Ok, I don't know where I read it but is it true that mixed breeds produce sterile off spring? If so, would that mean my ducks are sterile and only going through the motions of mating and egg laying but nothing will be in the egg??
Any of the mallard based breeds crossed on other mallard based breeds produce offspring that are fertile. Muscovies crossed on any of the mallard based breeds produce offspring that are sterile.
I guess I still don't understand. Then what are my ducks considered? Mule and these eggs aren't fertile? Or the off spring will be mule ducks?
Hi FB, Both of your ducks are mallard derived. They don't have any muscovy in them, therefore they will produce offspring who in turn will produce offspring, etc. No-one is sterile! Stop worrying, it will all be OK And make sure you post pics of those babies, it's the BYC law, lol!
Quote:Did you bother to read link posted as response to your thread? There is very clear explanation of basic ducks genetics. Here it is again: http://www.metzerfarms.com/MuleDucks.cfm
Thank you very much everyone! You all are the greatest and I'm very thankful I found this site! We are on egg # 10 now and she still isn't sitting. I can't wait for the incubator to get here!
FB, I would wait until she has laid a few more, and then you will probably see that she will start to sit when she thinks she has enough. There is no exact number, it is down to the individual duck. Don't give up on her and resort to the incubator just yet !! I am a strong believer in the natural ways, and mummy duck will most likely make a much better mummy to those babies than any human can try to do artificially! It's also really cute to see her looking after them, teaching them to forage, protecting them and keeping them warm under her wing. You can easily make them tame too by handling them frequently yourself. Lots of people "lose" a duck only to find them return with a brood of ducklings, having hidden them and brooded them successfully without any human intervention! Good luck!
If anything, I'd like to incubate a few as a learning tool on what I'm doing, looking for, ect. And God forbid anything would happen to mom between now and then I have an incubator on hand and I'll know what to do. KWIM?
