Call duck color

[Thermo]

Hi,

So I'm interested in getting some call ducks. My family would like pure white call ducks. My understanding is that these ducklings should be pure yellow? However, the breeder only currently has yellow ducks with what appears to be a very faded looking black randomly splashed on the ducklings. In my part of the world, these are not easy to come by so the opportunity to get them at all is pretty nice. Anyway, he says they should turn all white...

I am inclined to believe him as all his ducks are pure white, and the ducks these originate from come from all white bloodlines. I don't really care what color they end up being in the end (they should still be lovable either way), but insights into this would be good for knowing how honest the breeder is. I am not intending on purchasing any of the ducklings until I feel we are ready as these are living animals (and they cost a ton here).

TLDR: in your experience, do call ducklings with light black markings end up being white in your experience?

 

[Pyxis]

Any chance you can post pictures? What you describe might be white with black leakage. The black leakage is considered undesirable for breeding purposes when you are breeding whites. Sometimes the black spots molt out and don't come back, but sometimes they don't go away.

Are these large spots of black? When you say very faded, do you mean the spots are faded and don't really look black?

 

[Thermo]

Hi, Thank you so much for the fast response. These "dark" ducklings haven't really appeared in his previous ducklings, it seems to be the recent batch. He has seen a little bit of black in previous clutches, but all of them ended up white he said.

I visited them the other day to have a peek, and it doesn't look black, it looks like only the tips are black? I don't know if it's apparent in these photos. The black looks a lot more obvious in these photos than in person. These photos were taken when the duckling was supposedly 5-7 days old? I saw them when they were 7-9 days old. The older ones that had this black definitely had less black than this photo. Almost a grey with yellow showing through, like if the duckling was dirty or something.

 

[Pyxis]

Well that's interesting, hmm. It could be leakage. If he only has white ducks to breed from, then all the ducklings produced would have to be white. So I would guess that it's leakage. It may or may not go away.

 

[Thermo]

Very cool. I mean unfortunate, that it's not ideal for breeding, but they will be family pets when we finally are ready to get some. I would sure make IDing them much easier .

Anyway, I need to hawk/falcon proof their enclosure and prepare indoor diapers before purchasing any ducklings. In the country I am currently living in, I don't have to worry about predators other than cats, but my own personal hawks/falcons train near by, so I'm not taking chances. I'll let you know how mine turn out if/when I pick mine up.

 

[Isaac 0]

Adorable Duckling! @Thermo

 

[learycow]

In my experience, the black you see on those ducklings will molt out and they should be solid white. Black spots like that on white ducklings is common but usually means (as mentioned above) that they aren't pure white as it's a recessive gene popping up