Cayugas

[ReiMiraa]

so this summer i hatched out 7 cayugas.

they are growing so fast... i think they are almost 5 pounds now. from little information i can find about them is that they get to 8 pounds.

So for those of you that own them i need to know a few things

how do you know the quality of the bird? ex hatchery vs backyard vs exhibition

are they supposed to be not just black shiny, or beetle black shiny but Blue shiny?? the black bounces of as a blue shine.

also i just heard that my ducks are able to fly, they just don't know how well.... i am really hoping these guys don't migrate... and i can't clip their wings its too pretty.
They don't migrate right??? i didn't even think they could fly... but then nothing i could find out about the breed said they did or not....

These are my first ducks.
also since they all look the same.... how do you tell which are male and female???

 

[gryeyes]

I have Cayugas for pleasure (and eggs). As I don't show them, I could care less if they are show quality birds or not. *I* happen to think they are beautiful! Mine will throw back a blue sheen AND a green sheen from some feathers.

I bought mine from a feed store (which obviously means those four are hatchery birds) and ordered six sexed female ducklings from Metzer Farms, a waterfowl breeder. All four "straight run" ducklings from the feed store are male.

They are NOT flyers. When they are young, they can get a few inches of lift and flap their way across the yard. But they don't even try once they are mature.

Two ways to tell duck gender OTHER than vent-sexing are: When they are fully feathered and about four or five months old, the "drake feather" appears in the tail-feathers. It's a curled feather, very noticeable. The other method is the same for any mallard-derived duck breed (in other words, not Muscovy ducks): the girls are the loud quackers. The boys have a lower, less loud "gwak" call. Girls: QUACK! QUAAACK! Quack! Boys: Gwak.

As ducklings, anywhere around four to six weeks of age, their voices will change. They may still peep, but if you pick one up suddenly, startling it, and it shrieks out QUACKQUACKQUACK! you can be sure that's a girl. Doing the same thing to a male duckling will cause it to be just as agitated, but the sound of the quacking will be much lower in pitch and it almost doesn't sound like a quack. I mean, really - girls practically shout a clearly defined sound that actually sounds like the word QUACK!

 

[ReiMiraa]

ok... and how do you successfully pick up a duck and not get your arms shredded to ribbons??? these are stronger at 5 pounds than my 12 pound rooster is... it hurts...

when they hatched they imprinted on me or I them?? but after 3 weeks of playing with them and them following me around they suddenly developed a wild streak.... its weird i spent time with them and yet they somehow have fear.... are they more of a flighty duck breed??

 

[gryeyes]

Oh, they are going through their kindergarten and adolescent stage, that's all!

Cayugas are one of the more calm duck breeds, actually. But they have the "terrible teens" to survive. Then, when the drakes become sexually mature (or approach maturity), they get obnoxious for a period of time.

After a few months, they settle down again, and become more people-sociable.

The biggest secret to ducks of any kind is PEAS. They LOVE peas. Especially if you dump some frozen peas you've let thaw a while into their pond/kiddie pool/whatever. Heck, into a bucket is sufficient! Fill the bucket about 2/3rds of the way full, dump a bag o' frozen peas into it, and wait for the action!!! Peas can make nearly instant friends of ducks.

 

[ReiMiraa]

so when i let them into my garden at the end they will go crazy???

i planted my garden in june so the pole beans are just producing.

do ducks hunt mice like chickens??? or are they not as carnivorous???

 

[bayyjayy]

My Cayugas show blue and sometimes purple in the sun along with their green. And, like the above poster, I just got mine from a local feed store, so they are not show quality, but they are GORGEOUS birds!

I think I got TWO boys and ONE female.......dangit!



Oh, yes! PEAS!

 

[Rock Home Isle]

How are Cayugas as egg layers?

 

[Stormy Autumn]

How are Cayugas as egg alyers?

My cayuga lays an egg every day.