Are your ducks breeds as their standard suggests?

[WickedChicksNH]

Sorry if that was confusing question..
I'll explain. I have a runner, a rouen, and two black Swedish
The runner breed is label as Skiddish. however, Gabby my Black runner is the least skiddish of all my ducks and she is quite sweet. She is usually the first to check things out, and though you will often find her among the others she is often found just wanting to be off on her own.

none of my ducks prefer to be picked up, but if I pick her up she is the most relaxed will lean her bill on my face doesn't fight to get down. she also likes to put her eye right up to mine lol

Zeke my Drake Rouen. Not very skiddish will come over to me if I am out there hanging out and nibble on this and that on me to check things out. If i pick him up he doesn't fight me, he sometimes puts his head way down like I am killing him with love.. sheesh.

Pippa my Black Swedish, who according to the breed is very friendly etc. She is a cautious duck. will sometimes take food out of my hand, sometimes not, will come up and check out things sometimes.
if I hold her she'll wiggle around

and then there is Louie my Black Swedish Drake. He is a very nervous duck. When all the other ducks would come and see me he would hang back looking like he wanted to come over but not quite brave enough he didn't even like walking by me when there was plenty of room. He got a little better ,he does greet me with happy quacks but he still is not very affectionate.
When I pick him up he wiggles a lot and will pinch me with his bill

i don't pick them up often, but I want them to get used to human hands touching them if they need to be picked up for an emergency or something

they are 8 and 9 months old now I raised them all the same and in the house with me for the first month.

Are your ducks how their breed said they "should" be?

thanks

 

[Conan]

Good topic! My group is a little bit of both. My birds are hatchery quality and definitely not show birds.

Cayugas. Labeled as quiet and calmer than many breeds. Mine are insanely loud and also pretty darn skittish. No way is one of them eating out of my hand.
Indian Runner. Labeled as excellent layers, skittish and not so loud. My hen is a terrible layer. She hasn't laid in years. She is skittish and VERY loud.
Welsh Harlequins. I have a pair. They are as advertised. Calm, much quieter and friendlier than my other breeds.
Rouen. Labeled as large, heavy birds that aren't the best layers. Calm and fairly quiet. My girl is as advertised though she is an excellent layer.
Magpie. Labeled as fairly skittish and average noise makers, as well as excellent layers. Mine is a very sweet, docile, and very quiet duck. She is an excellent layer and is one of my favorites.
Grey call ducks. AWESOME. Perfect, beautiful, super friendly ducks. Love em.

That's my crew. I'll be interested to see what other folks have to say!

 

[WickedChicksNH]

Good topic! My group is a little bit of both. My birds are hatchery quality and definitely not show birds.

Cayugas. Labeled as quiet and calmer than many breeds. Mine are insanely loud and also pretty darn skittish. No way is one of them eating out of my hand.
Indian Runner. Labeled as excellent layers, skittish and not so loud. My hen is a terrible layer. She hasn't laid in years. She is skittish and VERY loud.
Welsh Harlequins. I have a pair. They are as advertised. Calm, much quieter and friendlier than my other breeds.
Rouen. Labeled as large, heavy birds that aren't the best layers. Calm and fairly quiet. My girl is as advertised though she is an excellent layer.
Magpie. Labeled as fairly skittish and average noise makers, as well as excellent layers. Mine is a very sweet, docile, and very quiet duck. She is an excellent layer and is one of my favorites.
Grey call ducks. AWESOME. Perfect, beautiful, super friendly ducks. Love em.

That's my crew. I'll be interested to see what other folks have to say!

Isn't that funny, Gabby my runner is loud, she loves to inform everyone she is happy, my neighbors laugh at hearing my ducks, they say they sound like they are laughing.
i have to say Gabby is my fav.

My two Swedish were supposed to be Cayuga but ended up being Swedish, I ordered the Cayuga because it said they are friendly and sociable

You have quite the duck gang going on

 

[Conan]

Isn't that funny, Gabby my runner is loud, she loves to inform everyone she is happy, my neighbors laugh at hearing my ducks, they say they sound like they are laughing.
i have to say Gabby is my fav.

My two Swedish were supposed to be Cayuga but ended up being Swedish, I ordered the Cayuga because it said they are friendly and sociable

You have quite the duck gang going on

They really are so very different. Interesting that your runner is the most friendly. I've never met a friendly runner - consider yourself lucky!
I can hear my Cayugas muttering as we speak from all the way in the kitchen with the doors closed. They are all the way down in the field at the creek. LOUD, LOUD birds. They really are amazing layers, though so I can't complain!

 

[Miss Lydia]

My Runners are skiddish and their two adopted Buffs that think they are Runners are the same way 1 Buff 1 Runner will eat out of my hand . I love them to pieces they sure make for a happy fun day. My Muscovy are very laid back eat out of my hand. My drake will let me pick him up and cuddle him any time I want .

 

[DuckyDonna]

My 6 runner girls are all very different. I've got 3 old girls who are the mothers of my 3 young girls. The old ones are all skittish because they never were handled much or imprinted on anyone. I only raised one of the young ones, Spot, and she's always at the gate when she sees me coming. We always snuggle before bedtime. Dilly is a young one too and I think is close to letting me handle her but Lily, the other young one, is always watching and on guard so I don't see that ever happening. Even with a big basin of "treats" she is alert and watching instead of eating with the rest.

 

[Loopeend]

I didn't know there was so much difference in breeds in character.
Just that Indian runners are good layers. And that they are.
None are skittish, all silent, but one is loud for 10. They all have a very different personality. Some are clearly smarter then others. Some are dreamers, always lose the group because they were too busy with their own thing, and then panic. Some are more nest-makers and nest-steady, others lay their eggs where-ever they might be walking, some are a bit more skittish; but I wouldn't call it that, because when snacks are involved they are the ones less skitish hahaha.

I never had other ducks then Indian runner ducks. I was allways wondering if mandarin ducks are such big food-fiends. I remember from my youth when feeding ducks, the normal mallards would act the same as my Indian runner ducks, come running like crazy, eat like crazy, but mandarin ducks would not. They would just stay put and be pretty. Sometimes calmly walk over, take a nibble, and that's it. Just like the swans that were also in the petting zoo.

 

[DuckyDonna]

I didn't know there was so much difference in breeds in character.
Just that Indian runners are good layers. And that they are.
None are skittish, all silent, but one is loud for 10. They all have a very different personality. Some are clearly smarter then others. Some are dreamers, always lose the group because they were too busy with their own thing, and then panic. Some are more nest-makers and nest-steady, others lay their eggs where-ever they might be walking, some are a bit more skittish; but I wouldn't call it that, because when snacks are involved they are the ones less skitish hahaha.

I never had other ducks then Indian runner ducks. I was allways wondering if mandarin ducks are such big food-fiends. I remember from my youth when feeding ducks, the normal mallards would act the same as my Indian runner ducks, come running like crazy, eat like crazy, but mandarin ducks would not. They would just stay put and be pretty. Sometimes calmly walk over, take a nibble, and that's it. Just like the swans that were also in the petting zoo.

Hey, look in your "inbox" I sent you a message!

 

[WickedChicksNH]

Hey, look in your "inbox" I sent you a message!

i know this wasn't for me but I still liked your post because you are part of the conversation

 

[WickedChicksNH]

This is all really interesting.
I was actually quite surprised that Gabby my runner ended up being the friendly sweetie she is.
They all here me come out my door , which they cannot see from their coop and she just starts them all quacking away.. they run up to the fence. the hear my car coming too if i was gone and do the same thing.

Funny thing I find about my ducks and they like to go up to my chickens and just plow into the back of them with their chest.

In the warm weather I sit outside with them, and my bantam chicks loved to sit on my. well one of the ducks will come all the way across the pen and just push whoever is sitting on me off then go about their merry way..
pffft lol