Aussie Spots = Seasonal layers?

[Dances with Ducks]

Hi Sianara
Do you have any pic of your Aussie Spots? I love seeing them. Don't they come in different flavors, like blue heads and green heads? I'm guessing the only reason they won't lay until spring is because they reached maturity when the days were too dark. Are you planning to sell fertile eggs?
What breed are your big ducks. I love to hear about ducks that can lay eggs like that.

 

[sianara]

Yes, I've got quite a few. I've just got to figure out how to get the photo into the message now. Hold on......

 

[sianara]

The second pic is the day they arrived. They are in their run. They are blueheads (even though his head looks black to me)

. I got this color because their babies will come out as blueheads, greenheads AND silverheads.

 

[sianara]

I took some outdoors pictures yesterday. Will upload in a few as soon as I get them off the camera...

 

[sianara]

Preening (obviously)



Isn't he gorgeous? I just love those mahogany colored feathers.



They found the only remaining greenery in their yard and soon gobbled it up. The frizzle cochin bantam (Fancy Francine - for obvious reasons

) really wanted to share it with them but they weren't falling for her line.

 

[sianara]

Quote:
1) That's probably true. BUT they hatched in mid April and by mid August days were still pretty long... Anyway, Wanita at Holderread's said they did not put lights in their duck housing to jumpstart their laying and I'm not planning to either.

2) I hadn't really thought about selling fertile eggs... It might be a possibility in the spring. Would you be interested?

3) The big ducks are the Golden 300 hybrid from Metzer Farms in Gonzales, CA. They are a hybrid between khaki campbells and probably mallards.

 

[sianara]

I'm thinking of building them a "pond" like this one in the spring...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=260205

 

[Dances with Ducks]

Thanks Sianara
They are so pretty. I like their shape and their colors. I hear they are more friendly than a lot of ducks, and it's also nice they are quieter.
If they were born in April they do seem like they should have been old enough to lay then. But as long as they seem healthy I'm sure you will get eggs in the spring.
I would be interested in the eggs if I had more room, I like to think about it even tho it's not practical for me. I would have to just hatch them and sell them before I got to watch them grow up. Not as much fun. But I bet some people would want them. Australian Spotteds are a bit hard to find, I'm sure I remember people looking for the eggs on here before.
I guess those Hybrids are as good or better than Campbells or Harlequins if you want eggs.

 

[sianara]

They hybrids have loads of personality too. As I mentioned in another post, they were incredible egg laying machines for a good 4 years and then they started to dwindle. This year I got hardly any but at this point, they are living their retirement for whatever time they have left. They are pretty interested in the Aussie's though.

 

[Dances with Ducks]

Do you have any photos of the hybrids? I never see much about them.