Magpie

I rescued a pair of Magpie ducks this fall. They have wonderful personalities, but aren’t too keen on human handling(except when you help them fly/give food).

Quite prolific layers that are friendly and distinctive in color. My pond and I inherited a pair who promptly presented us w/15 ducklings. I did not know they were a rare breed and gave them away once they could swim keeping the orig. pair. Now I’m kicking myself as I would love another pair. The Magpie is a friendly, easy keeper that is smart and elegant while still remaining hardy. The Magpie is as beautiful as a swan with many more benefits.

I love my Magpie ducks! I started out with 8, and now down to 4 for various reasons. I got mine from www.johnsonswaterfowl.com. They were easy to raise (minus the mess), and matured early. I got my first egg at 21 weeks! They continued laying until winter, and then started back up in around April, and stopped again in July. I haven't gotten an egg since then. I did have the chance to hatch out 4 Magpie ducklings and a Stanbridge white duckling in July. 5 out of 5 eggs! I will continue to breed them, and would like to get more! I am hoping to get some eggs and hatch out some blues from www.chickcharneyfarm.com!!!! A ton of pictures here: ViolinPlayer123's Ducks! Warning: Very Picture HEAVY post!

I really love these ducks, when I was looking for breeds to have in my flock in the Spring, I saw these and decided to get some to breed since they were rare. I currently have one couple, not all of them made it. They are very sweet, though shy, but that may be because I didn't really work on making it so they won't be afraid of me. My boy Magpie just might be my favorite of the flock. I like knowing that I'm helping preserving a rare breed, especially one as charming as the Magpie. I think they are a great choice of duck. My girl is sweet and shy, I've seen her put her head under one of the boy's head as if for protection, she's a very gentle little lady. All in all they are a great duck!

i have had only 1 magpie and i got him when he was a duckling from out local feed store along with 3 other ducklings, he grew up really fast, he LOVED bananas. i named him furby. he did not have perfect coloring but he still got a blue ribbon at the fair. later that year i sold them because at that time i did not have a place for them over the winter. i wish i would have kept him he would run up to me and jump in my lap when i sat down on the grass.

These ducks are the cutest! We have 2, which then hatched another 2, which are now incubating 17 duck eggs, so we have 4 and soon to be 17. They are average egg layers, so about 4 to 6 a week.

When I decided to add more ducks to my flock, I searched long and hard for a unique breed. I also wanted to own birds who were in need of conservation help. I happened to stumble upon the Magpie Ducks. Everything about them seemed perfect. I was looking for a good egg layer, but not a very large bird. So once I decided i wanted to own magpies, I then had to actually find some for sale. That was difficult. It seems there are very few breeders of Magpie ducks out there. The American Livestock Breed Conservancy list Magpie Ducks as critical. Eventually, I tripumped, finding someone who was willing to sell hatching eggs. From those eggs, I hatched two females and one drake, a perfect little starter flock!

Color didn't really matter to me, but these magpies are certainly striking. In my opinion, they are beautiful. I love the sharp contrast between black and white. Their bright yellow beaks are freckled with darker pigment. And each bird has a slightly different pattern, so I can tell them apart.

Next year I plan to add more magpies, and concentrate on them. I only have one other duck, a female pekin, so I don't have to worry about losing purebred magpies through mixed breeding. I can tell the pekin egg apart quite easily!

The half star down is for how difficult it is to acquire them. But if more folks start breeding them, hopefully that fact will change!

they are friendly and good pets