If I don't have real rouens what do I have?

[roboboy]

It's all a matter of opinion. I like to show my birds and would agree with the poster that what you have aren't what I would call rouens. Rouens to me are the big keeled birds as described by the American Standard of Perfection, not the overweight mallards that most hatcheries sell. That black muscovy's head is perhaps a tad excessive, but the white's caruncling looks too smooth in that picture. If everyone's tastes were the same poultry would be very boring though.

 

[Marwan]

Do yours look like mine? if so there normal rouens. and theres one type of rouen. actually technically 2 one is fatter and the other slimmer. the slimmer was french and the bigger and fatter is english version or the french

 

[MallardDuckling]

Personally, I think a Rouen is a Rouen, like others said, keel or not. It would be like saying the white Muscovies the OP posted aren't real Muscovies because they have smooth caruncles.

They do come in 2 sizes though. Technically, the Rouens who are keeled, are not the standards. The standard are the slimmer version. Then there is the show version which are the keeled.

 

[Moochie]

I like variety in birds too! I have silkie/cochin bantam mixes, I love them. Vulture hocks galore! I have a black hen and two blue hens but different shades of blue, one is a dark grey the other is a lighter grey with black spots. I'm trying to hatch out a rooster but I haven't been very lucky with getting boys.
I still think exhibition rouens are weird looking

They kinda remind me of pillow pets.

 

[nickie]

Hey now, I have an exhibition rouen! Lol, the keel takes a bit of getting used to, most people ask what's wrong with her. It does look a bit silly when she's weeblewobbling by, but when she's standing in her "In better than you" pose she is quite stunning.

Her keel is very deep and does drag a bit, but she does a spectacular job of keeping it clean. Although I guess her being the color of dirt helps.

 

[Marwan]

Hey now, I have an exhibition rouen! Lol, the keel takes a bit of getting used to, most people ask what's wrong with her. It does look a bit silly when she's weeblewobbling by, but when she's standing in her "In better than you" pose she is quite stunning.
Her keel is very deep and does drag a bit, but she does a spectacular job of keeping it clean. Although I guess her being the color of dirt helps.

I think there beautiful too just with exhibition rouens due to the sheer size they develop porblems very eary on especially arthritis either way they are marvalous at keeping themselves clean

 

[Moochie]

Do breeders get mad if you buy fancy ducks from them and you don't end up showing them? I do like the way show quality runners look but if I got straight run ducklings (I can't find anyone who sells them like that though) I wouldn't show them.
I think the colors on exhibition rouens look better than utility rouens, but maybe that's just the camera. Why is it that I can never find a breeder of some fancy bird who will sell them when they're young? It makes me think they want to weed out the blah ones so they can have the good ones to themselves

I like to raise them young so they get used to me and my family members easier.

 

[nickie]

Do breeders get mad if you buy fancy ducks from them and you don't end up showing them? I do like the way show quality runners look but if I got straight run ducklings (I can't find anyone who sells them like that though) I wouldn't show them.
I think the colors on exhibition rouens look better than utility rouens, but maybe that's just the camera. Why is it that I can never find a breeder of some fancy bird who will sell them when they're young? It makes me think they want to weed out the blah ones so they can have the good ones to themselves :/   I like to raise them young so they get used to me and my family members easier.

That would be what the breeder did that I got my girl from. He told me that's what he does and I don't mind it one bit. Bitey (my son named her) was about 8 months give or take a few when I got her and she warmed right up to us and our routines. I am not a person that treats my ducks like puppies though, but she will eat from my hand. She doesn't run from the kids or dogs. I don't think you would have that kind of luck from runners though.

 

[70%cocoa]

Do breeders get mad if you buy fancy ducks from them and you don't end up showing them?

No, I wouldn't say so. If you want to keep fancy ducks without showing them, go right ahead Breeders can choose which birds they sell to who, but once you buy the bird it's up to you what you do with it. Personally, I would try to make sure good birds I bred went to a home where they would be bred from or shown, but if that did not happen then that's none of my business.

In Europe, they go for much less caruncling on Muscovies - the smoother the better over there - for exhibition birds. Here in Australia what gets shown are huge Muscovies with quite a lot of caruncling. People here really try to breed enormous birds. Very different to the much more compact and smooth-faced European Muscovies.

Here, the term Rouens is only used to describe huge birds with a big keel. Anything without a keel is not called a Rouen, either by show people or pet people. But in the US, the term Rouen is used to describe both. So, it's all just a matter of the standards, taste and terminology that apply in your country.

Why is it that I can never find a breeder of some fancy bird who will sell them when they're young? It makes me think they want to weed out the blah ones so they can have the good ones to themselves

Yeah, that is pretty much the way it is done. If you are breeding to show, then you want to keep the best ones. They take a long time to show their potential, so you need to hold onto them for a while. I breed Swedish, and I need to wait till 6 weeks to see how the bib will turn out. To make sure their wing feathers are all coming through properly takes about 7 weeks. So I generally don't sell any birds younger than 8 weeks. With coloured (patterned) birds it can take 6 months to see how colour will end up. To see how type (body shape) will turn out takes almost a year or even two years for some breeds. So, that is why breeders hold onto birds for a while rather than selling as day-olds. I do try to make sure my birds are nice and tame though, so, even though they are sold as almost adult sized, they are people-friendly and can be hand-fed and picked up and petted. I guess the good thing about buying a grown up bird is that you know they are nice and healthy and you can see exactly what you are getting. But I do appreciate that it can be frustrating for people who want good quality birds as ducklings. I guess the options there are places like Holderreads and also people with good quality birds who will post you eggs.

 

[Marwan]

i kind of disagree with the whole trying to make massive birds thing. i really thing its not nice to the poor birds because there too fat for their feet, suffer early on from arthritis and die younger. i dont know its there problem but im just not into it much