Crested ducks question

[Ducklingguy]

I never wanted crested ducks. - Then in 2019 i ordered ten ducklings from Ideal Poultry, five Buff Orpingtons and five Magpies. They sent me five Buff Orpingtons and five ducklings that looked more like Black Swedish ducks of which two were crested.
The one with the smaller crest has been named "Pommes" because her crest looks like she has a little »Pommes Fritte« (French Fry) sticking out of her head, the other crested duck was named PomPom for self explanatory reasons.
Both of them are healthy, active and very intelligent ducks and i love them to pieces! No signs of nerve damages, no seizures and so far no issues during mating.
Unfortunately the crest has spreaded: Though i did my best to prevent both ducks from procreating, they have managed to sneak at least two of their eggs into the nest of their broody sister and two crested drakes hatched.
The smaller of my crested drakes is named Pomponel and has the typical statue of a meat-duck, short legs round and large body and he is waddling like a Pekin duck.
The other one, LeRoy Brown is the largest of all my drakes. He has the statue of a runner duck, but is Pekin sized. He is bright and fast and stole my peanut-butter sandwich from a 3' tall table and shared it with his girlfriend Darkbill Duck. (That's when he got his name)
Here's a short video of LeRoy with his girlfriend Darkbill helping me with one of the veggie-beds. Drake with no Name has joined them.

I consider myself lucky that the few crested ducks have no health issues, i too heart some terrible stories. I will do my best to eradicate that crest gene in my flock, but i just love my crested ducks and drakes.

We decided to order two crested drakes.
I think they’re beautiful, but hopefully won’t have any neuro problems.
I just a built a huge duck coop with hay and barrel houses. I have plenty of room. I have 6 ducks already, and after I receive the two cresteds, think I’ll stop there.

Thanks for the video. Beautiful ducks.

Ducklingguy

 

[Ducklingguy]

Before I joined I knew nothing about Crested ducks. I bought two from a hatchery, but won't do that again. I've had no problems with them. No seizures, no terms, no blindness. Maybe I got lucky? They seem just as responsive and alert as the other ducks.

I honestly think there are many crested ducks that lives functional and healthy lives.

Perhaps, any duck could have seizures? I have a golden retriever dog that has had seizures. It can happen with any animals, honestly! Sometimes just a few, and other times—ongoing.
Seizures aren’t deadly, unless one goes into status epilepticus, which kills.
I have had seizures myself, but I don’t recall many of them. They look painful, but really you don’t feel anything or remember most, unless they’re partial seizures. I assume it’s the same with animals.
I just thought I would throw in a little lesson.

Ducklingguy

 

[Mandrogora]

I have a white crested duck that we got as a duckling from Metzer being naive as to how they are bred. She is 3 years old now and is an adorable duck with a great personality. However, she does have seizures. They are pretty well controlled with daily vitamin b complex supplement over peas. She knows her routine and demands her peas. Her seizures also increase for whatever reason if she doesn't bathe thoroughly every day. We have long and often brutal winters so this can be a challenge sometimes. Getting spooked or stressed also sets them off. When she has one they often come in clusters so she has to be separated until they calm down. The seizures are also scary to the rest of the flock, they know something is wrong. I feel she has good quality of life but there is always the possibility they could get worse and for her sake she would have to be culled. Knowing what I know now I absolutely do not believe the crested gene should continue to be bred into ducks.

 

[Nigel27]

I just hatched two duck eggs from a friends pair of non crested Rouen mixed ducks and one has a crest! It must be recessive? And the pair are siblings with a parent w a crest?

 

[Mandrogora]

It's also important to note that the reason crested ducks have neurological problems is because they have been bred to have a genetic mutation that causes them to be missing part of their skull underneath the crests.

 

[RubyDog55]

I have a White Crested duck named Puff. She is my favorite duck. I got her from Metzer Farms with other assorted ducklings. It became apparent right away that she had neurologic issues, and that's when I started researching the breed. I figured that since fatty brain tumors cause most issues in crested ducks, the best thing I could do was to help the rest of her brain learn to compensate while she was very young. I spent a lot of time with her challenging her and encouraging her to push herself. Luckily she almost completely outgrew her issues, and now lives a totally normal life free ranging with her flock.

I can't imagine ever not having at least one crested in my flock, but would be hesitant to breed them without doing more research first. I did read one study in which the number of ducks with neurologic problems and the severity of the problems was greatly reduced in just a few generations by carefully selecting the ducks used for breeding. It would be great if it was possible to breed healthier crested ducks.

I think the crested gene is dominant, but not all ducks with the gene actually have crests. I've read that ducklings with two copies of the gene die before hatching, but other sources seem to suggest that's not true.

The White Crested breed is over 2,000 years old, and many ducks never have any neurologic symptoms.

Here is a pic of Puff!

 

[Nigel27]

Petri

 

[Ducklingguy]

Well guys,
I found me a crested duck today about 35 minutes away. This sweet lady has two for sale, so I told her I would pick them up Sunday noon.
She said they were 14 months old with no seizures or neuro problems that she knew of. They’re both drakes and white crested! Exactly what I am looking for.

So, there it is. I can’t wait to see them, and bring them home.

Ducklingguy

 

[Ducklingguy]

I have a white crested duck that we got as a duckling from Metzer being naive as to how they are bred. She is 3 years old now and is an adorable duck with a great personality. However, she does have seizures. They are pretty well controlled with daily vitamin b complex supplement over peas. She knows her routine and demands her peas. Her seizures also increase for whatever reason if she doesn't bathe thoroughly every day. We have long and often brutal winters so this can be a challenge sometimes. Getting spooked or stressed also sets them off. When she has one they often come in clusters so she has to be separated until they calm down. The seizures are also scary to the rest of the flock, they know something is wrong. I feel she has good quality of life but there is always the possibility they could get worse and for her sake she would have to be culled. Knowing what I know now I absolutely do not believe the crested gene should continue to be bred into ducks.

Thank you!

 

[Weeg]

Well guys,
I found me a crested duck today about 35 minutes away. This sweet lady has two for sale, so I told her I would pick them up Sunday noon.
She said they were 14 months old with no seizures or neuro problems that she knew of. They’re both drakes and white crested! Exactly what I am looking for.

So, there it is. I can’t wait to see them, and bring them home.

Ducklingguy

Thats awesome! Are you still ordering the hatchery ones, or just adopting these guys?
Great job! That'll be a great fit!