back in the coop when it starts to get dark: They have very poor night vision, so perhaps the first or second time, you have to move them and it's a chore. On day 3, I try to have a signal, like I go there with a flashlight. Seeing the light triggers them to go in, or I place the light in the coop and move them gently toward it. They end up getting the message, but they are so much more stupid than ducks!
As far as getting along with them, I definitely prefer ducks. They went in at night with a minimum of "suggesting".
For ducks, I had a straight run, so there were males in the group as well, but because they get butchered before their sexuality totally awakens, I've never had aggressive ganders. With chickens, since you keep them for eggs, you will once in a while encounter a very aggressive roo and you may have to butcher it if it gets too far.

White Leghorn chickens are a small, scrawny egg-layer breed.  I think you must mean Cornish X when you are talking about meat chickens.

As for ducks in the winter, they do just fine in the winter as long as they have drinking water.  We kept them in Alaska (and some geese), and I've had them in the high desert of Eastern Oregon, and we had very cold winters in both places.  They don't even need water in front of them all the time -- if you can take warm water out to them two or three times a day, they'll be fine.  The only real problem we had in Alaska was one stupid goose sitting in the black rubber water pan too long; it froze, and we had to bring her and the frozen pan into the house to thaw out, which really irritated her!  She never did it again, though.

We have both and I would not have it any other way.  We raise 6 ducks per year beyond the 4 that we keep full-time for eggs. Their eggs are amazing for baking with. The 6 others are butchered as soon as they get full size.  We can the meat in pints for stir fry meals. We raise 48 new chickens each year.  42 are for meat,  of which 30 are canned into pints,  and the rest frozen whole for stuffing or frying.  Then we always have at least 18 layers with 2 roosters going full-time.  These get butchered and replaced every 3 years and the meat is canned.  We also make broth from the carcasses of the chickens we butcher.  That's canned up too.
   We have always kept the ducks and chickens together from birth on. We buy a layer mash at our local co-op and all other  of our poultry gets it. It is heavily supplemented by weeds, grass clippings and, unless we are raising a pair of pigs,  all food that we don't want.  For watering we use a children's swimming pool and waterers that are sealed to keep the water clean.  Usually the whole flock just drinks out of the pool no matter how dirty it gets from the ducks.
    Every few years we get about 6-8 turkeys.  They get the same treatment.  We usually can half and freeze the other half whole for family meals.  All turkey carcasses are used for making broth also.
    We have been doing this for over 30 years now although the numbers were higher when we were a family of 6 verses the 2 that we are now.  I know that there's higher protein feed available but by using 1 type I've been able to buy what we need in bulk, get it delivered free, and support our local economy vs either of the brand name stores in the city.
    In conclusion,  I don't believe that you should put one type above the other.  Build your flock to fill your needs.  Ducks and chickens are both easy to care for if you spend a  little time each day doing exactly that.  Ducks may want a little extra water to bathe (see make a big mess playing) in, but chickens mess up their laying boxes every few days so it works out pretty evenly.  Jeff

White Leghorn chickens are a small, scrawny egg-layer breed.  I think you must mean Cornish X when you are talking about meat chickens.

As for ducks in the winter, they do just fine in the winter as long as they have drinking water.  We kept them in Alaska (and some geese), and I've had them in the high desert of Eastern Oregon, and we had very cold winters in both places.  They don't even need water in front of them all the time -- if you can take warm water out to them two or three times a day, they'll be fine.  The only real problem we had in Alaska was one stupid goose sitting in the black rubber water pan too long; it froze, and we had to bring her and the frozen pan into the house to thaw out, which really irritated her!  She never did it again, though.

I stand corrected. Yes, I misspoke. I did mean Cornish Cross. For ducks, I would never want to keep them where they cannot have water in front of them at all times: They need water to clear their nostrils every time they eat something.
Poor goose;-)