Looking for insight into black dusky vs black bibbed ducklings

[WhiteTreeOfGondor]

I just love the looks of your duckling, so alert and pretty. with attitude

It does have an attitude! Even though it has another duckling buddy, it acts like it's imprinted on me and isn't skittish at all. I've never had one quite like it.

 

[WhiteTreeOfGondor]

@Pyxis I need more insight again if you can!
The duckling is 4 weeks old and her chest feathers are indeed coming in white:

But I just had 3 of her siblings hatch, 1 black and 2 chocolate, who also have the yellow on their chests.

Since 2 are chocolate, the father must be my WH/KC who carries chocolate. That makes more sense anyway since my pure Welsh Harlequin has been separated for a good while. So I'm confused as to why they all have the bib. The father is a dusky, and I believe the mother must be too since she does not have a bib. So ducklings should all be dusky. This is the father and the mother:

Any ideas? Thanks!

 

[Pollo Blanco]

I just had a duckling hatch from my black runner (probably not purebred) duck's egg. It is a black duckling with yellow on its chest and chin.

Hey! I have several similar from my recent hatch! Dad was a fawn/white and the moms were blues. I have at least one black with a yellow chest and at least one with a silver back and yellow chest. According to Metzner, they get blue by breeding blacks and silvers, both ways; bm/sf and vice versa. Makes me scratch my head and wonder if the moms are one 'versa' and the other 'vise'.

 

[WhiteTreeOfGondor]

Hey! I have several similar from my recent hatch! Dad was a fawn/white and the moms were blues. I have at least one black with a yellow chest and at least one with a silver back and yellow chest. According to Metzner, they get blue by breeding blacks and silvers, both ways; bm/sf and vice versa. Makes me scratch my head and wonder if the moms are one 'versa' and the other 'vise'.

Getting blue from blacks and silvers makes sense to me, but I still don't get where the bib comes from! Do you know if yours are dusky?

 

[Pollo Blanco]

Getting blue from blacks and silvers makes sense to me, but I still don't get where the bib comes from! Do you know if yours are dusky?

I don't know what dusky means, but here's a picture.
EDIT: Maybe the bib is a carryover from the fawn/white mix? Mine have big bibs, like a Robin.

 

[WhiteTreeOfGondor]

I don't know what dusky means, but here's a picture.
EDIT: Maybe the bib is a carryover from the fawn/white mix? Mine have big bibs, like a Robin.

Cute variety! Maybe that's so, I think there is a recessive bib gene too that isn't linked to black.

 

[Pyxis]

@Pyxis I need more insight again if you can!
The duckling is 4 weeks old and her chest feathers are indeed coming in white:
View attachment 3548992
But I just had 3 of her siblings hatch, 1 black and 2 chocolate, who also have the yellow on their chests.
View attachment 3549018
Since 2 are chocolate, the father must be my WH/KC who carries chocolate. That makes more sense anyway since my pure Welsh Harlequin has been separated for a good while. So I'm confused as to why they all have the bib. The father is a dusky, and I believe the mother must be too since she does not have a bib. So ducklings should all be dusky. This is the father and the mother:
View attachment 3549006
View attachment 3549012

Any ideas? Thanks!

Interesting! No other drake that could be carrying chocolate?

Has mom always had that smattering of white, or was she solid black and it has come in as she aged?

 

[Pollo Blanco]

Cute variety! Maybe that's so, I think there is a recessive bib gene too that isn't linked to black.

Thanks!
I'd love for all my ducks to look ridiculously different.

 

[WhiteTreeOfGondor]

Interesting! No other drake that could be carrying chocolate?

Has mom always had that smattering of white, or was she solid black and it has come in as she aged?

No, my Ancona drake has it but I'm 100% sure he has not been in with her.

I don't know if she hatched with the white since I bought her at around 4 months old. She had some white at the time but it has spread. This is a picture from today.

 

[Pyxis]

No, my Ancona drake has it but I'm 100% sure he has not been in with her.

I don't know if she hatched with the white since I bought her at around 4 months old. She had some white at the time but it has spread. This is a picture from today.

View attachment 3550594

I think that's it then - she's probably not actually dusky and the white is sort of her 'bib', but it's just not a well-patterned bib. If she had it at four months old, she must have feathered in with it, I would think.

White can come in on solid birds as they age, but it takes until their first serious molt at after a year old to start coming in, often longer than that. Older cayugas can end up turning almost all white.