Mallard x Buff Orpington Hybrid

[PotatoWaffles]

Oh, I didn't think about the green head. It could be Cayuga, genetics are pretty weird sometimes. By the second one, do you mean the female mallard colored one, or the fourth one, which is the second fawn/white runner cross? The fourth one looks pretty slim.

Haha I meant third one. I just edited my post lol. I should start using their names to help with confusion. The third one, Dickie, is the one I'm positive is mallard/runner, and he is the lightest. The pekin/mallard male Frankenduck is by far the heaviest. He is huuuuge. The pekin/mallard female Snowflake is short but heavy and very round. The last one that I'm not sure about, Mr. Duckie, is smaller than the pekin/mallard male, but is putting on more weight. To me he looks like he's shaped just like a mallard, but with a gray head lol.

This is Mr. Duckie (and Frankenduck) when they were adolescents. Duckie had feathers like a mallard pattern, but instead of black and brown, they were gray and brown.

 

[NathanZee]

Haha I meant third one. I just edited my post lol. I should start using their names to help with confusion. The third one, Dickie, is the one I'm positive is mallard/runner, and he is the lightest. The pekin/mallard male Frankenduck is by far the heaviest. He is huuuuge. The pekin/mallard female Snowflake is short but heavy and very round. The last one that I'm not sure about, Mr. Duckie, is smaller than the pekin/mallard male, but is putting on more weight. To me he looks like he's shaped just like a mallard, but with a gray head lol.

This is Mr. Duckie (and Frankenduck) when they were adolescents. Duckie had feathers like a mallard pattern, but instead of black and brown, they were gray and brown.

Oh I see now! I'm surprised Mr. Duckie can't fly, he looks just a little bit heavier than a mallard. I love how his feathers were as a juvenile, it would be fun to see a female of the same cross.

 

[PotatoWaffles]

Oh I see now! I'm surprised Mr. Duckie can't fly, he looks just a little bit heavier than a mallard. I love how his feathers were as a juvenile, it would be fun to see a female of the same cross.

I thought they were pretty too. Maybe he will have eclipse plumage that looks like that

 

[NathanZee]

I thought they were pretty too. Maybe he will have eclipse plumage that looks like that

I'm guessing it will. None of my ducks have gone into eclipse, they are too young, but from what I've read, eclipse is very similar to their juvenile plumage.

 

[PotatoWaffles]

I'm guessing it will. None of my ducks have gone into eclipse, they are too young, but from what I've read, eclipse is very similar to their juvenile plumage.

Yea I believe so. My mutts are young too, only about 4-5 months old. But maybe next fall they will eclipse maybe though, I don't know if being half pekin or runner will affect their ability to molt into eclipse plumage.

 

[NathanZee]

Yea I believe so. My mutts are young too, only about 4-5 months old. But maybe next fall they will eclipse

maybe though, I don't know if being half pekin or runner will affect their ability to molt into eclipse plumage.

Oh, younger than mine even then! Don't runners and pekins go into eclipse?

 

[PotatoWaffles]

Oh, younger than mine even then! Don't runners and pekins go into eclipse?

Well pekin are all white all the time all year round. They're like fat marshmallows I thought runners stayed the same color all year too. My Welsh harlequin male never changes color or loses his green head like my mallard does. I always just assumed it was a mallard thing.

 

[NathanZee]

Well pekin are all white all the time all year round. They're like fat marshmallows

I thought runners stayed the same color all year too. My Welsh harlequin male never changes color or loses his green head like my mallard does. I always just assumed it was a mallard thing.

Well yes, pekins and runners don't change colors, but they still do technically have a eclipse plumage, it just looks the same. That's strange your WH never changes. I've heard that all mallard derived ducks go into eclipse.

 

[PotatoWaffles]

Do they really? I had no idea. Pretty cool

 

[NathanZee]

Do they really? I had no idea. Pretty cool

I'm not positive, but I think so.