BIG SURPRISE : Bali ducklings born from NON-crested Indian Runner parents

[Papaye]

I clip my chickens crests so they can see properly. Do it where the other chickens/ducks can see you doing it.

Hi.

I can do that... but will the one who will adopt my crested ducks want to clip their crests if needed...?

Hard to trust people : a lot of them ask me female Runners - but 1 female for 1 drake only...
These people, sadly, clearly don't know how to take care of them... and of course, I can not watch them to ensure my ducks are safe with them once they retrieve them.

(God... even though they are cute, I would have prefered not having crested ducklings... Because just finding them responsible owners who won't get them dead because of negligence will be complicated...!)

 

[Rock17]

Hi.

I can do that... but will the one who will adopt my crested ducks want to clip their crests if needed...?

Hard to trust people : a lot of them ask me female Runners - but 1 female for 1 drake only...
These people, sadly, clearly don't know how to take care of them... and of course, I can not watch them to ensure my ducks are safe with them once they retrieve them.

(God... even though they are cute, I would have prefered not having crested ducklings... Because just finding them responsible owners who won't get them dead because of negligence will be complicated...!)

If you can keep them, I recommend that. They will probably be fine. Crested ducks can survive nearly as well as runners.

 

[chickengr]

Hi.

I can do that... but will the one who will adopt my crested ducks want to clip their crests if needed...?

Hard to trust people : a lot of them ask me female Runners - but 1 female for 1 drake only...
These people, sadly, clearly don't know how to take care of them... and of course, I can not watch them to ensure my ducks are safe with them once they retrieve them.

(God... even though they are cute, I would have prefered not having crested ducklings... Because just finding them responsible owners who won't get them dead because of negligence will be complicated...!)

duck crests usually don't cover the eyes. mine have crests on the top/back of the head. I sometimes trim crests to my silkies if their eyes are covered by feathers.

 

[Papaye]

If you can keep them, I recommend that. They will probably be fine. Crested ducks can survive nearly as well as runners.

If I don't have any other choice, I will keep them : I would still prefer that instead of giving them away to irresponsible people.

At least, if I keep them, I may make the kids who walk in front of my house happy!
(I know I would have loved to see crested ducks when I was a kid! They look so awesome...!)

duck crests usually don't cover the eyes. mine have crests on the top/back of the head.

But I think I will need to, for the black bibbed crested one : he has THREE crests, and they look like they will get big...
(I will think to post pictures when he gets bigger!)

I sometimes trim crests to my silkies if their eyes are covered by feathers.

That's why I took an Appenzeller Spitzhauben hen, and not the bigger crested ones : I wanted a crested hen that won't need to have her crest trimed.

 

[Papaye]

Hi.

I took some pictures today...

Here is a picture with my first two crested Indian Runner ducklings :

They are around two-weeks-old now...

The small-crested duckling still has a very small crest, but it is more apparent now.
...And the big-crested one seem to actually have a medium sized crest, but it is well-centered and kind of pretty, and very noticeable...

I am curious what they will look like when they are adult ducks.

...Here... is a picture of my (very small-)crested Trout Runner duckling :

He is one-week-old now...

The only reason I like his crest is because of the fact it will be light colored, and so noticeable even if it is small.
(Looks like hair, you know...?)

Here is a picture of my big, three-crested bibbed black Runner duckling :

Hard to take a good picture...

He is also one-week-old, and his crests look - in fact - really weird : they look like a wig.

...And for the last picture... here is my double-crested, one-week-old Light Dusky duckling :

I can see the two crest when I see him, but I just can take any good picture...

...Voilà!

 

[Papaye]

Hi.

News about my Bali ducklings : the Light Dusky one with the small crest is a male, and the Light Dusky one with the medium/big crest is a female.

The crested Light Dusky female is a bit smaller than her brothers and sisters, so I (leg) banded on JUNE 16th, even though I banded the others earlier : on JUNE 11th...
Nevertheless, I don't think her crest is impairing her growth or whatever...!!

...Here they both are, now at 5-weeks-old :

On our LEFT, at the center of the picture : the male, small-crested Light Dusky Indian Runner duckling.

On our RIGHT, at the center of the picture : the female, medium/big-crested Light Dusky Indian Runner duckling.

...Now, for the younger, almost 4 weeks-old Bali ducklings...

(I still did not sex them. I can hear females quacking, but with 17 young ducklings - among others -, that's hard to hear which is quacking and which is not.)

Here is the small-crested Trout duckling :

...Here is the big-crested Bibbed Black duckling :

And here is the double-crested Light Dusky duckling (just at the center of the picture) :

...I will try taking better pictures next time, but it is hard when these perfect little ducklings move so much...!!

 

[chickengr]

you are lucky! I haven't hatched any crested duckling so far. I'll need to separate crested ones and hatch their eggs.

 

[Papaye]

Hi.

you are lucky! I haven't hatched any crested duckling so far. I'll need to separate crested ones and hatch their eggs.

Don't know if I am (lucky) : these Bali ducklings are accidents, and I am not even interested in keeping them...
(But I probably will end up keeping one or two - I still don't know...)

I know of somebody who breed crested drakes with NON-crested hens, and seems to get a lot of crested babies from them...!

 

[chickengr]

Hi.



Don't know if I am (lucky) : these Bali ducklings are accidents, and I am not even interested in keeping them...
(But I probably will end up keeping one or two - I still don't know...)

I know of somebody who breed crested drakes with NON-crested hens, and seems to get a lot of crested babies from them...!

if I was near you I would take all of your "accidents"! nice colours as well.

 

[Luv Ducks]

if I was near you I would take all of your "accidents"! nice colours as well.

It's funny, some people love the crested and some are afraid of them due to some neurological problems they might have. Also if the female has a large crest she can get injured while being mated since there is no skull under the crest is what I have read. A few days ago I was at a guys house that had tons of ducks, chickens, turkeys and gunias, looking for a three week old duckling to go with my single one that needed a friend. He had several crested ones and said he would not part with any of them. I told him that was fine because I was not looking for a crested one anyhow. I was surprised he wanted to keep all of his. One had a huge one that hung over the side of its head but it was so cute looking that way.