Duck Breed Focus - Cayuga

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I have a Cayuga mix (though she looks exactly like a Cayuga--and she even breeds true) who's been getting a little whiter after each mating season (that's when the white feathers start coming in). Last year, I had a crazy Pekin drake that would harass her constantly. He refused to mate with any of the other hens, he'd only mate with her. He was NOT gentle, he ended up ripping all of the feathers out of the back of her head, but then he died due to a bubblefoot complication just before the fall. Most of them grew back in white, so she has this ugly speckled oblong stripe down the back of her neck now. I'm waiting for her to go white, but she's only two. She's such a sweetie, though! Broody, too.

Her father had a full-bodied purple sheen, but she has green, and blue on her wings. I'm trying to breed the sheen out and get some matte black ducks, like the original Cayugas, but I've had little luck so far. I'm think of even breeding some American Black Duck back into the mix to keep them as close to the originals as possible. Her dam was a Blue Swedish, which is why the black transferred so well.
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This second duck is her daughter, the sire is the Pekin that I mentioned earlier. I'm liking how the sheen is diluted on her, but she has white leakage under her beak, and brown barring under her wings. It's not really a serious breeding project, just a little fun with what I have on hand, so I'm not too concerned. At this point, I'm just excited to see all of the colors that my F2 hybrids hatch out as!
I'm considering building a second enclosure (though it may have to wait a while, I don't have much space left unless I clear out some forest) to breed a legitimate flock of show Cayugas, and experiment with some American Black Ducks to get rid of the sheen then.
 
Betsy57 said:
My Cayuga molted and several of the new feathers are white now. She almost looks like a Black Swedish. Will her feathers turn black again?
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No they will stay white and get more white the older she is. Mine are two also and getting white, some more than others.

Betsy57 said:
She's only 2 years old. I raised her from a duckling. She's pretty with some white but think this is the first time she molted so thought maybe that had something to do with it. Thank you.
Click to expand...
The white pattern might change with each molt, but it will still get whiter and whiter.:D

I’ve had ducks that got plucked by a dog. When the feathers grew back, they were white almost similar to a scar in how it appears different. Then after they molted, they grew back black. But that was the feathers that were injured.
 
CayugaJana said:
No they will stay white and get more white the older she is. Mine are two also and getting white, some more than others.


The white pattern might change with each molt, but it will still get whiter and whiter.:D

I’ve had ducks that got plucked by a dog. When the feathers grew back, they were white almost similar to a scar in how it appears different. Then after they molted, they grew back black. But that was the feathers that were injured.
Click to expand...
Interesting! I wonder why that is.

From the litter that my first Cayuga mix is from, I also got a Blue Cayuga, who would gain white speckles and a white crest (just like a Swede!) in the winter, but then she would turn grey again once it warmed up. Unfortunately, none of the ducklings that I got from her made it into adulthood, and she was taken by a fox last year. This is what I love about cross-breeds, you never know how different genes will interact! There's always something new and different to be seen.

Edit: Here's are some pictures of her
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Screenshot_20190210-223713~2.png
Screenshot_20190210-223347~2.png
 
Last edited:
ANightPerson said:
Interesting! I wonder why that is.

From the litter that my first Cayuga mix is from, I also got a Blue Cayuga, who would gain white speckles and a white crest (just like a Swede!) in the winter, but then she would turn grey again once it warmed up. Unfortunately, none of the ducklings that I got from her made it into adulthood, and she was taken by a fox last year. This is what I love about cross-breeds, you never know how different genes will interact! There's always something new and different to be seen.
Click to expand...
Note that neither of her parents did that, her dam was just a normal Blue Swedish hen, and her sire was just a regular Cayuga (that didn't turn white, even after several years). If I'm not mistaken, I think that only the females turn white? That or they're more likely to? That could be completely wrong, but I remember that from somewhere.
 
sumi said:
Much have been written about the origins and development of the Cayuga duck, but what is known is that it originates from near Lake Cayuga in the Finger Lakes region of New York. The first imports from America, according to Lewis Wright's Poultry in 1873, were said to arrive in 1871, from a Mr. W. Simpson and was imported by a Mr. J.K Fowler. They were said to be on the small side and speculations that they been crossed with the Black East Indian, to achieve the green sheen that is seen when the light is right, to give an almost iridescent colouring.

Lewis Wright says that in an effort to improve their size they "...were afterwards crossed, by some with Aylesbury and by other with Rouen" As a result the type was altered sufficiently for the birds to look more like the Aylesbury and early paintings by the famous poultry artist Ludlow confirm this Aylesbury ‘look-alike’. Lewis Wright goes on to say that "… original birds had no keels, while the modern English exhibition Cayuga has this feature very pronounced"

Modern day Cayugas don’t have the size or the keel that early paintings show, but their green brilliance has been improved over the years. A frequent complaint about the birds nowadays is they are not heavy enough. The American and British Cayugas look very similar in appearance.
The Cayuga duck was standardised in America in 1874 and later in 1901 in Great Britain.
The Cayuga duck breed would make an excellent choice for those who want to keep ducks, but live close to neighbours and are concerned about noise. The Cayuga's quack is not as loud, except the females are quite vocal while often the male is mute. The temperament of the Cayuga is docile and adult Cayuga ducks enjoy eating snails, slugs, and most other insects. Which makes them handy pest controllers in the garden.

The ducks is fairly prone to broodiness and will more often sit on and hatch their eggs than other domestic breeds of duck. Incubation for the eggs is 28 days. Cayuga eggs' colour vary from black to grey, light green and white. They are typically darker towards the beginning of the laying season and get lighter in color as time goes on.

Details:

Purpose: Exhibition, Utility, meat.
Eggs: 80 to 160 Eggs annually
Origin: United States
Weight: Drake: 8 lb, Duck: 7 lb
Classification: Heavy


Pic by @Jessica89


Pic by @Jessica89


Pic by @barred-rocks-rock


Pic by @Neverenuff


Pic by @Neverenuff

BYC Reviews:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/cayuga

Breed Discussions:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/877841/cayuga-duck-thread/0_30
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/185523/so-tell-me-about-cayuga-ducks/0_30
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/960165/what-color-are-your-cayuga-eggs/0_30


Do you own Cayugas? Are you an Cayuga breeder? If so, please reply to this thread with the your thoughts and experiences, including:

· What made you decide to get this breed?
· Do you own them for fun? Breeding? Some other purpose?
· What are your favorite characteristics about this breed?
· Post some pics of your birds; male/female, chicks, eggs, etc!
Click to expand...
I have cayuga's. I breed mine and use them for exhibit/show purposes. I also sell then to others who show. They are also pets. I have a national well known breed. I have won almost all of my college fund from showing my cayuga. The lineage i have is extremely well. I really love the green sheen color cayugas have, also the male cayugas are really calm and pretty much mute, which is good if you have nieghbors. Reason I have this breed is because I read that they are on the critical endangered list. I have a rare blue cayuga and three black cayugas.
 

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sumi said:
Much have been written about the origins and development of the Cayuga duck, but what is known is that it originates from near Lake Cayuga in the Finger Lakes region of New York. The first imports from America, according to Lewis Wright's Poultry in 1873, were said to arrive in 1871, from a Mr. W. Simpson and was imported by a Mr. J.K Fowler. They were said to be on the small side and speculations that they been crossed with the Black East Indian, to achieve the green sheen that is seen when the light is right, to give an almost iridescent colouring.

Lewis Wright says that in an effort to improve their size they "...were afterwards crossed, by some with Aylesbury and by other with Rouen" As a result the type was altered sufficiently for the birds to look more like the Aylesbury and early paintings by the famous poultry artist Ludlow confirm this Aylesbury ‘look-alike’. Lewis Wright goes on to say that "… original birds had no keels, while the modern English exhibition Cayuga has this feature very pronounced"

Modern day Cayugas don’t have the size or the keel that early paintings show, but their green brilliance has been improved over the years. A frequent complaint about the birds nowadays is they are not heavy enough. The American and British Cayugas look very similar in appearance.
The Cayuga duck was standardised in America in 1874 and later in 1901 in Great Britain.
The Cayuga duck breed would make an excellent choice for those who want to keep ducks, but live close to neighbours and are concerned about noise. The Cayuga's quack is not as loud, except the females are quite vocal while often the male is mute. The temperament of the Cayuga is docile and adult Cayuga ducks enjoy eating snails, slugs, and most other insects. Which makes them handy pest controllers in the garden.

The ducks is fairly prone to broodiness and will more often sit on and hatch their eggs than other domestic breeds of duck. Incubation for the eggs is 28 days. Cayuga eggs' colour vary from black to grey, light green and white. They are typically darker towards the beginning of the laying season and get lighter in color as time goes on.

Details:

Purpose: Exhibition, Utility, meat.
Eggs: 80 to 160 Eggs annually
Origin: United States
Weight: Drake: 8 lb, Duck: 7 lb
Classification: Heavy


Pic by @Jessica89


Pic by @Jessica89


Pic by @barred-rocks-rock


Pic by @Neverenuff


Pic by @Neverenuff

BYC Reviews:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/cayuga

Breed Discussions:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/877841/cayuga-duck-thread/0_30
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/185523/so-tell-me-about-cayuga-ducks/0_30
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/960165/what-color-are-your-cayuga-eggs/0_30


Do you own Cayugas? Are you an Cayuga breeder? If so, please reply to this thread with the your thoughts and experiences, including:

· What made you decide to get this breed?
· Do you own them for fun? Breeding? Some other purpose?
· What are your favorite characteristics about this breed?
· Post some pics of your birds; male/female, chicks, eggs, etc!
Click to expand...
 
Hi, I have 4 ducks, 2 female Cayugas, 1 male Cayuga and 1 female pekin, my pekin in about 8 months old and my Cayugas are turning 4 weeks old tomorrow! They are the sweetest! So far I've noticed my Cayugas seem a lot more trusting, curious, and definitely more rambunctious (hyper) vs my pekin and pekins I've had in the past. the babies get all excited everytime they see me. 1 of the girls likes to stay near me but doesn't like being touched my other female loves me and will sleep in my lap!! My male is a little bipolar haha theirs times he loves being held and pet and other times he doesn't want touched. They're starting to get their feathers in but are still little so I'm excited to see what colors come out in their feathers!
 

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