Crested Ducks and Other Duck Questions

[TomCahalan]

and leakage is considered a bad thing in white ducks so those with leakage are usually not bred

Leakage is bred out of white ducks, but maybe non-white ducks would have the desired genes in there somewhere. So you'd want to start with a bunch of random ducks of various breeds to get raw genetic diversity, and then breed white into them, trying to minimize white ancestry in the mix. I doubt it would be possible in a reasonable time frame, but that's the approach that I would use.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Why?! I don't understand the love for created ducks. The are suffering from a genetic disorder that leads to all sorts of physical and neurological issues.

hatcheries don't give out the information @Pyxis just shared, most see a cute little duckling with a poof and think I want them. Then they get them and see the problems they can have and start the research. It's sad this business of selling.

 

[learycow]

I have a few things to add here.

First is about the crested. A few breeders have found that you can selectively breed for crests that are NOT lethal gened. Metzers, for example, breeds and sells crested layers. These do not usually have the same issue talked about above as they don't all have the vaulted skull. So with selective breeding, you can breed crested to crested (this is the best way to get the large, puffy crests) without the issues.

Second, feathered legs. I breed anconas and always get a few each season that hatch with feathered legs. They tend to fall off with age though. It takes very selective breeding to get ducks that keep the feathers into adulthood. Check out Snyder ducks. They are a feathered leg breed created by a fellow in Canada. He does a fantastic job and has been breeding them for many years now. Aside from these and anconas, I have yet to come across another breed that has feathered legs. Though I'm sure they are out there, it's just not documented!

Third, the mini-muscovy. You can breed smaller framed muscovy. However, any that I have seen or read about online that are much smaller than usual tend to be birds that fail to thrive hence why they are stunted. These should not be bred and tend to have health problems along with their smaller size.

 

[Jpat]

I have a few things to add here.

First is about the crested. A few breeders have found that you can selectively breed for crests that are NOT lethal gened. Metzers, for example, breeds and sells crested layers. These do not usually have the same issue talked about above as they don't all have the vaulted skull. So with selective breeding, you can breed crested to crested (this is the best way to get the large, puffy crests) without the issues.

Second, feathered legs. I breed anconas and always get a few each season that hatch with feathered legs. They tend to fall off with age though. It takes very selective breeding to get ducks that keep the feathers into adulthood. Check out Snyder ducks. They are a feathered leg breed created by a fellow in Canada. He does a fantastic job and has been breeding them for many years now. Aside from these and anconas, I have yet to come across another breed that has feathered legs. Though I'm sure they are out there, it's just not documented!

Third, the mini-muscovy. You can breed smaller framed muscovy. However, any that I have seen or read about online that are much smaller than usual tend to be birds that fail to thrive hence why they are stunted. These should not be bred and tend to have health problems along with their smaller size.

i emailed metzers and they seid the same thing. I guess responsible breeding is possible

 

[chickens really]

Anything can be bred to a smaller scale. It takes years though to get it perfect.