Origins and characteristics:
The Swedish Blue is a breed of duck that originates in Sweden, Poland, and Germany around the 18th century. The Swedish Blue is a breed of duck that is considered a dual-purpose breed. Dual-purpose means that they are used for both meat and egg production. They are very well known for their delicious meat and the fact that they lay a considerable amount of eggs during spring and summer.
The Swedish Blue is a small to medium-sized breed that weighs around 6 to 8 lbs. It has a circular head, a black bill, and a stocky body and a horizontally shaped body. The coloration of the plumage is a bluish slate along the body, with a white throat/chest and black eyes. There is little to no difference between the male and female, other than the males being slightly bigger than the females.
Common health issues:
As with all poultry there are multiple possible health issues that the Swedish Blue can have. Like fungal infections around their feet, and bacterial infections in their crops.
These include:
(Botulism, this is normally a result of the duck ingesting neurotoxins produced by a group of bacteria
(Arthritis normally affecting older and weaker ducks
(Bumblefoot, this commonly caused by poor living conditions
(Newcastle disease, this is a highly contagious viral infection that should immediately be treated
Most bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics as they help stop or kill the bacteria and fungal infections can normally be treated with fluconazole, itraconazole, clotrimazole, but you should always see a vet so that you can get help from an expert if possible.
Life expectancy and age of maturity:
A breed standard Swedish Blue of higher quality, can live a very long time. Swedish Blue's are hardy and a resilient breed. With good care and a breed standard duck, they can live upwards of 7 to 11 years. However this can mostly depend on how well they're taken care of, what their diet is like, how nice their coop is, what their environment is like, and if they are free ranged.
The Swedish Blue usually reaches maturity at around 5-7 months and can start laying eggs at the age of around six months. However depending on the season and amount of light per day this can vary, and it can also vary on the individual and what the nesting area is like.
Coop requirements:
Now although some people will say ducks don't need that much space, Swedish Blue's like any duck need multiple different things for their coop and run. For example they need a safe and dry place to sleep, a reliable source of food and water that is clean and healthy and plenty of space to both forage and get away from others when they want. Sense they are ducks after all they do need a body of water to at least wade in. Even if it's just a large bucket of water or if it's an XL pool normally used for people it still works wonderfully for all ducks and other waterfowl alike. These are some great examples of what a coop should look like and what a body of water can look like for ducks.
Environment/climate needs and requirements:
Although Swedish Blue's are rather tolerant to all climates, be it cold or hot. They can actually stand cold temperatures of up to -20 degrees as they originate from colder regions like Sweden and Poland where it can get well below freezing. Although it is important to give them a draft free coop in the winter and have it accessible at all times and have plenty of ventilation during the hot Summer so they have a smaller chance of overheating. Having a swimming area can also help with this as well.
Diet and foraging behavior:
The Swedish Blue is a breed that loves to forage and explore all day every day. They will normally eat grass and any & every bug or worm they can find. Bugs are the main source of calcium for ducks and are important for proper egg laying. Because they use calcium to make the shell of their eggs. In order to allow for ducks to eat properly a waterfowl feed will suffice. Waterfowl feed is different from normal poultry feed ad it floats to the top and us normally made with plenty of protein and nutrients along with algae and other plants that they would eat in the wild.
Social needs/behaviors:
In order to keep a flock of Swedish Blue, you do need lots of space and a larger coop. Having a flock does have its pros and cons, like how having a flock makes them more predator alert and can lower the chances of an attack because there is safety in numbers. However in a flock there are usually some cons, such as possible bullying and if there is an improper male to female ratio it can result in females being over mated or males being bullied.
Breeding Swedish Blue ducks:
If you have a flock or you have a pair and are wanting to breed them there is good news and bad news with this. Lucky Swedish Blue are known to go broody and make great parents. Parent's will usually separate with their clutch for the flock for the first day or so, but the parents will introduce their clutch to the main flock when they're feeling ready. However the sad part is that Swedish Blue don't tend to breed true and normally you will get a 50/50 clutch with about half being breed standard and half being a different color or may not look like the breed at all.
Hens will lay throughout spring and summer so you will have plenty of incubating eggs to hatch.
Egg production:
One hen a year can lay up to 150 eggs a year, from spring till summer. Hens normally lay in nests that they will create in their coop. Their eggs are a blueish gray and are rather large compared to chicken eggs. They lay about 4-6 eggs a week and this can depend on the individual, if they're brooding, age, environment or season. Swedish Blue are overall a very
nice egg layer and are a good egg producer
Egg incubation:
When you are thinking about incubating Swedish Blue duck eggs it's rather important to ask these following questions. How long do they incubate, when do they go into lockdown and how long does it normally take for the ducklings to hatch?
Well the answers to these questions are simple. Swedish Blue's take around 28 days to incubate before hatching, they go into lockdown at around day 26 and can take longer to hatch like other types of ducks. It's also important to have higher humidity during incubation and lockdown compared to chickens. The humidity should be around 55% during incubation, but 65%-75% during lockdown.
Ducklings care:
Taking care of ducklings involves several essential steps to ensure their health and growth. Firstly, you need to provide them with a clean and warm environment, ideally with a temperature of around 85°F for the first week, gradually lowering to 75°F as they grow. Proper nutrition is also critical, so you need to feed them with waterfowl starter feed, supplemented by small amounts of fresh vegetables and fruits or algea.
You also need to ensure that they have access to fresh and clean water throughout the day to prevent dehydration. Socialization and exercise are also essential for ducklings; they need space to move around and interact with others. Lastly, you need to monitor their health and care for any injuries or illnesses promptly.
The Swedish Blue is a breed of duck that originates in Sweden, Poland, and Germany around the 18th century. The Swedish Blue is a breed of duck that is considered a dual-purpose breed. Dual-purpose means that they are used for both meat and egg production. They are very well known for their delicious meat and the fact that they lay a considerable amount of eggs during spring and summer.
The Swedish Blue is a small to medium-sized breed that weighs around 6 to 8 lbs. It has a circular head, a black bill, and a stocky body and a horizontally shaped body. The coloration of the plumage is a bluish slate along the body, with a white throat/chest and black eyes. There is little to no difference between the male and female, other than the males being slightly bigger than the females.
Common health issues:
As with all poultry there are multiple possible health issues that the Swedish Blue can have. Like fungal infections around their feet, and bacterial infections in their crops.
These include:
(Botulism, this is normally a result of the duck ingesting neurotoxins produced by a group of bacteria
(Arthritis normally affecting older and weaker ducks
(Bumblefoot, this commonly caused by poor living conditions
(Newcastle disease, this is a highly contagious viral infection that should immediately be treated
Most bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics as they help stop or kill the bacteria and fungal infections can normally be treated with fluconazole, itraconazole, clotrimazole, but you should always see a vet so that you can get help from an expert if possible.
Life expectancy and age of maturity:
A breed standard Swedish Blue of higher quality, can live a very long time. Swedish Blue's are hardy and a resilient breed. With good care and a breed standard duck, they can live upwards of 7 to 11 years. However this can mostly depend on how well they're taken care of, what their diet is like, how nice their coop is, what their environment is like, and if they are free ranged.
The Swedish Blue usually reaches maturity at around 5-7 months and can start laying eggs at the age of around six months. However depending on the season and amount of light per day this can vary, and it can also vary on the individual and what the nesting area is like.
Coop requirements:
Now although some people will say ducks don't need that much space, Swedish Blue's like any duck need multiple different things for their coop and run. For example they need a safe and dry place to sleep, a reliable source of food and water that is clean and healthy and plenty of space to both forage and get away from others when they want. Sense they are ducks after all they do need a body of water to at least wade in. Even if it's just a large bucket of water or if it's an XL pool normally used for people it still works wonderfully for all ducks and other waterfowl alike. These are some great examples of what a coop should look like and what a body of water can look like for ducks.
Environment/climate needs and requirements:
Although Swedish Blue's are rather tolerant to all climates, be it cold or hot. They can actually stand cold temperatures of up to -20 degrees as they originate from colder regions like Sweden and Poland where it can get well below freezing. Although it is important to give them a draft free coop in the winter and have it accessible at all times and have plenty of ventilation during the hot Summer so they have a smaller chance of overheating. Having a swimming area can also help with this as well.
Diet and foraging behavior:
The Swedish Blue is a breed that loves to forage and explore all day every day. They will normally eat grass and any & every bug or worm they can find. Bugs are the main source of calcium for ducks and are important for proper egg laying. Because they use calcium to make the shell of their eggs. In order to allow for ducks to eat properly a waterfowl feed will suffice. Waterfowl feed is different from normal poultry feed ad it floats to the top and us normally made with plenty of protein and nutrients along with algae and other plants that they would eat in the wild.
Social needs/behaviors:
In order to keep a flock of Swedish Blue, you do need lots of space and a larger coop. Having a flock does have its pros and cons, like how having a flock makes them more predator alert and can lower the chances of an attack because there is safety in numbers. However in a flock there are usually some cons, such as possible bullying and if there is an improper male to female ratio it can result in females being over mated or males being bullied.
Breeding Swedish Blue ducks:
If you have a flock or you have a pair and are wanting to breed them there is good news and bad news with this. Lucky Swedish Blue are known to go broody and make great parents. Parent's will usually separate with their clutch for the flock for the first day or so, but the parents will introduce their clutch to the main flock when they're feeling ready. However the sad part is that Swedish Blue don't tend to breed true and normally you will get a 50/50 clutch with about half being breed standard and half being a different color or may not look like the breed at all.
Hens will lay throughout spring and summer so you will have plenty of incubating eggs to hatch.
Egg production:
One hen a year can lay up to 150 eggs a year, from spring till summer. Hens normally lay in nests that they will create in their coop. Their eggs are a blueish gray and are rather large compared to chicken eggs. They lay about 4-6 eggs a week and this can depend on the individual, if they're brooding, age, environment or season. Swedish Blue are overall a very
nice egg layer and are a good egg producer
Egg incubation:
When you are thinking about incubating Swedish Blue duck eggs it's rather important to ask these following questions. How long do they incubate, when do they go into lockdown and how long does it normally take for the ducklings to hatch?
Well the answers to these questions are simple. Swedish Blue's take around 28 days to incubate before hatching, they go into lockdown at around day 26 and can take longer to hatch like other types of ducks. It's also important to have higher humidity during incubation and lockdown compared to chickens. The humidity should be around 55% during incubation, but 65%-75% during lockdown.
Ducklings care:
Taking care of ducklings involves several essential steps to ensure their health and growth. Firstly, you need to provide them with a clean and warm environment, ideally with a temperature of around 85°F for the first week, gradually lowering to 75°F as they grow. Proper nutrition is also critical, so you need to feed them with waterfowl starter feed, supplemented by small amounts of fresh vegetables and fruits or algea.
You also need to ensure that they have access to fresh and clean water throughout the day to prevent dehydration. Socialization and exercise are also essential for ducklings; they need space to move around and interact with others. Lastly, you need to monitor their health and care for any injuries or illnesses promptly.
