It's more Metallic silver than anything else
Does anyone here specialize in any particular breed/color?
- Thread starter Senna95
- Start date
It's more Metallic silver than anything else
Anconas: One flock of show quality blacks. One flock of black, blue, lilac, lavender, silver and chocolate show and breeder quality. I keep a total of 20-25 breeding birds year round.
Muscovy: I breed mainly for barred and hard to find ripples. Just started breeding looneys last year. I have a quad of ripples, a trio of looney, and roughly 10 barred in various colors
Call ducks: Specialize in ancona patterns in black and blue. Working on chocolate. Roughly 40 birds
Silkie Ducks: working on breeding ancona patterned silkie ducks. This season will be my first generation of these project birds. I have 8 pairs of pure silkie ducks to work with
I hatch roughly 400 anconas, 250 muscovy, 150 call ducks and 50 silkie ducks a year (give or take). I will hatch a couple times a year strictly to pick future breeder birds. From these, i raise all ducklings up until they are fully feathered and partially filled out (4-6 months depending on the breed). From there, I selectively cull or sell (as breeding or pet stock) for conformation and pattern/color traits.Some birds are simply added to the flocks for the next breeding season. Other birds are used as replacements for current breeding stock that may have a slight flaw. Older bird goes and young bird takes it's place.
Extras are sold or butchered. I end up with MANY excess drakes. In the past I've grown them out and filled the freezer. But this year I have advertised locally, selling them at a discounted price as sexed ducklings and plan to sell them strictly as meat ducklings. Much less feed for me to go through and less work (butchering is a pain if you have more than a dozen or so to do, lol).
As for advertising- I do a lot of it through social media. But I have gained an excellent reputation over the years and a lot of my customers are simply through word of mouth. I am NPIP tested which allows me to ship out of state which also helps as local markets tend to change each year.
Quality of my birds and stock helps as well. They are not breeds you can simply buy at a hatchery and they are much better quality, bred for many traits that hatcheries simply don't care about (such as temperament, foraging ability, broodiness, etc)
Muscovy: I breed mainly for barred and hard to find ripples. Just started breeding looneys last year. I have a quad of ripples, a trio of looney, and roughly 10 barred in various colors
Call ducks: Specialize in ancona patterns in black and blue. Working on chocolate. Roughly 40 birds
Silkie Ducks: working on breeding ancona patterned silkie ducks. This season will be my first generation of these project birds. I have 8 pairs of pure silkie ducks to work with
I hatch roughly 400 anconas, 250 muscovy, 150 call ducks and 50 silkie ducks a year (give or take). I will hatch a couple times a year strictly to pick future breeder birds. From these, i raise all ducklings up until they are fully feathered and partially filled out (4-6 months depending on the breed). From there, I selectively cull or sell (as breeding or pet stock) for conformation and pattern/color traits.Some birds are simply added to the flocks for the next breeding season. Other birds are used as replacements for current breeding stock that may have a slight flaw. Older bird goes and young bird takes it's place.
Extras are sold or butchered. I end up with MANY excess drakes. In the past I've grown them out and filled the freezer. But this year I have advertised locally, selling them at a discounted price as sexed ducklings and plan to sell them strictly as meat ducklings. Much less feed for me to go through and less work (butchering is a pain if you have more than a dozen or so to do, lol).
As for advertising- I do a lot of it through social media. But I have gained an excellent reputation over the years and a lot of my customers are simply through word of mouth. I am NPIP tested which allows me to ship out of state which also helps as local markets tend to change each year.
Quality of my birds and stock helps as well. They are not breeds you can simply buy at a hatchery and they are much better quality, bred for many traits that hatcheries simply don't care about (such as temperament, foraging ability, broodiness, etc)
- Thread starter
- #13
Learycow, that is wonderful! I wish I had more time, space, and money, so I could add some more ducks. I would love to add Welsh Harlequins, white, black, and chocolate runners, and Cayugans. I would also love to develop a line of magpie runners.
I end up butchering some of the excess drakes too, but just like your sillies and call ducks, there just isn't much meat on em.
And Buff Goose Guy: you might have some dusky genes running around in your flock. I would seriously consider putting a pair of your dark ducks together and see what you get......and then show us the pictures! Interesting project.
I end up butchering some of the excess drakes too, but just like your sillies and call ducks, there just isn't much meat on em.
And Buff Goose Guy: you might have some dusky genes running around in your flock. I would seriously consider putting a pair of your dark ducks together and see what you get......and then show us the pictures! Interesting project.
Thanks, But i havent seen a dusky x=coloration ever look like that . Also you are right on the ball as soon as i get more of the black mallards i was just going to letthem breed as for right now i just have one of the daughters and the mom that are black so ic ant do much yet. I will definetly keep you posted 
.
i do have a sort of dusky drake but i dont think he is related to them by much though
. i do have a sort of dusky drake but i dont think he is related to them by much though
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- Thread starter
- #15
That drake has no neck ring and no bib, indicating "dusky" pattern. If you check under his wings, I bet he shows color there as well. If you check under a regular mallard's wings they will be almost completely white.
Check out this picture of my dusky blue drake: just like yours, except he has a blue head instead of green:
The hen you showed me also has color under her wings, no facial stripes, and hardly any irridesence on her wing speculum. I'm not sure where her dark coloring comes from....possibly a gene called "sooty".
Check out this picture of my dusky blue drake: just like yours, except he has a blue head instead of green:
The hen you showed me also has color under her wings, no facial stripes, and hardly any irridesence on her wing speculum. I'm not sure where her dark coloring comes from....possibly a gene called "sooty".
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hmm ill look into that, when i went searching for answers and found my way to MSU under my vets idea to bring in a small blood sample for A DNA test they basicly explained it as 'a black gene' and how it was uncommon (they had tested to see if she was a mix,) they also said how she lacked the enzymes and proteins that would be found if she was mixed with anything, but i will go look up sooty right now.
That is a beautiful runner
That is a beautiful runner
- Thread starter
- #17
aww thanks
Do u plan on breeding your dusky drake this year?
Do u plan on breeding your dusky drake this year?
- Thread starter
- #19
aww im so sorry 
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