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That's good to know. I've bought specific breeds and would be upset if I received something different (unless it was a more expensive specific breed of course. )

Ducksforbackyards.com is where I got all 10 of mine. I have to say they have been great. I had one die 30 minutes after arrival and they refunded my money with 0 hassle. All my other ducklings are doing great. No deformities and they appear to be the breed they say they are.

furbabymum said:

That's good to know. I've bought specific breeds and would be upset if I received something different (unless it was a more expensive specific breed of course. )

Ducksforbackyards.com is where I got all 10 of mine. I have to say they have been great. I had one die 30 minutes after arrival and they refunded my money with 0 hassle. All my other ducklings are doing great. No deformities and they appear to be the breed they say they are.

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You should be extremely careful before publicly claiming things like this.

Firstly Angel wing is most often caused by the incorrect diet- this is not something anybody at any hatchery can have control over. Only the owner can provide a correct diet for their ducklings- and thats where great sites like this one can help with educating people exactly what to feed.

Secondly- there can be a huge difference genetically in birds coming from some of the huge hatcheries. Did the vet DNA test you birds? If not he is only making a guess as to the genetic makeup of your ducks. Mutations can occur as well - so while it would be very odd that you received 2 out of three - it is very plausible that all three of your ducklings have come from pens where both the mother and father duck are in fact both Mallards.

Nah the sharing of info is always good. In the electronic age companies should know that they are going to have all their faults aired publicy. I have a friend who mentioned she's had really bad luck with Meyers so I won't buy from them either.

I was under the impression angel wing was a dietary issue, most scientific sources I have read cite high protein as the cause. The Wikipedia article mentions genetics but says that there is no proof for that theory over diet. Even if genetics does play a role, I would think ducks from any breeder that had a high protein diet are at risk for angel wing.

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Yes but the problem becomes when false accusations are made.
Sometimes things can also be said without the proof to back up a claim. My avain vet could make mistakes looking at an 11 week old duckling- They know about whats on the inside and how to fix them when they are unwell they are not experts on duck breeds. An 11 week old duckling still has some growing to do - and the plumage colour will change before they have their full set of feathers.

I think the thing to remember here is that if you are buying from a hatchery- then pay the extra dollar and get top show quality ducklings- these will be the best representative of the breed. Not all will be show quality - but just buying form the lower standards you are just getting hatchery quality ducklings- this can mean that at times birds have been crossed with others breeds to increase vigour and for the well being of the bloodline, and that there is a great difference in the how the ducks may appear when grown.

I actually have bought adults birds that were not what I thought they were genetically- there is a huge difference between phenotype and genotype.

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QuackedUp said:

One appears to be a mix between Mallard and a white domestic,

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I wonder why your vet would say that. White ducks are white because they have two genes ('Recessive White') that prevent all coloured pigment form being laid down in feathers, so the duck turns out white. They need two doses of this gene to be white. If a duck has only one dose of Recessive White, they are not white, and show absolutely no indication of having this one gene. So, it's all or nothing with white ducks - the duck will be white (two doses of the gene) or not white (no doses of the gene). Unless your duck is actually white all over, your vet could not tell by looking at it that it had been crossed with a white duck. So is there something else about your duck that might make your vet say that? Bill colour perhaps? Or does this duck have white patches (which, strangely enough, have nothing to do with being crossed with a white duck either).

Hopefully when your birds have their full adult feathers they will more closely resemble the Mallards you hoped for. It'd be great if you could put up some pics of them.