After researching ducks and chickens I chose to buy eggs and hatch out Rhode Island Reds and Rouan/Khaki Campbell crosses. The ducks were specifically chosen as a high yield layer, rivaling some of the better laying chicken breeds. They could double as a meat supply from surplus males.
The eggs hatched out within a week of each other and I've gotta tell you... at eight weeks the ducks were a good weight and size while the RIR's were still very small. The chickens have just started laying and all of the duck hens have been laying for two months steady. The ducks are not spooky and come in to be shut up at night along with the chickens (safe from coyotes, foxes, owls etc.). They ate very little purchased food, rather they pigged out on the duckweed on the pond. My turkeys, chickens and ducks all eat the heck out of it. Between the duckweed, insects and foraging I'm not needing to fill the food dispensers but every other day. The ducks are better scavengers than the chickens.

Overall, if you don't mind the "thickness" of the duck eggs and don't mind the meat ducks may be a viable alternative to chickens for people near ponds. And, speaking of ponds, duck weed is the best thing to happen to our pond too! The water is clearer than it's ever been and even in the drought the duckweed greatly reduced the evaporation of the pond water.

Shar