Fawn & White Runner x Black Swedish Ducklings

[BoonesBirds]

After convincing my hubby to get us some call ducks from Metzer farms, we found some surprise babies in our garage the next day . Our black Swedish hen was sitting on eggs that had just pipped and we were curious to see whether our domestic mallard or fawn & white runner would show in the ducklings. One definitely has the runner genetics, but the patches are darker than a typical fawn color and we assume it’ll be more of a gray color. The other looks just like a black Swedish so we’re curious if it could still be a runner cross, or if it’s a mallard cross. Any thoughts?

 

[Papaye]

Hi.

Your ducklings are very cute...!!

The other looks just like a black Swedish so we’re curious if it could still be a runner cross, or if it’s a mallard cross. Any thoughts?

Do you have only Mallards and Fawn and White Runners as drakes...?
If so : black duckling should be a Mallard cross.

If you breed a Mallard coloured drake with a Black duck - Bibbed or not -, 100% of the ducklings will be Black Bibbed.

 

[BoonesBirds]

Thank you! Yes, those are the only drakes we have in our flock. We had a ducking last year that was a mallard cross and looked similar, so that makes sense. She ended up looking just like a black Swedish, but had the mallard stripe across her eye. Thank you for the info!

 

[BoonesBirds]

Update on the ducklings! Both ended up being boys (lucky us ). The runner cross we’ve decided to name Sheldon, and the mallard cross Pumpernickel. We already have 2 drakes as is, so we’ve decided we will be keeping Sheldon and rehoming Pumpernickel to our neighbor who has a bachelor flock come next breeding season. It still amazes me how quickly they grow each day!

 

[Papaye]

Hi.

We had a ducking last year that was a mallard cross and looked similar, so that makes sense. She ended up looking just like a black Swedish, but had the mallard stripe across her eye.

Which had to be really pretty, in my opinion!

Had you looked at the feathers elsewhere on her body, to see if there were penciled ones...?

Last year, I had got two Black Runners among my ducklings... and both of them had strips on their face in their juvenile plumage.
Once I grabbed them to re-home them, I noticed they had penciled feathers too...!

I regret not taking pictures.

► I don't know what causes the strips and the penciled feathers on Black ducks, nor do I know if other Black-based colours - such than Blue or Brown, for examples - can show them on the plumage.

Update on the ducklings! Both ended up being boys (lucky us ). The runner cross we’ve decided to name Sheldon, and the mallard cross Pumpernickel.

Huh... they are so cute...!!

I would have named Sheldon "Freckles".
Because : just look at his bill...!!

(Would be nice to see pictures of him once he is an adult!)

We already have 2 drakes as is, so we’ve decided we will be keeping Sheldon and rehoming Pumpernickel to our neighbor who has a bachelor flock come next breeding season.

You are lucky to be able to re-home your extra male easily...
...and more so lucky to re-home him at your neighbour's...!

Are your neighbour's drakes not bothered by your hens, during mating season?
Or are they far enough from your yard to not notice the girls...?

It still amazes me how quickly they grow each day!

Ducklings do grow fast, yes...!
Which is why it is so interesting to watch them grow.

 

[BoonesBirds]

Hi.



Which had to be really pretty, in my opinion!

Had you looked at the feathers elsewhere on her body, to see if there were penciled ones...?

Last year, I had got two Black Runners among my ducklings... and both of them had strips on their face in their juvenile plumage.
Once I grabbed them to re-home them, I noticed they had penciled feathers too...!

I regret not taking pictures.

► I don't know what causes the strips and the penciled feathers on Black ducks, nor do I know if other Black-based colours - such than Blue or Brown, for examples - can show them on the plumage.



Huh... they are so cute...!!

I would have named Sheldon "Freckles".
Because : just look at his bill...!!

(Would be nice to see pictures of him once he is an adult!)



You are lucky to be able to re-home your extra male easily...
...and more so lucky to re-home him at your neighbour's...!

Are your neighbour's drakes not bothered by your hens, during mating season?
Or are they far enough from your yard to not notice the girls...?



Ducklings do grow fast, yes...!
Which is why it is so interesting to watch them grow.

I didn’t notice any other feathers on her body that had penciling, just a stripe that went across her eye. I will keep an eye out to see if the drake ends up having any similar feathers!

Freckles would have been a nice name, but my hubby was pretty set on Sheldon . I guess I always end up naming our ducks, so I had to give him at least one lol.

Our neighbor is about a block down the road from us, so his ducks never cross over onto our property. He runs a dairy farm with fields and a pond so they don’t have much reason to ever want to leave. We’re very lucky in that regard… rehoming drakes would be really hard for us otherwise.