They call them grey, but yes, they are mallard colored. Oddly enough, in the UK they call that color "brown". It's a long process to get a new color, especially to get it to breed true. You start by crossing the runner to the color of duck you want, then selectivly breed the offspring for many generations till you get what you are looking for. You have to select both for color and body-type. It usually takes 5 years or more to stabalize the color, and the body-type will always tend to revert to "regular", and you constantly have to select for structure in your breeders.
I'm working on 2 new colors myself, and am on my 3rd year now, but it's a long and expensive process: you have to hatch MANY eggs, raise tons of babies, and breed only the few that meet your criteria.
I'm working on 2 new colors myself, and am on my 3rd year now, but it's a long and expensive process: you have to hatch MANY eggs, raise tons of babies, and breed only the few that meet your criteria.
