Buff Ducks?

[9gerianMile]

Hi all, I have a quad of Muscovy ducks, and I don't know much about the Mallard derived breeds. These two pairs were rescued from a pond in town by my friend who works for Parks and Rec. We figure they were purchased as ducklings and then dumped when they became inconvenient. No matter, they're here now!

They have been low on feed, so they're a little thin, and one of the boys has a more yellow beak than the other- does he need any minerals added to his feed? Or is that normal in some?

I'm going to keep them separate from my scovies, but I do want to know what breed they are? Thanks all!

 

[jdywntr]

They look like the pics I've seen of buffs but I'm not that familiar with the mallard derived breeds either. Nice looking birds. Good for you and your friend for rescuing.

 

[9gerianMile]

Thanks Yeah, it's a lot different than the scovies. I know what they look like and all those colors, splash, barring, etc... but these are new territory. I also don't know the ages, so it's a little more difficult.

 

[Amiga]

Thank you and congratulations!

While there has been some discussion about buff ducks' characteristics, what you have is what I and the rescue group I work with refer to as buffs.

There is some variation in bill color for both drakes and ducks, I would not worry about that, and at the same time, I would get them on a poultry vitamin with electrolytes and probiotics at least once a week, perhaps daily for a few days.

Aw, they are just beautiful.

I love their personality. Similar to my runners, great foragers, well-adjusted all around ducks, hardy, good layers. Here are three of my four.




Below, are the first two we adopted. The darker one passed away due to egg yolk peritonitis. Heartbreaking. But we have the four, now, and it is great.

 

[9gerianMile]

Cool Yeah these poor ducks were trapped at 8 this morning so they're chugging the water and the Flock Raiser crumbles I put in there for him. I'm keeping them in a small area until I can make sure they're going to stick around. We have a creek right across a semi-busy country road, and that's where my scovy drake went when we first got him. Don't want a repeat of that! I'll add some electrolytes to their water right now. What about ACV like I do for the rest of my birds?

I take it these guys can fly? Boys, too? My scovies don't fly much and the drake can't because he's just not built for flying

 

[Amiga]

I don't know much about 'scovies, but ACV is a fine thing for the mallard-derived ducks, and they can do what I call wing-assisted jumping, which can, depending on the duck, get them over a three-foot fence or about ten feet farther along.

I spend quite a bit of time with the flock, so being outdoors was not an issue at first. We only have one small area with 3 ft fence (most is 4 ft). The Day Pen is covered top, bottom and sides. I did not take the coffees (buffs) for a walk with the rest of the flock for a few days. But they caught on quickly, hanging back but near the runners. And Romy, who had been around for nine months, became their hostess.

 

[DallasCriftins]

They look like two Saxony Pairs to me

 

[ChristineR]

They look like two Saxony Pairs to me

The grayish heads do, but they don't look exactly the same.

Saxony pics: http://holderreadfarm.com/photogallery/saxony_page/saxony_page.htm

Buff pics: http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/Ducks/Buffs/BRKBuff.html

 

[Amiga]

Saxonies sure are lovely, aren't they? Wow.

 

[DallasCriftins]

Ah yes well err.........
I didn't know there was a type of duck called 'buff'!
I thought that was just the reference to the colour.