Albino Rouen Drake

[TwinMama2x]

Does anyone else have an albino rouen?

I acquired a small flock of 8 juvenile rouens. They matured and last July naturally hatched ducklings. 2 of the 8 were bright yellow...unlike the rest who looked like normal rouens. One of the yellow ones died. The remaining yellow one was rejected by the mama so we brought it indoors to raise by hand. Eventually he decided he wanted to rejoin the flock and all is well. We now have 8 eggs in the incubator, the girls have a secret nest outside somewhere and I am curious to see how many more albino rouens we will get.

Before you ask:

YES, I am SURE he is a rouen. I only have rouens.

NO, it isn't possible that another domestic duck bred his mama, no one else has domestic ducks in my area.

Pictures:

1) Freddie, just minutes after I found him on the chicken house floor. There is blood on his bill where his mother attacked him and tried to kill him.

2) Freddie's mama and siblings

3) Freddie at the pond

4) Freddie in his Duck Diaper before he went AWOL

5) Freddie's room (Kid wading pool with hardware cloth "fence")

6) Freddie with the family at the pond. He is 100% outdoors now and no longer a house duck (by his choosing!)

 

[Kevin565]

Where did you get the parents from? The parents may have mixed genes from generations back. If he was albino his eyes wouldn't be that shade

 

[nurse_turtle]

Nope, not an albino. True albino creatures lack pigment in skin, eye, and hair. Maybe you had a 'visitor' to your flock. A beautiful duck, just not a Rouen. The dark duckling shown with the hen is also not Rouen. Variety is the spice of life. A true Albino duck has blue eyes.

I guess I should have read more on Albinism in waterfowl. While reading about albino Mallards. Apparently they should have a light blue eye color. And I agree that if you had 2 in one hatch, there's probably a recessive in the parents. I learned something today!

 

[cskotek]

Where in the world did u get a duck diaper o.o and cute duck

 

[TwinMama2x]

His parents hatched together the previous year.

Not all albinos have red eyes. That is a myth. While some do, many have slate gray or blue eyes. There are different types of Albinism.

I've read albinism is common in birds. I'm pretty sure we have a recessive gene thing going on since there were two of them in this hatch. We'll see if we get any more with the hatch due in a week!

 

[TwinMama2x]

Duck diaper came from Christine Glenn who sews and sells Waddle Wrappers. You can find her here on Facebook:

 

[TwinMama2x]

Nope, not an albino. True albino creatures lack pigment in skin, eye, and hair. Maybe you had a 'visitor' to your flock. A beautiful duck, just not a Rouen. The dark duckling shown with the hen is also not Rouen. Variety is the spice of life.

The dark duckling turned in to one of my drakes. It is a rouen. There are different kinds of albinism. Many have slate gray or blue eyes, including people with the condition.

 

[Kevin565]

Are his eyes green? IMO he has way too much pigment in his eyes and his feet to be albino. However, you are right that there are different classes of albinoism. Maybe aquaeyes can tune it to clarify

 

[TwinMama2x]

Are his eyes green? IMO he has way too much pigment in his eyes and his feet to be albino. However, you are right that there are different classes of albinoism. Maybe aquaeyes can tune it to clarify

His eyes are blue.

 

[cskotek]

OMG thank you, a diaper would be amazing!! And i know theirs a form of albinoism where its known a a pibald, still has some color like the eye but otherwise white