Breeding blue Runners......

[WestKnollAmy]

So far I have not found a lot of info on breeding the blue color of ducks. If anyone has a link or a good book please point me in that direction.

I have some blue Runners from Metzer that just are fabulous (the ones from Ideal are just good duck pets but definitly not good Runners!) and get so many people wanting babies or to buy what I have. I thought perhaps I would let my chickens hatch a few next year or put a few eggs in the bator.

I know that I could get black, blue or silver from breeding but I have a question about what color drake I should get. I love the blacks, as well so if I breed a black Runner drake to my blue girls would I still get blue, black or silver? Or should I just breed a blue to a blue to get blue, black or silver?
I do not plan to hatch many and I think I will fall totally in love with the silvers and blacks as well as the blues but I would like an answer to the question.

All I have are girls right now and need to plan what to order or find a nice drake for breeding. Any help would be great. I have a nice farm for them to stay and play and really adore my 24 ducks now though I have several different breeds and plan to expand. Love eating those eggs!

Thanks!

 

[CityChicker]

First things first, the only way to get Silver is from two birds that carry Blue, so that would have to be a Blue to a Blue (25% offspring Silver), a Blue to a Silver (50% offspring Silver), or Silver to Silver (100% offspring Silver). Both parents have to carry Blue to get the color. Blues have one dose of Blue (heterozygous). Silvers have two doses of Blue (homozygous).

If you want to hatch out all three colors (Black, Blue, and Silver), you should probably stick with Blue x Blue. In that case, you will get 25% Black, 50% Blue, and 25% Silver. The Blue is incompletely dominant, so it acts the same as the Blue in chickens. Other common breedings would be Black to Blue (50% Blue offspring and 50% Black offspring) or Black to Silver which is what Metzer's do (100% of offspring Blue).

HTH.

 

[gofasterstripe]

If you do hatch out some silvers I would buy from you. I got my blue runner drake from Iamacuriositycat, he is Holderreads stock and is lovely, but not a blue blue, hes more of a black blue. Give Iamacuriositycat a shout, I know she has some runner drakes she is wanting to sell. She lives not far from the flight path of Charlotte, very easy to find, and shes very nice to deal with too.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Thanks for the info!

I do want to hatch out different colors so I will get a nice blue drake to cross with my gorgeous blue Runner girls.

CityChicker,
that makes perfect sense and I am appreciate the info!
I have read a lot about chicken colors but not about ducks and wanted to make sure there wasn't anything different that I needed to learn before I bred.

gofasterstripe,
I can't say that I will remember that you want any when I do hatch. I will be hatching very few considering I am mostly a chicken person and do not care for raising ducklies. I love my ducks but they are very messy compared to my chicks. I sell out of chicks very quickly and assume when visitors come to the farm to buy chicks they will want a few ducklies as well. Mostly I want to hatch for myself. However, the comments I get about my blue Runners has encouraged me to try and now I would love to add some blacks and silvers to my flock. Ducks are so much better at combing the farm for goodies than my chickens. Only recently have they started eating more grain. Gotta love them, their antics and those yummy eggs!

 

[FenDruadin]

Citychicker is correct about the genetics. I like to have blue drakes for that reason. I also have blue hens and black hens and one silver hen, so I should get a nice mix of colors. I will be hatching in the Spring, but only on a pre-paid basis because, like you, I don't love raising ducklings and last year I ended up with several fairly large batches that didn't sell because people backed out at the last minute after placing reservations (grrr).

Sorry I can't help you with a blue drake. I am still getting eggs and as soon as my remaining extra drakes are gone, I will have some breeding groups that should produce some pretty nice little blue ducklings. SO, if you wanted to custom order some straight-run ducklings this winter, I may very well be able to do that. Of course, it will mean raising some ducklings in the winter, which is a pain, but if it's something you're interested in, PM me again and we'll go from there.

 

[tia]

I got my blue runner drake from Holderreads. He is show quality and I think he is pretty special. I got him and a buff runner female as one year old adults. I have metzer ducks plus the one buff one from holderreads and all of the duckings we incubated this year were very upright even though the ones from Metzer are more hatchery quality. Here are some of the ducklings. Note I had black, buff, and fawn and white females.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Very pretty!
I do not have a pond but mine enjoy their dips in the various pools I have around the farm.

I will order next spring since I can not stand to raise duckies inside the brooder room for very long. Two weeks and they need to be in an outside coop so warmer weather is a must.

I can raise several hundred chicks at a time in my brooder room but even 10 ducklings is a nasty experience. And to think I used to raise them in my home! Oh, to be that young again!

 

[Becky89*]

Tia your birds are adorable!

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Okay, I could not stand it!
I saw an ad in the local ag paper for black Runner drakes and had to go look. The lady told me she got them from Stromberg's last spring and I was excited as I thought they had nice stock.

OMG! They were totally wonderful!

I bought one and am tickled pink with him! He is super upright, more than my girls even! And what a smooth gait he has, so much nicer than my ladies. My blue girls were instantly smitten at seeing him and he is ever so anxious to get with them.
I know I won't get any silvers but just blues and blacks is fine for now and I will get a baby blue drake next spring. I don;t plan to try and hatch any until next spring but at least he will be ready.

 

[tia]

Nadine - That is pretty exciting - I'm glad you were able to find one.

Becky89* - Those ducks came from my ducks, but I gave them away as I live in town and could not have any more. They have a nice home with a pond and a family that loves them. I wish I had a pond and lived in the country. : )