Can't figure out duckling's breed. Help!

[jaymarie]

I got 2 duckling's from TSC about 3 weeks ago. I think we have figured out that one is a black swedish (not 100% sure) but the other one we can't figure out. He/she is grey with a yellow chest and has a yellow tuft. The tuft is what a throwing us off. Any ideas on the breed? The picture is not the best bur you can kinda see the tuft on top. Thanks!

 

[Tevyes Dad]

First she is beautiful!

As far as I understand, any mallard based duck can have the crested gene. Otherwise this looks like a blue Swedish to me. So I would guess it is a crested blue Swedish. As I understand it, blue Swedish bred together produce 25% black Swedish, 50% blue Swedish and 25% silver/grey Swedish. A crested duck (any kind) with a non-crested duck would produce 50% crested. (Crested ducks should never be bred together since that would produce 25% non-crested, 50% crested and 25% will die from an exposed brain which is what happens if the crested gene comes from both parents). Based on this, a crested blue Swedish and a non-crested blue Swedish could have produced both of these ducklings.

Here is a picture of our blue Swedish, Roxette, at a similar age for comparison, and our black Swedish has the speckled lower bill like yours does so that seems true to the breed also.

 

[GermanChick]

Looks exactly like my crested blue swedish duckling.



That's when I got him as a 2 day old. Don't have any newer pictures but he/she looks identical !