Blue Swede compared to Rouen

[Makenzie]

This is a pic of my two clowns who are a bit over 2 months old. I've read about the breeds but I'm beginning to wonder if I should be concerned at the size difference. Squeak has a totally different approach to food then Pip. Pip eats any and everything in her path, and will also attempt to take food out of Squeak's mouth. Squeak prefers to inspect everything first, pick it up, spit it back out, move it around, then maybe or maybe not eat it. They eat some of their crumbles first thing in the morning then don't really touch them again until evening. They remind me of kids who know bedtime is coming because about a 1/2 hour before dark they stop foraging and begin shoveling in the crumbles.

I just don't know if they are the correct size for their age. Should Squeak (the rouen) be able to fly? I don't know who was more surprised when he flew across the yard, him me Pip or the dog!


Here they are two days away from 4 weeks old:




Here they are today at 9 weeks:

 

[Kevin565]

At 9 weeks I would say he's a mallard or Mallard Rouen Mix. Rouens are fairly large birds and should not have that much of a difference compared to a Blue Swedish.

 

[PetesMom]

At 9 weeks I would say he's a mallard or Mallard Rouen Mix. Rouens are fairly large birds and should not have that much of a difference compared to a Blue Swedish.

I was going to say the same thing!

 

[Makenzie]

Should I be concerned at the size difference? They get their niacin daily, their crumbles/pellets are available for their dining pleasure from morning till night, chopped up greens (usually kale, beans or leaf lettuce) are served in water 2 or 3 times a day, and they are out on the lawn with me from like 5pm until 8:30pm. Peas and grapes are kept as treats/rewards/bribery.

 

[mandelyn]

No concern about size, if it was a Rouen it would be bigger than the Swedish. Being a Mallard, dramatically smaller than the Swedish. A lot of people confuse Mallards and Rouens because of the coloring. Everything from "Why won't my mallard fly" to "Why is my Rouen so small". Mallards can fly, Rouens.. they might try. Mallards are a small, light duck.

 

[Nikki99]

I'm a new duck owner too. I have 3 right now but I have no idea what kind they are. 2 of them look like your big grey one, is that the Rouen? My 3rd one, a male, is mostly black with a little bit of yellow on his chest. He's starting to get some gorgeous colors goin on too.

 

[70%cocoa]

The big grey one is a Blue Swedish - and a very nice one too.

 

[Nikki99]

The big grey one is a Blue Swedish - and a very nice one too.

Ok thanks. Are there other duck breeds that look like that one, or is it most likely that if mine looks like yours, mine is a Blue Swedish as well?

 

[DuckLover3]

No concern about size, if it was a Rouen it would be bigger than the Swedish. Being a Mallard, dramatically smaller than the Swedish. A lot of people confuse Mallards and Rouens because of the coloring. Everything from "Why won't my mallard fly" to "Why is my Rouen so small". Mallards can fly, Rouens.. they might try. Mallards are a small, light duck.

Squeak must be a mix then, because she has 2 eye stripes (Rouens always have 2, while mallards only have 1.)

 

[70%cocoa]

Ok thanks. Are there other duck breeds that look like that one, or is it most likely that if mine looks like yours, mine is a Blue Swedish as well?

The Blue Swedish in that photo isn't mine, but I do breed them.

There is another breed that looks a bit like a Swedish - the Pommern. It has a bib, but no white flight feathers and no lacing on the feather edges. It's also longer in the body and less rounded in the head. And extremely rare. There are a couple of other, obscure and very rare blue breeds - e.g Blue Forest Duck. If your duck looks like that grey one, then it's most likely to be a Blue Swedish.