Saxony Duck Thread!

[dotknott]

I went through six pages of search results looking for a thread just for Saxonies and came up empty handed, so I'm starting my own!

This thread is for photos of and questions regarding Saxony Ducks.

 

[dotknott]

 

[dotknott]

 

[dotknott]

 

[KanaKukkula]

Very happy to see a thread devoted to Saxonies. Our original trio came directly from Holderread's, and we have added an additional 4 drakes and 2 newly hatched ducklings from them. I'll post pics soon. Located in Southern Central PA south of Harrisburg. KanaKukkula

 

[dotknott]

I couldn't believe there wasn't one when I went looking! I know they're one of the rarer breeds, but I didn't think they were also underappreciated!

Can't wait to see your photos!

 

[KanaKukkula]

Here are the boys; they're losing color a little, but will return in all their splendor near fall. They really stick together, move as one. Trouble is, they can't decide who is leader, so they spend a lot of time running back and forth, going nowhere in particular. They like to sleep in a circle, with heads toward the center, bent down, so all you can see are bodies and tails--will try to get a picture of that. They spend their days in a pasture with a small pond, and keep our two pygmy goats and two Emden geese company. they return to a smaller yard with secure shed at night--we are afraid of losing them to predators.







The geese sometimes chase them, but then they will sleep near them, so they aren't really enemies.
We originally acquired Saxonies because of their being endangered, but with four drakes, we aren't contributing much to the propagation of the breed! Maybe one of our little ones in the nursery will be female. It will be a while before we know.

 

[dotknott]

What a handsome bunch of lads!

Here's hoping you get a female, though I'd be worried about a single lady in a flock with all those dudes.

I got into Saxonies for the same reason, though I'm successfully hatching and there's been interest in the ducklings both locally and on the forms domestically.. Enough that I think I should look into shipping day olds... but my first focus is vent sexing. I can expose the vent, but heck if I know what I'm looking for!

You mentioned a nursery setup? Were you hatching eggs (shipped or otherwise?) Or did you get ducklings?

I'm hoping that over the next few years I have a whole network of Saxony keepers that I can swap birds with. It would help the population a bit, and keep my gene pool from getting too small.

 

[dotknott]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BF5CILRDHm-/

These are the older two ducklings I've got now. I'm pretty sure we have one male and one female, but I've only heard hints of a quack so far, nothing close to sounding like the real deal.

I have 4 from my second batch in the brooder that are 2 weeks old that are about to be kicked out to live in the teenage coop, and another 7 expected to hatch this weekend.

Sadly, we went from 5 (2 males, 3 females) to 2 (one and one) in the course of a week, and my focus now is bringing my flock back up to size. I had one lost to a predator and that threw my flock all out of whack. I'd been keeping one duck that we'd been calling limpy who we got as an adult. She apparently had always had a leg issue (likely niacin, but I can't be sure.) She was kinda great to have around because she wouldn't wander far from the coop, and because of that, the rest of the flock wouldn't go too far either. She could still get around decently, even using the ramp to the hen house with no issue, but she would rather sit under her bush by the shed than forage with the flock.

Unfortunately, her limp made her a target for the drakes... 'affections.' And after the loss of one of one of the other females, they just targeted her more. She couldn't get away from them, and I had to cull the flock down to 2.

The only upside to this is that I did have eggs in the incubator from before the cull, so at least their genetics could carry on.

 

[lisah63]

Hello! I'm happy to find this thread as well! We hatched two just yesterday! I've never had ducks before but while looking at all the breeds I really fell in love with Saxonys. They seem to be doing pretty well but I'm open to any advice/guidance on getting them to adulthood healthy and happy.