Can ducks and geese crossbreed???

[Goat_Walker]

If it does hatch then thing about it - we could be - SUPPA STARS! lol

 

[OccamsTazer]

I'm pretty sure it can happen in some cases. The ponds at the Birmingham zoo have a critter they call the Muddy Guck. He's the result of their Ruddy-headed goose and their Mud hen mating. He's hilarious and ugly as sin.
On the other hand, a mud duck is really a type of Coot, so the genetics involved might be different.

 

[Gypsy07]

I think it would be possible. But I also think it's much more likely that you have a secret gander doing the business when you're not watching.

 

[Bossroo]

In your photo of the 3 geese, the one in the back has a slimmer neck compared to the 2 in front... a sure sign of a gander.

 

[prov31gal]

i was going to say the same thing........stranger things have happened, and if guineas ans chickens , and whales and dolphins and peafowl and turkeys can do it................maybe somewhere in some weird genetic throwback kind of thing.....maybe it could happen.............maybe.

 

[Shell-in-NE]

I know this is an old thread, but came across the question of this topic while searching, because I have the same question.
We have a grey Saddle Back which appears to be a female because she totally allows our male Magpie to mount her and do his thing. Unlike our female ducks that play hard to get. lol
Our goose and ducks aren't old enough to lay eggs yet, so it's was still a mystery to me if it could happen, until a little bit ago. lol

The website I first looked at prior to coming here to BYC, there were pictures of hybred wild goose and duck crosses, along with other wild duck crosses. They say that when most people see them, they are thought to be a totally different species of bird because the traits are so mixed from the parents.

Since seeing our goose and duck mate, I figured it could be possible for offspring, much like a horse and donkey = mule, lion and tiger = liger, donkey and zebra = zedonks. Each combination is a mix of different species, but still close enough to be able to produce babies.
I would think if there wasn't any sort of genetic connection, there wouldn't be interested.

 

[Ancinda]

Well friends I thought a duck could not impregnate a goose. I have a runner duck who grew up with my pomeranian goose. They were babies together grew up together and best friends. I tried to get some girl ducks for him but they never survived. The runner duck, Daffy, thinks he's a goose. I went to Holderreads and bought him a beautiful mate and at the same time bought an incredible stunning male for my goose. Mr. Holderreid is a truly amazing man and he and his wife are really quite exceptional people. I live in the mountains and unfortunately as spring approached a Fisher got the male goose and a couple months later I came home to find something had killed the female duck. Daffy and Maxine were heart broken and genuinely consoled each other for a very long time. Then Max started laying eggs and became EXCESSIVELY broody! Needless to say she gave birth to 8 stunning babies, the offspring of her and the goose from Mr. Holderread. She and Daffy raised those babies together but she would NEVER let him mount her or any of the females after they grew up. A little more than a year ago Maxine was killed and taken off by some predator and over the period of a few weeks I lost all but one male and four females. Over the last few months I saw that Daffy had been mounting two of the female geese. One successfully laid, sat and hatched 4 very beautiful babies. And I swear to you one is Daffy's! The geese are purebred North American Grey Saddleback Pomeranians. Very rare heritage breed distinctive in its grey on white markings and auto sexing. They have distinctively colored orange (female) and orange-red(males)beaks and legs and BLUE eyes! The one gosling however has black eyes, black legs, and a mostly black beak. I don't have the ability or $$$ to check this baby's DNA but if you go by markings it looks like this might be Daffy's offspring. They are still in fluff now but if this bird continues to darken his legs and beak and if when his adolescent feathers start to come there are black or blue feathers...well THAT didn't come from any Pomeranian Goose....that only came from Daffy...the confused Runner Duck who THINKS he's a goose. So time will tell unless one of you want to pay for the genetic test. When they go from fluff to feather we'll have a better answer so I'll let you know.

 

[Speceider]

Poulsen, H. 1950. Morphological and ethological notes on a hybrid between a domestic duck and a domestic goose. Behaviour III:99-104.

 

[bemba]

Well friends I thought a duck could not impregnate a goose. I have a runner duck who grew up with my pomeranian goose. They were babies together grew up together and best friends. I tried to get some girl ducks for him but they never survived. The runner duck, Daffy, thinks he's a goose. I went to Holderreads and bought him a beautiful mate and at the same time bought an incredible stunning male for my goose. Mr. Holderreid is a truly amazing man and he and his wife are really quite exceptional people. I live in the mountains and unfortunately as spring approached a Fisher got the male goose and a couple months later I came home to find something had killed the female duck. Daffy and Maxine were heart broken and genuinely consoled each other for a very long time. Then Max started laying eggs and became EXCESSIVELY broody! Needless to say she gave birth to 8 stunning babies, the offspring of her and the goose from Mr. Holderread. She and Daffy raised those babies together but she would NEVER let him mount her or any of the females after they grew up. A little more than a year ago Maxine was killed and taken off by some predator and over the period of a few weeks I lost all but one male and four females. Over the last few months I saw that Daffy had been mounting two of the female geese. One successfully laid, sat and hatched 4 very beautiful babies. And I swear to you one is Daffy's! The geese are purebred North American Grey Saddleback Pomeranians. Very rare heritage breed distinctive in its grey on white markings and auto sexing. They have distinctively colored orange (female) and orange-red(males)beaks and legs and BLUE eyes! The one gosling however has black eyes, black legs, and a mostly black beak. I don't have the ability or $$$ to check this baby's DNA but if you go by markings it looks like this might be Daffy's offspring. They are still in fluff now but if this bird continues to darken his legs and beak and if when his adolescent feathers start to come there are black or blue feathers...well THAT didn't come from any Pomeranian Goose....that only came from Daffy...the confused Runner Duck who THINKS he's a goose. So time will tell unless one of you want to pay for the genetic test. When they go from fluff to feather we'll have a better answer so I'll let you know.

You should take some pics of it! Would love to see!

 

[Britesea]

Birds do it... Bees do it... even educated fleas do it....
Let's do it... Let's fall in love!