Mallard x Buff Orpington Hybrid

[schatze]

My buff/snowy mallards are now one month old. I'm starting to integrate them more with the older ducks who wanted nothing to do with them before. They're now getting curious about them since they're close to all being the same size.

 

[AxolotlLove]

Beautiful!

 

[NathanZee]

They are really pretty! I forgot, were they raised by a broody or hatched in a incubator?

 

[AxolotlLove]

Holly is getting so big! I'll have to take pics tomorrow

 

[schatze]

They are really pretty! I forgot, were they raised by a broody or hatched in a incubator?

Both. One of my broody hens moved the buried duck eggs over with her eggs and sat on them. When they didn't hatch after 3 weeks, I went to remove them, saw they were duck eggs, and I candled them because I didn't think they were fertile. Since that hen has a history of killing chicks that don't look like her, I put the eggs into the incubator, and they hatched two days later.

 

[schatze]

The ducks have changed even more and are starting to lose the fuzz on their heads.

Tellie (on the far left) is rasping, and Bruiser (next to Tellie) is quacking. Nibbles and Sterling are still making their squeaking noises. One of them whistles, but I haven't been able to figure out who.

 

[schatze]

It's flooding outside, so I put them in the tub for the first time in over a week. They were so excited that all of them apart from Tellie started quacking! Three girls and a boy! Is this why they'd all follow him? Are males dominant from hatch (if there's no duck mom)?

 

[NathanZee]

@schatze they are getting more beautiful all the time! That's great you got 3 females and one male! I don't think males are usually dominant, some of my hens are dominant over the drakes and they are adults.

 

[AxolotlLove]

Love those babies!

 

[schatze]

The latest. They're getting slightly better with looking in one direction while staying still. Just slightly.