The REAL truth behind crested ducks

Hi I am going to talk about the real truth behind crested ducks. First of all the are 2 types of crested duck the real breed and the mutated mallered duck. There is major differences in these 2 the real breed is not mutated and rather the size of there crest is quiet small there bodies are bigger this does not mean that they can't have big crest though. The mutated mallered duck is more focused by the crest its self they will quiet often look small with huge crests. Now breeding wise the real breed is not harmful to breed because it is not a mutation killing the duck it is just a little fuzz on top of there head while some of them will not have a crest and of course with hatching eggs in period some of the will not hatch because of natural causes. Now on the other hand the mutant breed is very harmful most of them will not hatch because of the crest there brain can form outside of there body and will suffer through the pain. Now everyone says not to buy these furry friends or breed them it just depends on what breed u get the mutant mallered or the crested duck it would be OK for u to buy the mutant mallered but not breed them. On the other hand you could do what you want with the crested ducks. I hope this cleared up some on crested ducks thank you

I think some of the "facts" that are mentioned here are misunderstood.......

enola said:

I think some of the "facts" that are mentioned here are misunderstood.......

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I know that the mutant mallered is kind of ediotic but I am just trying to drive the point home all of these fact are what I base my ducks life on and a breeder that is extremely experienced with crested ducks.

How long have you been breeding crested ducks?

It's not to say people shouldn't be careful about crested ducks. I got mine from Metzer which breeds crested and has done so thwarting many problems common in crested as well as having a fertility rate thats comparable to most breeds, instead of 20%-50% less.

Just like dogs, responsible breeding is important when it comes to making sure you purchase from a responsible breeder. Crests happen in all ducks, not just mallards, as a mutation.

Part of the problem with crested is the same problem that I have with dogs like collies, pugs and cocker spaniels....there are just not enough good breeders and genetic diversity to ensure a healthy animal. To re-correct the gene pool one would have to introduce a mutt, which the AKC would balk at. While duck breeders don't have AKC, genetic diversity still is an issue.

Truth is that most people should not purchase crested ducks from a backyard breeder.

As a non-genetic mutaition they still are a bit derpy, less saavy ducks. Females are prone to being injured during breeding. Even for people who only want a few layers--or in my case layers and tick eaters--it is important to realize that this breed is less than perfect. Frodo, my crested from Metzer, is and adorable, derpy duck who loves peas more than any critter I've ever seen, but he is flawed, and I know that should they be attacked by a preditior he's less likely to survive

Their are good Crested and good Crested ducks, but there are no Crested ducks that don't suffer from issues.

I understand Crested ducks are different. I don't have a problem with them, although for some reason I prefer to surround myself with "normal" animals that don't have special needs.

What I do have a problem with is people that get on the Internet and post long, rambling posts that make virtually no sense. Especially when some of the statements "facts" aren't facts at all.

seashoreduck said:

It's not to say people shouldn't be careful about crested ducks. I got mine from Metzer which breeds crested and has done so thwarting many problems common in crested as well as having a fertility rate thats comparable to most breeds, instead of 20%-50% less.

Their are good Crested and good Crested ducks, but there are no Crested ducks that don't suffer from issues.

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From what I've heard, crested ducks are kinda like Scottish folds - they can be okay (more or less) when you breed a crested to a non-crested, but breed to crests together and the babies probably won't make it. But if you ask me, even the "healthy" ones still have problems; I mean, they still have to deal with a fatty tumor covering their unprotected brain. I feel really bad for them. :/ I feel bad for any animal that has painful birth defects or high mortality rates just cuz people wanted them to look a certain way. My mom loves Westies, and I do too, but they have constant skin and ear disorders. My childhood doggie died of it when I was little. And it's just a genetic thing, just a Westie thing. Because we bred 'em that way.

But I realize I'm in glass houses as a call duck owner. Although there's nothing about them that's malformed or anything, they still have a low hatch rate and many of them die in the shell because they've been bred to be so small. So I guess I'm just as guilty. ._.

The way I think of it Amykins, is that most bloodline breeding has really negative consequences on genetic diversity until you get to a point where animals of the same species cannot breed, safetly atleast.

There are benefits to each breed. My cayuga is slower, but much more steady on her feet, determined, less likely to take easy handouts (bugs prefered) so I can see some of the natural tendencies that made that breed desirable. My welch Harlequins are truly calm ducks, my buff is bold and sassy with a yell that may yet shatter a window and my black Swedish is a goofball. Yet each of those breeds are in big danger of being genetically deficient, soley by the fact they are breeds.

Those who prefer their animals without special needs (as another poster stated) should look to find duck farms that encourage mutts, or buy from large scale "money back" farmers who are fine with "mutt ducks". There's benefits in all sides. My husband absolutely loves Frodo's derpyness, for him it makes up for the girl's loud quacking and other inconviences of ducks. Frodo, being well bread, dosn't have health problems. Yet it's a gamble. He could of had health problems, his offspring may. Although we have no plans for offspring. he's our male and hopefully his protector instincts kick in soon...that's what he's there for.

seashoreduck said:

The way I think of it Amykins, is that most bloodline breeding has really negative consequences on genetic diversity until you get to a point where animals of the same species cannot breed, safetly atleast.

There are benefits to each breed. My cayuga is slower, but much more steady on her feet, determined, less likely to take easy handouts (bugs prefered) so I can see some of the natural tendencies that made that breed desirable. My welch Harlequins are truly calm ducks, my buff is bold and sassy with a yell that may yet shatter a window and my black Swedish is a goofball. Yet each of those breeds are in big danger of being genetically deficient, soley by the fact they are breeds.

Those who prefer their animals without special needs (as another poster stated) should look to find duck farms that encourage mutts, or buy from large scale "money back" farmers who are fine with "mutt ducks". There's benefits in all sides. My husband absolutely loves Frodo's derpyness, for him it makes up for the girl's loud quacking and other inconviences of ducks. Frodo, being well bread, dosn't have health problems. Yet it's a gamble. He could of had health problems, his offspring may. Although we have no plans for offspring. he's our male and hopefully his protector instincts kick in soon...that's what he's there for.

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Yeah, I know what you mean. In many ways, Bean is kinda superior to Wobbles because she's a mixed-color pet quality bird, and therefore comes from a more diverse gene pool. She's steadier on her feet, can run faster, and seems to have gotten the hang of being a duck better than Wobs ever could. Wobbles is an absolute gem and I adore him to pieces precisely BECAUSE he's a bit of an dunderhead, but I realize now a lot of that probably has to do with inbreeding and the fact that he's so high quality. His legs are tiny and he's so round and stocky that he just can't do things like running, diving and jumping.

...But I lurve him so much <3

Amykins said:

Yeah, I know what you mean. In many ways, Bean is kinda superior to Wobbles because she's a mixed-color pet quality bird, and therefore comes from a more diverse gene pool. She's steadier on her feet, can run faster, and seems to have gotten the hang of being a duck better than Wobs ever could. Wobbles is an absolute gem and I adore him to pieces precisely BECAUSE he's a bit of an dunderhead, but I realize now a lot of that probably has to do with inbreeding and the fact that he's so high quality. His legs are tiny and he's so round and stocky that he just can't do things like running, diving and jumping.

...But I lurve him so much <3

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Yep, given the choice between preventing other people from being idiots and bad breeding and having Frodo, I'd probably still choose Frodo. He's not in pain or really harmed, he's just derpy and that makes him wholly loveable. It's nice that he's always open to a hand out and that he will bowl down everyone for peas. If all my ducks were like my Cayuga--it'd honestly be alot less fun.

As my hubby pointed out, all ducks who can't fly easily are anomalies of nature. Yet being unable to fly is a desired quality as I can let them free range. They can get some lift which is hysterical. Fortunately, I have a distinct lack of predators which makes things much easier for me.