Gahh!! Genetically week call ducks

[call ducks]

sorry gonna rant a LOT

so i bought some call ducks from a breeder that i feel should know how to breed with out in-breeding. I started hatching call ducklings from them, one hatched fine, then i had six hatch, i lost 3 of theme for no apperent reason, then i had one hatch, still in the incubator it died, again no apparent reason. The only thing i can think of is Genetically week ducks/ducklings it seems that i know a bit more about breeding then he does, so i have 4 ducklings, and i do not want to breed them now, because lord knows if they are safe to breed. I don't know what to do... because one of the pairs was a present for my birthday, sigh

thanks for letting me rant

 

[Oregon Blues]

Calls are notoriously difficult to incubate and to hatch. There is probably nothing wrong with your ducklings. It is just the breed.

If you are treating them like ordinary duck eggs, the problem is probably your method of hatching.

 

[call ducks]

Quote:
This is not my first call duckling hatch nor my first duck egg incubation

i have raised call ducklings for 5(6?) years now, and hatched for 3 of those years. i know just about every call duck egg incubation trick in the book.

 

[Mrs. Turbo]

the better the quality....the harder to hatch and raise. They like to flip on their backs in the brooder and they die. We take them out of the incubator in the morning and put them in a brooder upstairs for 2 days until they get going.

of course inbreeding will do the same thing....especially brother/sister mating.

 

[call ducks]

Mrs. Turbo :

the better the quality....the harder to hatch and raise. They like to flip on their backs in the brooder and they die. We take them out of the incubator in the morning and put them in a brooder upstairs for 2 days until they get going.

Thought so... these have been hatching with out much help. They have long body's, long bills, long "X" you name it it's to big. They are just pets but...​

 

[duckluck]

I agree with Oregon Blues and Mrs. Turbo...Calls are notoriously hard to hatch and raise. This year has been incredibly bad for a lot of people...I even know people who are having trouble hatching and raising chickens this year, and they've been doing it for years. The better quality Calls are going to have some linebreeding behind them, so I don't think you can lay the blame for the problem on that. I have heard so much from many people with many different bloodlines, colors and all over the country this year that I'm going to say "that's just ducks for you".

 

[call ducks]

Quote:
well i know for a fact the breeder does not line breed it's more of a pen breeding. Also we only have a few lines (and most of those come from the same line) we are having a awesome good year for hatching, there is a bit of a difference between line breeding and inbreeding IMO

 

[call ducks]

Mrs. Turbo :

the better the quality....the harder to hatch and raise. They like to flip on their backs in the brooder and they die. We take them out of the incubator in the morning and put them in a brooder upstairs for 2 days until they get going.

of course inbreeding will do the same thing....especially brother/sister mating.

i have a feeling they are all from the same parents, but i don't know for sure​