Silkie Duck Thread

[Coyote Night]

They can develop the curled drake feather even if silkie. Honestly you really know voice before the drake feather comes in so I clearly knew who my drakes were before hand plus the mallard colors have different colored heads but the voices can be heard early on. Right now my pastel boy is molting so no drake feather on him but It will come.

 

[mominoz]

Well, yes, voice. I had all 9 in a pen, and the snowy drakes were evident , as was the smooth mallard type drake, the black bibbed has a greenish head. I was just fooled by the white, no drake feather....so assumed it was female, until I separated into 5 different pens, noticed the other drake attacking, realised two raspy voices,

. So extra boys went into one pen, but they don't seem to like the 'white boy', so after collecting eggs and putting in incubator, I just swapped him with the snowy I had with the white female. Hoping she will take to him now and will get some white eggs for hatching in a couple weeks.

 

[happyfarmer325]

First silkie duck egg yesterday, finally!

I think I have the "better half" of this cute couple to thank! That means they are happy here, right? They like me, they really, really like me!

Lady and The Tramp, purchased from Holderread in February.

Yes, yes, I am just showing off.

 

[ChristineR]

First silkie duck egg yesterday, finally!

I think I have the "better half" of this cute couple to thank! That means they are happy here, right? They like me, they really, really like me!

Lady and The Tramp, purchased from Holderread in February.

Yes, yes, I am just showing off.

Very cute!

 

[Goin Quackrrs]

First silkie duck egg yesterday, finally!

I think I have the "better half" of this cute couple to thank! That means they are happy here, right? They like me, they really, really like me!

Lady and The Tramp, purchased from Holderread in February.

Yes, yes, I am just showing off.

So sweet! I need to have these again! Right after I build another run for the geese and another run for the chickens... ok, silkie ducks on the five-year plan...

 

[Coyote Night]

First silkie duck egg yesterday, finally!

I think I have the "better half" of this cute couple to thank! That means they are happy here, right? They like me, they really, really like me!

Lady and The Tramp, purchased from Holderread in February.

Yes, yes, I am just showing off.

Love em, kinda hoping to get a white drake from holderread this year but if not I'll just have to hatch one from my white hen. Which reminds me the holderread ducklings will be here sometime this month! I ordered 5 of the top show quality to try to replace the ones I lost to the bobcats last year.

 

[happyfarmer325]

Thanks everyone!

Holderread is absolutely the place to go, we got our 4 top-o'-the-line silkies there and 2 show quality breeding pairs of Indian Runners (maybe my second favorite

).

We are collecting fertilized eggs and will start incubating soon!

 

[Coyote Night]

Just tossed another 8 silkie eggs! Really disapointed in this drake, drove 14 hours to get this guy and searched for months to get him and now he doesn't breed.

He is a beautiful drake but if he doesn't breed he isn't much good for the breeding pen. At this point I'm just looking forward to the ducklings that should be shipping out from Holderread this coming Monday. I've given up on 2013 breeding season. Dang bobcats just had to eat all three of my drakes those boys were breeding back in the fall already and I was just waiting on the hens to lay. Now I'm getting tons of eggs, but they are no good if they aren't fertile.

 

[Goin Quackrrs]

Just tossed another 8 silkie eggs! Really disapointed in this drake, drove 14 hours to get this guy and searched for months to get him and now he doesn't breed.

He is a beautiful drake but if he doesn't breed he isn't much good for the breeding pen. At this point I'm just looking forward to the ducklings that should be shipping out from Holderread this coming Monday. I've given up on 2013 breeding season. Dang bobcats just had to eat all three of my drakes those boys were breeding back in the fall already and I was just waiting on the hens to lay. Now I'm getting tons of eggs, but they are no good if they aren't fertile.

You must be so frustrated! I would be. I've about given up on silkie ducks. They're so cute and sweet but they're freaking impossible to breed. I don't know one single person locally who has them anymore.

 

[Coyote Night]

You must be so frustrated! I would be. I've about given up on silkie ducks. They're so cute and sweet but they're freaking impossible to breed. I don't know one single person locally who has them anymore.

I'm thinking I need another drake for some competition. The only problem is that it took months of searching and a rather expensive road trip to get this guy if they were easy to come by I would have had 3 by now but they aren't. I'm praying for drakes out of these holderread babies coming.

Did I just say praying for drakes? Never thought I would be saying that. Usually drakes are a dime a dozen. In any case silkie ducks can be bred, Holderread's do and I'm determined to work with these guys. Not giving up on them but probably out for this season. I've contemplated bringing in a snowy call drake for some competition but then my babies would be heterozygous instead of homozygous.