Duck Breed Focus - Australian Spotted Duck

[Duck Drover]

I wanted to post a picture of ducklings with multiple drakes because people often report that they have drake aggression issues but that does not happen with this breed. Our drakes protect the ducklings as much as possible with crows being our worst predator.

 

[Duck Drover]

We had 3 more ducklings in the pond with their mama yesterday. It is unusual to have such small clutches of ducklings hatching but the hens lose eggs to the crows when they get off to eat and drink so their clutches get smaller and smaller until the remaining eggs hatch.

We really need to incubate again to keep them safe but I am still waiting for surgery due to secondary tissue damage delaying my foot and ankle surgery so I can walk again. We have to keep things as simple as possible for now.

At least we can put together breeding groups of ducklings since I am getting good at voice sexing our hatchlings before vent sexing around 2 weeks old. We are just banding each clutch a different color and then letting them all bond together in the brooder so we can split up brothers and sisters to prevent inbreeding.

 

[Pampered Chicken]

Here are my spots. I'm thinking I have 2 green head hens, 2 silver hen and one blue and I'm not sure if the drake is blue or silver.

 

[Pampered Chicken]

Oops not sure why this didn't attach.

 

[Duck Drover]

Oops not sure why this didn't attach.

Two greenhead hens (dark brown spots) and a bluehead drake (black head color).

 

[Duck Drover]

Here are my spots. I'm thinking I have 2 green head hens, 2 silver hen and one blue and I'm not sure if the drake is blue or silver.

The quacking hen may be a bluehead or a greenhead that carries bluehead genetics. Her spots almost look blue (gray) on her back but they look darker on the side.

I am not sure what the other two ducks are since their coloring is not what I would expect from Spots. Are you thinking the two with the solid colored heads are hens? Where did they come from?

 

[Pampered Chicken]

The one with the brown head is a Mini Silver Appleyard. The other is a spot from a breeder in NH. They are both female.

 

[Duck Drover]

The one with the brown head is a Mini Silver Appleyard. The other is a spot from a breeder in NH. They are both female.

I was thinking mini Appleyard but I did not want to guess. I would not count on the one with the gray head being a purebred Spot if that is what you were told. If you got it as a duckling it was probably just a mix-up. It is pretty unusual looking so it does not resemble a standard colored Australian Spotted duck. The Spot next to the one with the brown head is the one that looks like a split to me (bluehead genotype with greenhead phenotype).

 

[Pampered Chicken]

Not s

I was thinking mini Appleyard but I did not want to guess. I would not count on the one with the gray head being a purebred Spot if that is what you were told. If you got it as a duckling it was probably just a mix-up. It is pretty unusual looking so it does not resemble a standard colored Australian Spotted duck. The Spot next to the one with the brown head is the one that looks like a split to me (bluehead genotype with greenhead phenotype).

Not sure what it would be mixed with. She didn't have any other breeds similar. Welsh Harliquins, cayugas and black East Indies.

 

[sparton]

Btw we love our pair we got from you. They are just the cutest things ever! We will be seeing about exhibiting them at the poultry shows as well.