Demand for crested Cayugas?

[maralynn28]

I have a lovely Cayuga layer, and I have a young crested Cayuga I am starting to believe might be a drake. I have heard that Cayugas are on the threatened list and I believe crested Cayugas aren't very common. I was wondering if it would be worth it for me to try incubating/ selling fertilized eggs of these two when the time comes, or just add them to the "eat" pile? We have a small yard so wouldn't be able to keep the ducklings (unless predators thin out the flock again -hope not!) but I'd hate to be consuming what could be unique beauties. I'd really appreciate some input from you seasoned duck folk out there.

Thanks a bunch!

 

[mogrl840]

i just bought one. waiting for it to come in the mail from ideal so idk the quality of the duck yet. I bought it just because it is crested. So im sure there are people other then me looking for them

 

[Lamar Estate]

It wasn't until I started reading posts on Backyard Chickens that I learned that most serious duck people hope they get ducks WITHOUT crests...and now I understand why.

I have a crested Khaki Campbell x Cayuga duck named Beaker. I picked her out at a farm because she was the only one with a cute crest. My adult drake is a Cayuga named Dr. Bunsen Honeydew (they are named after the Muppets characters). I did both: I artificially hatched 4 eggs and let Beaker hatch 3 eggs during the past 2 months.

I knew that there were some risks for hatching eggs from ducks with crests, but I either didn't realize the extent or didn't want to believe it. It was heart breaking when they wouldn't make it. Out of 10 ducklings that hatched, 7 ducklings survived. The ones that didn't make it after hatching were ones I artificially incubated. While 7 out of 10 isn't horrible, it is possible that the ones that died could have been weak BECAUSE they had the crest gene. I've read horror incidents where the ducklings are very deformed--brains outside the skull, etc.

I've read that 50% are supposed to be crested. Only 1 that survived was crested. I'm very worried about her because she's 1/3 the size of her hatch mates and has a soft spot on her skull similar to a baby's fontanel (but otherwise acts healthy and normal).

I guess my comments don't really help you. I just wanted to share with you my experience. I hope you all the best if you do breed your crested. They are adorable.

A friendly greeting from Beaker (with feather boogers) and Bunsen hanging out in the background:

Curious Beaker looking at the artificially incubated ducklings:

A proud new mama Beaker and her first duckling:

Lifeguard Beaker supervising her ducklings (this was taken a few seconds before she decided to get in that little bowl, too):

Beaker quacking at her babies for wondering too far away from her:

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Quote:
What a great momma duck!!

 

[Lamar Estate]

Mrs. Fluffy Puffy :

Quote:
What a great momma duck!!

Beaker is doing a fantastic job! We are very proud of her. She was only about 7 months old when she became a mama. We didn't know what to expect from her. She's been appropriately protective. She lets us play with her babies, but will jump on our lap if we are holding them for too long. Beaker hasn't been as snuggly with us though. I miss my Beaker and mommy cuddle time, but she has a job a to do!​

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Quote:
What a great momma duck!!

Beaker is doing a fantastic job! We are very proud of her. She was only about 7 months old when she became a mama. We didn't know what to expect from her. She's been appropriately protective. She lets us play with her babies, but will jump on our lap if we are holding them for too long. Beaker hasn't been as snuggly with us though. I miss my Beaker and mommy cuddle time, but she has a job a to do!

She is very young for being a momma duck already. Some day I would really like to get some Ducks and Geese, but right now I must stick with my chickens.

I've always wanted to raise some fuzzie 'lil ducklings.

 

[critterranch]

Quote:
i am from new york where the cayuga is orginal from. there is a high demand here for them.

with out crests you can sell 8-10 dollars easy as day olds. 10-12 each easy crested as day olds.

there is a high demand for anything cretsed here locally it all depends on your area.
pleople go nuts for ducks here. i cant seem to hatch enough. i have hatched 46 ducklings this year from feb to the present. i dont have cayugas but many people ask about them my runner ducklings sell just as fast as my call ducklings.

i say go for it and keep him plus being a drake he can pass his crested genes around easier to none crested females.
i wouldnt eat at all you could probly sell him for 20.oo even with being a drake. if you didnt want to keep.

 

[mogrl840]

I have a crested and ordered 3 more just for the crest. I love them even though I have had a problem with one crested I have had. Ended up putting the duck down because of gene problems. I didnt breed or hatch the ducks though, I bought it has a baby from a feed store. Maybe one day they will have babies

 

[maralynn28]

Well, you see the pic of my girl as my avatar. She's very pretty considering I hear hens are usually more dull than the drakes and she's not dull! The adolescent crested drake looks to be of good breeding too, surprising to me considering he's from a feed store.
I have heard all sorts of problems hatching crested. First of all, only half the ducklings from crested will be have the crested gene with 1/4 of those won't form properly and will die. Crested ducklings are also more likely to have other bone deformities. The possibility of hatching crested ducklings is even half of that for me since only the drake has a crest. I understand this is why they are rare.
But if it is in fact true that this breed of duck is threatened, and crested cayugas are in high enough demand, then I want to do my part to help propagate the breed. It's not even about money, although that would be nice.
I just love these birds and would like to have the "full" experience if possible. I just don't want to hatch a bunch of babies and not be able to find homes for them...I wouldn't have the heart to cull them unless medically necessary.

PS I love Beakers story! She looks to be a lovely 'dark chocolate' color, I guess this is the cayuga/KC mix?

 

[Lamar Estate]

Hello--

Beaker is a beautiful dark chocolate color with a green sheen because her duck dad was a Khaki Campbell and her duck mom was a Cayuga. That's a combination which gives sex-colored babies (boys = black, girls = dark brown).

I think Beaker became broody at such a young age because she was in the same room as the artificially incubated ducklings. The day the ducklings started peeping inside their shells was the day she decided to sit on her nest!

She's a great mom. I integrated 3 different ages of ducklings yesterday, along with Beaker. After a few hours of beak poking, they settled down. For the most part, Beaker has become fairly protective of her new crew.