Looking for pictures of waterfowl colour mutations

[lobo]

hatlaub
An impressive collection of mutations.

I didn't know that the silver mutation of Fulvous Whistling Duck, is already in Europe.

 

[Dr. Todd]

Impressive. Kudos!

 

[hartlaub]

Thank you for the kind comments - I am based in the Midlands in the Uk . I have been very interested in mutations for some years . The Mandarins are what we call silver but I have been breeding for a good colour for a long time . The Carolinas are again silver but we have been breeding for much better colour for some time and in fact now have a strain which consistently breed dark ones .The fulvous are in many colours in the Uk - in the picture there is a blonde female and a champagne drake - they are very popular here and several are bred each year.
The white faced are very rare and not easy but we are doing some out crossing to normals to improve the viability but it will be a long process to fix the colour.
I will get some more pictures from friends collections and post them on here.

Bill

 

[hartlaub]

 

[hartlaub]

 

[hartlaub]

 

[hartlaub]

 

[hartlaub]

Last one is not a mutation Harlequin but one of the species that I enjoy keeping very much

 

[destinduck]

Where did you get your harlequin from hartlaub? They are one of my favs as well. But here in the US its hard to find any let alone someone wanting to sell some. I also wondered how you came across so many of the mutations.Yall have way more than us it seems. Most here like the whites or silvers it seems. Have you ever just had a mutation pop up yourself between normal colored parents? It only happened once for me with a apricot male manderin out of normal colored parents. Now some of my friends tell me that could have been a first here in U.S. I dont know for sure on that.If you dont want to divudge the sources info I understand. Beautiful birds BTW. Shawn

 

[hartlaub]

Hi

My Harlequins came from Peter Kooy in Holland - he has some lovely birds and can normally get what you want and I have always had top quality birds from him. In the US try Mike Lubbolk at Sylvan Heights I am sure he will be able to point you in the right direction . Harlequins whilst not cheap are just amazing - unlike any other waterfowl - very active and full of character. A lot more are now been kept in Europe and people are having breeding success with them . They do need good water but other than that they are fairly straight forward to maintain in a mixed collection.My pair are three years year and I hope now old enough to breed so I am hopeful that they might lay this year.
I have been collecting and breeding mutations for many years and have aquired them from all over the place -I love the extra challenge they present - In the UK there is alot of interest in them although some people do disapprove - I feel that it adds something to our hobby and although you do obviously see wild mutations they rarely survive as they are more open to be predated - a problem I have at home with sparrow hawks always targeting the mutations first as they are more conspicious and the ducklings are more delicate in the mutations making survival rates in the wild very poor.
Hope you have a great season I will certainly be trying to breed lots of different colours my challenges this year are the blue carolinas and ringed teal and I would like to try and get a full range of fulvous treeducks plus Im keen to really get the silver white faced really established

Bill