Does Tractor Supply mix breeds?

[cindarelli]

I bought my four ducklings from Tractor Supply. Two yellow, two brown. All the same age. They were all tiny, and now three of them are a little bigger, and one of them is a MONSTER! It's only been a little over a week and he's close to being about half the size of an average full grown duck, and still has his soft down with no feathers. He's more than twice the size of the others and runs them over. I was thinking maybe a jumbo Pekin got mixed in? How can I tell?

 

[Outpost JWB]

Can you upload any pics??

I don't think any store would purposely mix chicks or ducks, but I have seen customers pick them up (especially little kids), then put them back in the wrong bins.

 

[cindarelli]

I wasn't meaning on purpose. I just know that when I bought chicks, the man had no clue what kind they were, and they kind of had all of the ducks and chicks (bantams and leghorns)in the bins together. So I thought maybe they kind of got more than one breed that look alike as ducklings and mixed them up on accident. I can post some pics later when I clean up after them. I love my Ducky and don't care what he is, but I was worried maybe the others aren't getting nutrients or he's just being a little piggy or something. If he's a jumbo pekin it would explain his size, lol!!

 

[cindarelli]

Here's a somewhat good picture that you can see their size difference. (They never hold still!) and don't worry, their cage is a long one and has a huge bed of shavings and a heat lamp on the other end. we just put one end over a tote for their water because they were making a HUGE mess. Also, we had the chicks separate but they had bonded so much that they were starving themselves because they never left the side the ducks were on! They missed their friends. Ever since we put them together they've all been happy and healthy, lmao. So do you think he could be a jumbo pekin? This pic doesn't do his size justice either. He's still a little bigger than he looks here. I'm new to all of the breeds and knowledge. Also, what do you think the brown ones are? I thought maybe Khaki Campbell's. Thanks!

 

[buff goose guy]

yes tractor supply has been known to sell mixed breed ducks, thats why they always say just look at a chart or they say i don't know what breed it is.

 

[Kaessa]

They also get the "assorted" ducks from the hatcheries... all the leftovers from when the hatcheries get orders for specific breeds and genders. They could be mixed breed, they could be any breed all in the same bin. It depends on the hatchery, too.

 

[Rowsdower]

The yellow one is a Pekin and the brown one a khaki Campbell's. This is all that my TSC got this year and they were all in the same bin. Your Pekin is ALWAYS going to be twice the size of the other.

 

[tdd2]

Few if any hatcheries allow intermingling of breeds (hard to sell), if by mixed you mean cross breeds.

As for several different breeds in the same display bin, yes - that's how TSC displays their ducks, typically all of their available ducks in one or two bins.

We got our Pekins and our KC at TSC - good pet quality ducks.

If they are from TSC, the yellos ones are very likely Pekins (and could be a jumbo), and the brown ones are likely KC's.

Good luck with your Littles'!

 

[buff goose guy]

Few if any hatcheries allow intermingling of breeds (hard to sell), if by mixed you mean cross breeds.

As for several different breeds in the same display bin, yes - that's how TSC displays their ducks, typically all of their available ducks in one or two bins.

We got our Pekins and our KC at TSC - good pet quality ducks.

If they are from TSC, the yellos ones are very likely Pekins (and could be a jumbo), and the brown ones are likely KC's.

Good luck with your Littles'!

Some hatcheries like mcmurray get fertilized eggs from farms that are their suppliers, and thats how mixed breeds happen at tsc sometimes when mcmurray gives them ducks that they don't know the breed of.

 

[Buck Oakes]

those bigger yellow ones could be jumbo pekins, they get really fat..... sorry