Genetics. Which drake is best?

[Waddlewoods]

I am just in the process of separating my drakes as my ratio is way off due to bad luck with last year's hatches. My plan in is to have a bachelor pen and only allow one drake at a time with the girls.

As far as genetics goes I'm wondering what you (people more experienced than I) would think about which drake would give me the best hatches. I'm a sucker for a 'mystery bag' hatch or interesting hatches. I love the blue spectrum and pied runners.

The drakes and ducks in question are all runners. My hens are ...

1. Solid black
2. Silver (white with grey feathers and black bill)
3. Chocolate Mallard

Drakes:

1. Mostly white with black dots
2. Half white/half black like an Ancona
3. Blue Splash with black leakage and white markings in bib area.
4. Solid silver (light silver grey)
5. Pastel (see pic)

 

[cheezenkwackers]

Because we can only see what color feathers resulted, not what genes your birds have, you may have some traits which are being hidden, especially if they are crosses. But, here is what I think you might get:
The first two drakes are both white and black so they carry extended black (E), runner pattern (R), and dominant bib (Bid). Those are all dominant traits so even if they only have one allele of each gene at least half of their offspring should get at least one of those traits. When crossed to your silver hen though instead of black you will get blue. So, use them if you want the possibility of pied ducks.
The other three drakes have the blue. Blue is fun because with one blue allele you get blue if they also have black, or lavender if they have black and sex-linked chocolate. Since your female is the chocolate though, I doubt you would get that because one if your drakes would have to be carrying chocolate as well. With two blue alleles you get silver if you also have black or pastel if you do not. So, if you want blue or silver use any of these three drakes just know you won’t get pied.
If your goal is variety, I think I would use one of the first two. But, I love Silver and you can only get that with one of the other three, so, pretty much you can’t go wrong. I hope this helps and makes sense.

 

[Waddlewoods]

Because we can only see what color feathers resulted, not what genes your birds have, you may have some traits which are being hidden, especially if they are crosses. But, here is what I think you might get:
The first two drakes are both white and black so they carry extended black (E), runner pattern (R), and dominant bib (Bid). Those are all dominant traits so even if they only have one allele of each gene at least half of their offspring should get at least one of those traits. When crossed to your silver hen though instead of black you will get blue. So, use them if you want the possibility of pied ducks.
The other three drakes have the blue. Blue is fun because with one blue allele you get blue if they also have black, or lavender if they have black and sex-linked chocolate. Since your female is the chocolate though, I doubt you would get that because one if your drakes would have to be carrying chocolate as well. With two blue alleles you get silver if you also have black or pastel if you do not. So, if you want blue or silver use any of these three drakes just know you won’t get pied.
If your goal is variety, I think I would use one of the first two. But, I love Silver and you can only get that with one of the other three, so, pretty much you can’t go wrong. I hope this helps and makes sense.

Ok awesome! Thank you so much.

So with the 2 B&W drakes, if I bred them with a pied duck next year (I have eggs coming in March) would the bib always show and so I would never get a proper runner pattern?

My dream would be a lavender or lilac pied eventually. The eggs I have coming are from an Emery Pied Project. If I was to breed one of them with a silver mate what could I expect from that? Am I right that unless the mate carries the runner gene I wouldn't get a perfect pied pattern? Also, if that's the case could I breed their offspring (Emery Pied x silver) to a mate with a runner gene and then get a proper pied pattern?

Lastly, what kind of genes does my pastel drake carry? (In the pic above).He has a lot of brown mixed with blue (so beautiful), does he carry chocolate? He came from a flock of a drake that looks just like him over silver, fawn and blue hens if that helps. I need more hens so sex-linked would be nice even though I'm not a huge fan of chocolate.

Thanks and forgive me. I've been reading a ton about this genetic stuff as I find it so interesting but it is a lot to grasp.

 

[cheezenkwackers]

Ok awesome! Thank you so much.

So with the 2 B&W drakes, if I bred them with a pied duck next year (I have eggs coming in March) would the bib always show and so I would never get a proper runner pattern?

My dream would be a lavender or lilac pied eventually. The eggs I have coming are from an Emery Pied Project. If I was to breed one of them with a silver mate what could I expect from that? Am I right that unless the mate carries the runner gene I wouldn't get a perfect pied pattern? Also, if that's the case could I breed their offspring (Emery Pied x silver) to a mate with a runner gene and then get a proper pied pattern?

Lastly, what kind of genes does my pastel drake carry? (In the pic above).He has a lot of brown mixed with blue (so beautiful), does he carry chocolate? He came from a flock of a drake that looks just like him over silver, fawn and blue hens if that helps. I need more hens so sex-linked would be nice even though I'm not a huge fan of chocolate.

Thanks and forgive me. I've been reading a ton about this genetic stuff as I find it so interesting but it is a lot to grasp.

I am a high school Biology teacher so I understand basic genetics and love trying to figure stuff out but seeing it in the ducks is more difficult. Also, you are also asking about traits I have not dealt with much in my own ducks. I gave your question my best shot using what I have read from Holderread, in Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks, the article Pyxis wrote https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/mallard-derived-duck-color-genetics-basics.74277/ , and what I have found online. As for your new questions, I really am not sure. I do know that sex-linked brown with blue creates lavender. This is easy to see when the duck also has black but I am not sure how to see it in a Pastel. If your pastel drake does have the brown you would get sex-linked ducklings but you might have to have the ducklings to tell if he has brown. I have recently joined a Facebook group which may have the answers to your questions. It is run by an Australian gentleman who is a duck genetics expert. It is called "Duck Colour Genetics." He would be the perfect person to ask these questions to.

 

[Waddlewoods]

I am a high school Biology teacher so I understand basic genetics and love trying to figure stuff out but seeing it in the ducks is more difficult. Also, you are also asking about traits I have not dealt with much in my own ducks. I gave your question my best shot using what I have read from Holderread, in Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks, the article Pyxis wrote https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/mallard-derived-duck-color-genetics-basics.74277/ , and what I have found online. As for your new questions, I really am not sure. I do know that sex-linked brown with blue creates lavender. This is easy to see when the duck also has black but I am not sure how to see it in a Pastel. If your pastel drake does have the brown you would get sex-linked ducklings but you might have to have the ducklings to tell if he has brown. I have recently joined a Facebook group which may have the answers to your questions. It is run by an Australian gentleman who is a duck genetics expert. It is called "Duck Colour Genetics." He would be the perfect person to ask these questions to.

Ok, I'll give that FB group a follow. Thank you for your insights!