Black spots on Fawn and White Indian Runner drakelet's bill

[Miss Lydia]

I would think something is going on it the bill was soft in that area.

 

[Apolinne]

Hi, I know literally nothing about ducks but I have two runners with black markings on their beaks and they are spoiled rotten and were fed the best possible food, treats and vitamins since day one.
Here is my boy Vigo on his first day, at 2 weeks, at 5 weeks with his best friend Lady and now. He started with a dark black spot on his beak, then he gained some paler freckles on top of it. As he grew bigger the spot changed and divided into two and he kept getting more freckles. Since he was around 5 weeks old the spot started to fade away and now he's left with just the dark black bean at the tip of his beak. So I would say it's just some colour magic happening.
Also your drake is beautiful.

 

[Papaye]

Hi.

Maybe not but if they aren’t causing any problems I wouldn’t worry he is a very handsome boy.

Sorry for not replying earlier (even though I actually read your post) : I don't have a lot of time to go online.

Still, of course : thank you for (always) replying! I am really grateful.

Patch looks healthy... He even has gained weight since I got him, so I worry less and less by the days!
...His bill still has these black spots, but at least no more than the first day he was brought to my home.

Hi, I know literally nothing about ducks but I have two runners with black markings on their beaks and they are spoiled rotten and were fed the best possible food, treats and vitamins since day one.

Yeah... I know ducks have these spots sometimes not because they are fed inadequatly, but just because they are meant to have them (because of genetic).

I can be mistaken, but I think the ducks that have colours on the bill without suffering from any issue that could cause them are generally Pied coloured ducks?
(But I really, really don't know if I'm right here : I read too little information about it to know for sure...)

...I have several 3-months-old to 3-and-a-half months old Indian Runner ducks that have developed BLUE spots - some really big - on their bill during these last weeks... because of the sun we had in August!

Here is my boy Vigo on his first day, at 2 weeks, at 5 weeks with his best friend Lady and now. He started with a dark black spot on his beak, then he gained some paler freckles on top of it. As he grew bigger the spot changed and divided into two and he kept getting more freckles. Since he was around 5 weeks old the spot started to fade away and now he's left with just the dark black bean at the tip of his beak. So I would say it's just some colour magic happening.

Ah, ah!
Vigo is Magic alright!

Also your drake is beautiful.

Thank you.

Yours is CUTE!
I actually like his bill, you know?
(Besides : he is mostly Black, and yet, he has yellow on his bill...?!!
Just... WOW...!!)
...I would have liked to see him IRL, at least just to see his bill and take pictures of him!

 

[Apolinne]

Is it rare for dark ducks to have yellow on their bills? I have just the 8 and they could be blue with orange stripes for all I care. I would still think they are most beautiful ducks ever.
I tried to figure it out with the colour variants but I gave up after I learned about phase being a thing. The colours and names of colours on ducks confuse me. Someone should make like an international duck colour naming guide

 

[Papaye]

Hi.

Is it rare for dark ducks to have yellow on their bills?

Yes. It is.

Imagine a... I don't know... a totally Black coloured Indian Runner duck, with an entirely yellow bill?
(I would pay to see this duck! Ah, ah!)

I have just the 8 and they could be blue with orange stripes for all I care. I would still think they are most beautiful ducks ever.

Of course. They are yours, after all... your babies, right?

I tried to figure it out with the colour variants but I gave up after I learned about phase being a thing. The colours and names of colours on ducks confuse me. Someone should make like an international duck colour naming guide

There are a good article here :
• https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/mallard-derived-duck-color-genetics-basics.74277/

And an interesting thread here :
• https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/understanding-basic-colour-genetics-mallards-derivitives.410593/

Also, where I have learned about the Dusky pattern and its colours variations :
• https://www.duskyfeatherswaterfowl.com/dusky-pattern
(And they have written other articles about different colours - look at "Color Genetics" if ever you are interested! Besides, there are great PICTURES!!)

...I have been able to learn a lot about the colours and patterns of ducks! (I am so grateful to the people who take the time to teach us...!!)
But it seems depending on the language/country, some (duck) colours are called differently...? Or maybe it is just due to some confusion on people's part?

 

[Apolinne]

...I have been able to learn a lot about the colours and patterns of ducks! (I am so grateful to the people who take the time to teach us...!!)

Me too, I got a lot of help and good advice here, from articles and from lovely people like miss Lydia.

Thank you for the articles, I'll be sure to read them when I get a second.

But it seems depending on the language/country, some (duck) colours are called differently...? Or maybe it is just due to some confusion on people's part?

That is exactly the thing, different countries call different colours the same name I think. Or recognise different colours as standard and not others. Like fawn runner. I've seen fawn runners in articles and the picture is always different. Or trout and silver, is it the same ? Is it different ? I don't know. Some charts say there is a chocolate runner, and no black, some say black and chocolate are different things. I'm just lost.

 

[Papaye]

Hi.

Just to give an update on Patch...

...The black spots have almost completely disappeared from his bill...!

Thus meaning : these spots were not birthbarks nor freckles, but were actually due to his former diet.

Indeed : what Patch was fed by his first owner probably affected his organ(s) - liver...? ...kidney? -... what caused then these black spots to appear on his bill.

...But now he has been fed adequatly long enough, boy is fine; and his appearance shows he is healthy...!

Patch still has some light traces of the spots - very faded blue at the center of his bill -, but they are disappearing... and so : soon, his bill will be entirely yellow.

...Voilà for the update!

Patch is healthy (now), so we don't need to worry about him (anymore) : he is doing fine.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Hi.

Just to give an update on Patch...

...The black spots have almost completely disappeared from his bill...!

View attachment 3983773

Thus meaning : these spots were not birthbarks nor freckles, but were actually due to his former diet.

Indeed : what Patch was fed by his first owner probably affected his organ(s) - liver...? ...kidney? -... what caused then these black spots to appear on his bill.

...But now he has been fed adequatly long enough, boy is fine; and his appearance shows he is healthy...!

View attachment 3983775

Patch still has some light traces of the spots - very faded blue at the center of his bill -, but they are disappearing... and so : soon, his bill will be entirely yellow.

...Voilà for the update!

Patch is healthy (now), so we don't need to worry about him (anymore) : he is doing fine.

View attachment 3983776

They very well could have still been freckles…true freckles come and go. They are caused by increased melanin which is always changing below the surface depending on sun exposure. True freckles are NOT permanent and can be reversed. That is why vitamin C serums are very popular with women. The vitamin c reduces the amount of surface melanin pigment and the antioxidants protect from future sun exposure hence fading freckles while preventing new ones. High doses of vitamin c and other antioxidants also have sun protecting effects when taken internally. So a change of diet very well may have helped decreasing the spots if there was an increase of antioxidants in his diet.

 

[Papaye]

They very well could have still been freckles…true freckles come and go. They are caused by increased melanin which is always changing below the surface depending on sun exposure. True freckles are NOT permanent and can be reversed. That is why vitamin C serums are very popular with women. The vitamin c reduces the amount of surface melanin pigment and the antioxidants protect from future sun exposure hence fading freckles while preventing new ones. High doses of vitamin c and other antioxidants also have sun protecting effects when taken internally. So a change of diet very well may have helped decreasing the spots if there was an increase of antioxidants in his diet.

Thank you for your post!!

Only reasons I would insist these spots were not freckles is because :
1 • freckles always have been blue or green coloured on my ducks... NEVER black, even for the darker ones;
2 • sun is still much too present here, so my ducks and me actually have more and more freckles.

Patch is my only duck that has got spots disappearing from his bill, so...