Duck Breed Focus - Australian Spotted Duck

[Duck Drover]

This is the white greenhead drake with his greenhead sisters before he got his adult plumage. I had thought he would have a silver head due to his dilute background color but he ended up with a green head, which is not too surprising considering his spots are so dark. I was going to purchase him but when I saw his adult plumage I decided against it. Perhaps he would have brought some nice color to his offspring but I am unfamiliar with the genetics involved in the white background color so I decided not to risk breeding to him.

The color of the Spots is based on the drake head color and the spot coloring in the hens with the background color typically lightening with the dilute colors. I am not sure what to make of the white background color. My white hen hatched out with yellow down but I am not sure what color down this drake hatched with before he got his white feather coloring (my assumption is light greenhead, which signifies underlying bluehead genetics). My hens with the white hind ends hatched with a lighter shade of greenhead down that is darker than the bluehead down color and consistent with greenheads that have recessive bluehead genes and this drake is related to them so I am guessing their down color was the same even though this drake has more white feathering. It is the split colors that can make color breeding a challenge but they also give more color variations. We have grown out ducklings with uncertain down colors in order to predict the color of the adults so it has been interesting to see the possible outcomes.

There is a breed standard for Australian Spotted ducks but to my knowledge the breed needs to be exhibited before it can be officially recognized. Dave encouraged my daughter to show our ducks but I am too paranoid about poultry diseases being passed at shows to want to take the risk. Also, my daughter is busy with other activities in addition to being an honors student so she does not have the time to devote to showing ducks. It would be great for a 4-H project or someone who is invested in promoting the breed beyond what we can do. I enjoy raising ducks but I am not interested in being a part of the exhibition experience.

 

[Duck Drover]

Since I am posting pictures, here is a couple of greenhead hens (we clip off the blue band on the wings to identify mother hens) that hatched and raised a brood of ducklings together. We often have hens nesting next to each other and it is so sweet when they can team up to raise their ducklings together. I have offered family groups of hens with ducklings since that is one way we expanded our flock but it seems people who want ducklings like to raise the ducklings to imprint on them rather than being imprinted on a mother duck. I like letting the hens do the work but the crows are determined to grab tiny ducklings when given the chance so we have to either take the ducklings inside to keep them safe or we have to pen the family in a covered pen until the babies are big enough to stay safe under the watchful eyes of their mothers. It is so cute to see the ducklings in tow learning how to forage and swim (with the oil from the hen to keep them afloat).

 

[Duck Drover]

I know this is a rare breed but I had hoped to connect with others who breed these ducks. Where is everyone?

I may attempt shipping eggs to someone across the country and I am thinking about eventually shipping ducklings but I think shipping adults would be the safest. Has anyone started their flock from shipped eggs? I hope it works out because I hate wasting eggs if the post office damages them.

I have heard people say they had a hard time hatching Spots but I don't know if it was their own eggs or shipped eggs. I have not shipped eggs or had eggs shipped to me.

 

[Amiga]

I think if I had known about these, I might have tried to get some into my flock . . . at this point, the Inn is full . . . someday, though.

 

[chwychuro]

I think I may have recieved 8 Australian Spotted ducklings from holderread. They were categorized as assorted, but they all look like they are mallards with little yellow spots on their backs. I believe they would be the green heads. I figure this is the best place to find out for sure.

 

[Duck Drover]

I read that Holderreads is not doing ducks anymore. Were those from last year?

 

[chwychuro]

Just received them this morning. And I believe they are limiting the amount and which breeds. A lot of them have moved to something creek farms in the Montana area I believe, to his nephew. But they are still selling ducks.

 

[chwychuro]

Few more pictures just in case the picture wasn't good enough.

 

[Duck Drover]

Maybe Dave did not send all his Australian Spotted ducks to Montana but I thought he had sold out of Spots and was no longer hatching them. You may need to ask him if he is hatching any Spots this season.

 

[chwychuro]

I've just emailed them, so I guess we will see..