SWEDISH Duck Thread!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[DB_Tex]

Color breeding is so complex... I'm just halfway through that chapter on the Storey's Guide to ducks. Phase genes.... dilutent... pattern genes
Getting blues is one of the least of your worries as a swedish breeder! haha! Chasing the coloring is probably why so many swedish are so far from the breed standard like OregonBlue talks about.

 

[Evelle]

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SHE IS BEAUTIFUL!!! looks kinda shy???

 

[Evelle]

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She actually looks more silver than blue in that pic. Here is what mezter's site says about breeding swedish for color:
The most interesting component of the Blue Swedish breed is the production of the blue color. Blue birds do not breed true. In other words, if you mate a Blue Swedish with another Blue Swedish, only 50% will hatch blue. You will also get 25% black with white chests (called Black Swedish) and 25% that are a very light grey color, often called Silver or Splashed White Swedish. To produce the blue color you must have heterozygote parents, meaning they have a black and a silver gene for feather color. In addition, the first two or three primary flight feathers are pure white in a Blue or Black Swedish duck. This, along with the correctly sized white patch on the chest, makes the Blue Swedish a difficult bird to perfect in terms of feather coloration.

So that we can produce 100% blue colored Blue Swedish, we have two breeder flocks. In one flock we have Black Swedish males and Silver females. In the other flock we have Silver males and Black Swedish females. All the progeny from these crosses will be the correct blue color. In June when we need breeders for next year, we switch the males so Black are on Black and Silver on Silver. We collect these eggs for about three weeks and hatch them for breeders. Then we switch the males and go back to producing the correctly colored Blue Swedish for the rest of the season. This is the reason we do not have Blue Swedish or Blue Runners available in July of each year.

I guess if she's genetically blue you'll get a grab bag of swede colors, but if she's genetically silver you will reliably get all blues with your black drake.
The bib on him looks great!

i must have skipped over this!

thank you for this post its still very confusing but i get a little bit better of a grasp

 

[DB_Tex]

So here is a swedish related question. I picked from the hatchery choice straight run mix at the feed store: 2 fluffs with yellow bibs and powder blue feathers, 1 striped rouen, and one black with black bill, black feet, and a dusty yellow bib. I assumed that the latter was a black swedish, BUT she has always been a little smaller than the blue swedish (more in common with the rouen than the two blues.) They've got their juvenile feathers in now, and she's green black with a small white star on her chest instead of a bib... I'm starting to wonder if she's actually a mismarked cayuga and not a swedish, as I know that can happen. She's also got a different body shape-- where the blue swedish are long like a dragon boat, she's shaped more like a tugboat!
I'll try to get pics up soon for perusal, but I've got to catch her first! LOL

Edit: they *are* still babies though. They all look like gawky teenagers.

 

[70%cocoa]

Evelle - a blue drake will give you blue offspring no matter which colour duck he is mated to. If all your ducks are blue I'd get a drake that has good size, type and markings. Choose one with no brown in the feathers. But it won't matter much if he is black, blue or silver. Remind me - what colour are your ducks?

Dusky Beauty - Swedish should not be too long. They should be rather short in the body compared to other breeds. They should have a deep, wide chest. This gives the appearence of being a bit shorter too. A chunky but tidy looking duck.

 

[shawnadoodlebug]

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SHE IS BEAUTIFUL!!! looks kinda shy???

he, but I got him from a lady who just hated him.
but I can not just leave a beautyful bird to just be miss treated.
it made me sick going to get him.

the lady I got him from had his brother and she loved him, but blue she hated.

 

[Evelle]

Quote:
SHE IS BEAUTIFUL!!! looks kinda shy???

he, but I got him from a lady who just hated him.
but I can not just leave a beautyful bird to just be miss treated.
it made me sick going to get him.

the lady I got him from had his brother and she loved him, but blue she hated.

ohhh uh oh

my apoligize HE is hansome

thats just horrable.. good for you coming to his rescue!!
i wish i could find some one who doesnt want a blue drake

LOL

 

[Evelle]

70%cocoa :

Evelle - a blue drake will give you blue offspring no matter which colour duck he is mated to. If all your ducks are blue I'd get a drake that has good size, type and markings. Choose one with no brown in the feathers. But it won't matter much if he is black, blue or silver. Remind me - what colour are your ducks?

Dusky Beauty - Swedish should not be too long. They should be rather short in the body compared to other breeds. They should have a deep, wide chest. This gives the appearence of being a bit shorter too. A chunky but tidy looking duck.

mine are all really good looking blues

well IMO

so i could get a black drake and still get 25% blue?​

 

[DUCKGIRL89]

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mine are all really good looking blues

well IMO

so i could get a black drake and still get 25% blue?

With a black drake to blue hens, you would get 50 %blue 50% black and with a blue drake to blue hens you will get 50% blues, 25% silver and 25% blacks....

 

[70%cocoa]

What Duckgirl said

Some people say that a black bird will help keep the blue nice and rich. I'm not sure about that but personally I'd go for a black drake anyway.