New Call Duck Colors... what do you think?

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KateBeauchemin

Songster
9 Years
Feb 21, 2010
118
3
109
My mother- & Sister-in-law have been mixing their calls for a few years now.

We have gotten a neat lilac color female and also black bibbed males from their stock of blue fawn, chocolate (bibbed) whites (& crested), and butterscotch. Using only these breeds we have gotten multiple different colors.

Today I purchased 2 lilac drakes, 1 blue bibbed (hen), 1 black bibbed (drake) and 2 mystery quackers.
One is lilac splash, and one is black splashed, I believe they are both hens.

I was wondering does anyone have the same colors?

I have used my http://kippenjungle.nl/kruisingEend.html call duck color calculator, and think the lilac splash may be know as lavendar splash. This is the only time the word/color lavendar comes into play. They have listed lilac and lavendar separate colors:

Future Breeding plan:

Are the splashes considered lavender? Someone with these colors I'd appreciate any help...

Thanks in advance.

Black bibbed drake in front, blue bibbed right back, black splash back left.
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Lavender hen left, 2 lilac drakes on right
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They just got done with a bath, so they're a little wet. LOL
 
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This is just my opinion, take it for what ever it is worth to you.

Their heads are all wrong, their bills much too long/big and their legs too long.
They just look quite large and not compact for calls. I would concentrate on type and conformation to the standard first, get the color right last.

Like I said, just my opinion.
 
They colors are very pretty but if you plan on selling them I agree with seymojo536 you will need to work on the confirmation as well if you want to make some good money.
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Kate, there is a lady up in Michigan that sells eggs on Ebay that has a lavendar hen-try searching for her over there.
I think the color is really pretty. I'm quite sure you're aware(based on some other posts I've read of yours) that typiness in a new variety is RARELY seen. Keep working on them, I'd buy 'em. I think you're onto something there. You know what you need to do.
I was wondering if Lilac and Lavendar were the same, as well.
After looking at them again, the little lavendar hen isn't bad.
I like 'em.
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I know they are not typey like everyone likes, but they are a start. I'm not offended :) everyone has their opinions, i'm playing with them for the love of calls. I think the entire breeding down smaller thing is highly overrated myself (my opinion:)), making the calls harder and harder to hatch. I talked to a breeder in Arkansas who says he pips for them and hand hatches every single egg he gets. I'm not all about that.

Frosty Flake belongs to my sister-in-law, who is selling the eggs on ebay, ironically enough.
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We are trying to find more around us.

We prolly have 60 ducks between us all, LOL! We just love them, we're not out to win any shows. Friends' kids showed them at county fair, placed 2nd, after blue sweds ducks. Judge said they are "not tiny, but nice all the same." We are content with that.

Again, does anyone know anything about the color, my main question...?????
 
I disagree with the "conformation first, color last" argument. Good type is a rarity in rare colors because they are exactly that: rare. You can have great parents and when outcrossed for rare colors, you will still have a lot of "platypus" looking ducks show up in the offspring, probably all of them. Look at the NCBA website at some of the Nationals pictures and see how many non-standard colors you see in the pictures that have great type. If people let that scare them off from bringing their ducks out to shows, we wouldn't have much to be looking at there. We see good type in droves in whites and grays because they are commonly owned and have been worked with and refined for generations. You can work on refining them down for type later, first you have to have the ducks to do it with! Calls were bred for by humans, they don't exist in nature as a breed.

I agree that they need more refinement, but this looks like an exciting new color and I hope you won't let anyone detract from your enthusiasm for working with them. We would not have any of the colorful Calls today if someone did not develop them, and Calls of any color or stripe are sought after. I don't see you having any problem selling them. People want cute, colorful little ducks, period.
 
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Yes I googled all the different colors also. The eeund calculator is from Germany. They have no pics of lav or lilac yet.

My sister's lilac hen looks like my lilac boys.
 
Kate, your colors are awesome. You obviously have a very good eye and a nose for genetics. I too agree, keep at it and don't give up. Some folks believe in building the barn first and than worrying about painting it. That probably works for some, but not so much in call ducks. Getting a color to "breed true" is the biggest task you have before you. What good is excellent type, i.e. round, fat, short-legged squatty little ducks if you can't hatch em'? Pic's from the Standard of Perfection of when Calls were first admitted, didn't look like what we are striving for today. Americans always thing more is better and end up ruining a lot of breeds. Dogs, horses, everything.

I say good for you, you just might be the next "Holderead" "Bev Davis" etc. You sound like you have the right attitude about going about this. I'm glad you are so gracious with other peoples opinions. After all, you know what they say about opinions...just like a particular body part, everybodys got one.

75% of all the "hottest" colors in many different breeds aren't even recognized, "yet". Keep going and feel free to pm me and we can exchange pics and I will let you in on my latest call duck project I've been working on.

Peace-
 
Okay. my 2 cents - I live in the middle of nowhere and keep my Chickens and ducks for fun and enjoyment. I do not have time to travel to shows. A friend and I hatched our first Call Duck Eggs last year for fun. A 4-H child showed some of these ducks and ended up taking a couple to the Stock Show in Denver. One Drake and one female ended up taking Grand Champion at the Show. I was shocked! I do not sell or pretend my ducks are Show Quality. I was being funny and said they must have been the only 2 ducks there! Or maybe the Quality was not good on any of the ducks. I do not know. Now I have people in Denver that want to buy eggs and I have ONE hen. No Guarantee she is going to Produce Show Ducks anyway. Anyway, I Love the Colors you are working on and would buy them for my own pets. Keep At It! You Never Know!
 

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