Australian Spotted Ducks

[Duck Drover]

I am working towards hatching eggs from my greenhead Australian Spotted ducks since they are a rare and endangered breed that I want to protect and promote. The first eggs I set were a mix from three drakes so I can't keep any of the ducklings for myself, not knowing which line they are from. My ten hens are related to each other but not to any of the drakes so I should be able to separate out two lines in order to put together breeding pairs (trios, etc.) to sell. I will be selling two of my hens with one of my drakes this weekend so that will leave me with eight hens (two mothers and last year's hen ducklings) and two drakes. I separated one drake with the two mothers and the two hens that will be sold and I have the second younger drake and his half brother that will be sold with the other six hens so I can keep track of my lines. I plan to hatch eggs laid by the young hens and let my mama ducks hatch their own so I can keep their hen ducklings.

I would really like to find other breeders with unrelated ducks so I can trade ducklings. I am also interested in raising blueheads and silverheads if I find a breeder who has some to trade for greenheads. I know I can order ducklings from Holderreads but I would prefer to find breeders who want to trade ducks rather than selling my ducks to buy ducks. Are there any other Australian Spotted duck breeders here? I just joined a few days ago because so many of my online searches took me to this site.

 

[lclough1998]

Just now contemplating getting into these little ducks as our daughter has been begging for ducks for a few years now. Of course I pick this breed as its small and I hear a quiet breed, but cant seem to find any ducklings local and will probably turn to Holderread for some ducklings, scared to get them shipped tho. I am in Gig Harbor, Washington, and will tag along and see what this finds for you :}

 

[chickengrl87]

There is a lady in Covington that breeds and sell Australian Spotted Ducks. I got my breeding trio from her. I don't have her email or number but she is on here. Her user name is duckdrover.

 

[Duck Drover]

I have three more ducklings hatching right now! They are hard to find because they are rare and endangered, which is why I have worked so hard to produce breeding pairs to start other flocks. I will have families available soon since I have four hens sitting on nests and will pair them with unrelated drakes to make starter flocks. My first eggs of the season end up being questionable but I throw them in the incubator when we discover nests, not knowing how old the eggs are or if they got too cold. Hatchability will be improving now that fertility has been established and the weather is warming up. My ducks are pretty good at hiding their nests but once we know their hiding places it makes gathering eggs much easier.

 

[laughingdog]

Any one ship hatching eggs reasonably for eggs? I've got a broody scovy I'm interested in seeing if she could hatch and raise up some bantam ducks, and hear these are toughest free rangers and calmest quietest of bantams. Pm if have or know anyone around east tn.

 

[Duck Drover]

These are the best ducks in my experience with various duck breeds. I have an abundance of eggs but I have not shipped eggs before and I worry that something could happen to them. I have sold eggs locally for pick-up but you are far too far away for that. Right now I am hatching all eggs myself so I can determine fertility and hatchability. We find new nests all the time and it is hard to know how long eggs have been in a nest or if they have already been started. I try to get the eggs straight from the nest to the incubator but I am full at the moment. I have Silkies but none are broody right now so I am relying on the incubators for hatching right now.

 

[laughingdog]

Any vids of them? i hardly see any except a few hatchery bought just brought home vids. nothing natural or how the babies or others act otherwise. i left an egg in this morn that was moistened and she kept turning and chirping at in that scovy way with tail waggin, hovering but not setting it like did others (infertile). i get that a lot can and does go wrong with shipping and surprised so many success stories of.

anyone try mixing in cayuga blood for color ect but keep size and shape? why do some look so harliquine?

 

[laughingdog]

Looking for more people keeping these, and info on personlly as pets.

 

[Duck Drover]

I have raised many other duck breeds and the Spots are by far my favorite. I like the bantam size and they are beautiful. They are minimally invasive while getting rid of slugs, snails, grass spiders, and even mosquito larvae. I hose their poop into the grass and we have nice fertile black soil full of worms. They are great for the garden because they are not as hard on plants as chickens but they do love sugar peas and they will actually pull them down from a trellis to feast on them! They also like the flowers from squash so I have to go vertical with those this year. I gave my raised garden bed to my Silkies since I had my garden fenced in so now I am moving my garden closer to the house and I have cleared a large space that just needs landscape timbers and fencing that will allow the ducks to use it during the winter while I keep all the birds out during the growing season.

I put chicken compost in my raised beds and I am disappointed that the shavings did not break down as well as I had hoped. I used the rabbit manure in the strawberry planter but there is more where that came from. My neighbors prefer to use chemicals on their garden and they don't like the compost smell (the wet shavings have that pulp mill smell I don't like either) but I prefer to use natural fertilizers. The dirty duck water makes a great liquid fertilizer so I try to keep my duck bathing water close to my garden. With a new bigger garden space this year, I am looking forward to growing more than ever!

 

[laughingdog]

@duck drover,
Thank you for all the info!
what all other types of ducks do,you, and have you kept (for comparisons?)? Do you have any troubler or have you, free ranging with other breeds together (i can just alternate or not if bad idea), or chickens, ect?
i have bantam americanas (some come out non standard color and lay multi colored med eggs daily), that are aside from some cockerels that had to go to freezer camp, really social, sounding alarm and attacking threats with scovy ducks. im hoping to acclimate and free range my KCs with my scovy when rest of feathers come in and i sent mean drakes to freezer camp (should have done both drakelets and cockerels in fall but second guessed self on colors and temperment ect breeding choices). i also have to rid small pond of five snappers know of (one gokd sized female and four smaller males), before can free range anything but scovy as they're smart enough to stop going near now cause of snappers (they have a stream, a creek, and a river, as well as spring fed ponds to play in, as well as pools, in the mean time).