Does anyone have any really fun mixed ducks?

[Taylor]

i hope they turn out good. tell me how they do and i might next spring mix some ducks.

 

[TattooQ27]

Quote:
Yeah I don't think I was really buying into that theory either....perhaps generations of mixing down the line but I have no idea. I was just responding to the poster who said that mixed ducks don't do well because I read in Holderreads duck book that the only concern in mixing breeds could be a lack of fertility...he didn't mention sickly ducks or anything.

 

[Sweetfolly]

Quote:
Interesting, I haven't heard that before. Even Dave Holderread says it should be ok to mix breeds. His only caution is that the mixed breeds could be infertile. I will look into it more though.

Hmm...
All I've ever heard are good things about crossing ducks - "hybrid vigor", from getting a wider gene pool, just like with dogs.
A LOT of the current duck breeds were created very recently in history by crossing other breeds of ducks together!

Dave Holderread wrote in Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks about different hybrids he's experimented with for higher egg production. If I remember right, he said some really nice things about Campbell/Runner crosses.

Anywho, TattooQ27, if you want to mix breeds and get some fun colors, try to get some ducks with some interesting color dilutions or patterns to start out with. Here's a good link about duck color genetics - it's not "light reading", but it has a LOT of valuable information, and it's not completely specific to Runner ducks:
http://www.luckyhit.net/ducks01.htm

 

[TattooQ27]

Quote:
Interesting, I haven't heard that before. Even Dave Holderread says it should be ok to mix breeds. His only caution is that the mixed breeds could be infertile. I will look into it more though.

Hmm...
All I've ever heard are good things about crossing ducks - "hybrid vigor", from getting a wider gene pool, just like with dogs.
A LOT of the current duck breeds were created very recently in history by crossing other breeds of ducks together!

Dave Holderread wrote in Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks about different hybrids he's experimented with for higher egg production. If I remember right, he said some really nice things about Campbell/Runner crosses.

Anywho, TattooQ27, if you want to mix breeds and get some fun colors, try to get some ducks with some interesting color dilutions or patterns to start out with. Here's a good link about duck color genetics - it's not "light reading", but it has a LOT of valuable information, and it's not completely specific to Runner ducks:
http://www.luckyhit.net/ducks01.htm

Thanks for the link, I will check it out! I was pretty sure it was ok to mix breeds which is why I own several different breeds and have recently added more. I'm not sure where Taylor heard it wasn't ok??

 

[nettie]

I've got runners in all four normal easy to get colors....

 

[priss]

Nettie, I will never get enough of your little cuties!!! Looook at them!!! I jus wanna schnoooogle them.

 

[pringle]

Just remember that any duck of mallard origin(pretty much any duck)when crossed with the muscovy will be sterile.

 

[sonew123]

Quote:
Ok..that picture cracks me up and your booties and harnesses are the bomb... are you patening them-you should your amazing!

 

[pardygwyn]

I had looooots of mixed breed ducks over the course of my childhood. The only time they had trouble thriving was when I inbred one family too tightly trying to get a certain color quirk that the original drake had. I didn't know anything about genetics, obviously, but I did get that bib to come back. ;D My favorite colors/conformations came from Blue Swedes/Khakis, Pekins/domestic Mallards, and Black Runners/Khakis. There were a lot of colors I was unaware of at the time, though!

Wish I still had pictures, sigh. The first mix produced some nice medium-sized blue ducks with brown edging on their feathers and the usual white bibs. The second basically produced Black Swedish looking ducks with brown showing through in places - I was mostly impressed by them because I was NOT expecting that from the combo. LOL I'm pretty sure the mileage varies, especially in white ducks whose genetics are masking whatever's underneath. The third mix produced svelte black ducks with brown edging on each feather and unusually light-colored eyes for such dark ducks. They were gorgeous!