Average Lifespan of a Duck by Breed

The average lifespan of a duck varies widely depending on breed, care, and environment.

What Is the Average Lifespan of a Duck?

On average, ducks can live anywhere from 5 to 15 years. Ducks are not as long-lived as geese. The average lifespan of a domestic duck is 10 years or less. As a general rule, the largest breeds of duck have the shortest lifespan. Seldom do they live beyond five to seven years of age.

Duck Lifespan by Breed

Muscovy Ducks

An exception is the Muscovy. This duck might reach a lifespan of between eight and 12 years of age, or more.

Pekin Ducks

The Pekin (probably due to its rapid growth rate as a young bird) normally has a relatively short lifespan, perhaps five years. The first part of a Pekin to fail as it ages is often its legs. I suspect that rapid weight gain in its first year taxes its ability to support itself.

The actual useful lifespan span of a Pekin as an exhibition duck might be only three years. “Useful life” is determined by the length of time it’s useful as a breeder.

Medium & Light Ducks

The average lifespan for a medium or light duck (Cayugas, Blue Swedish, Runners) might exceed that of the largest duck by two or three years.

Keep in mind, however, that ducks kept for egg production might only produce an optimal number of eggs per year for two or three years. Pushing female ducks to produce large numbers of eggs will probably shorten the lifespan of a duck or a member of any breed.

Bantam Ducks

The longest lifespan by a considerable margin is one of the bantam ducks—the Calls and Black East Indies in particular.

A number of mine have lived a decade or more, and one Grey Call female lived 15 years. They also tend to have longer useful lives from a breeder’s standpoint, with males remaining fertile for as long as a decade and some females able to produce eggs for an even longer period, assuming the best of care. Because they carry less weight and don’t experience ultra-fast growth rates, their bodies tend to hold up longer.

Of course, a discussion of the lifespan in any breed assumes that the birds are provided with a good diet and appropriate housing and are not overcrowded. 

This article about how long ducks live was written for Hobby Farms magazine. Click here to subscribe.