Mixed Breed Ducks!

[Orca5094]

I love the idea of this thread as well! I hope more people with mixed breeds chime in soon.

These are my 3 mixed-breed girls (Cayuga mom, Rouen dad):


When I wanted to start a small flock of ducks here, it was very difficult to find any at all. I had to order Cayuga duck eggs and have them shipped from southern Sweden. Out of a total of 24 eggs, I got two female Cayugas that hatched successfully. Needless to say, I will never do shipped eggs again. Very sad experience (and expensive!). I then found an ad posted by a lady who lived not too far from me who had a couple of male ducklings for sale. I ended up bringing one home, he was a Rouen. The following Spring (last year) I stuck 8 of their eggs in my incubator and all 8 hatched! I kept the above 3 females and sold the rest since I wanted to keep my flock fairly small. I love my sweet mixed-breed girls! And they are excellent layers! They started laying in January this year and just stopped last week.

 

[Welshies]

I got bitten by the duck bug, so we had to cull the pure Rouen and RouenxRunner because they were bullying the others... But, I'm culling the silver drake and instead getting a Rouen drake and hen, and two WHs. :/ Keeping the silver mixed breed for sure, but the demand for ducklings in my part of the country is so high for pure breeds, I am keeping mostly pure breeds. Might hatch a few RouenxWH for cute layers though!

 

[neetabeamie]

This is an awesome thread.

 

[cheezenkwackers]

This is Salsa. He is a Khaki Campbell/ Silver Appleyard cross. I have 4 pure Khakis but he is my favorite.

 

[Bills vs Beaks]

He looks like a very fine duck.I assume he is larger than a normal KC?

 

[grannyjen]

 

[grannyjen]

Sorry. Forgot to add info this is my duck which i think is a buff Orpington with the head of my drake. He was a rescue. And looked like a buff female until he got a bit older. I'm hoping the are a buff pair. But who knows. I will try to get a better pic of both.

 

[cheezenkwackers]

I thought he would be also, but so far he is not. He is only 14 weeks olds but he is currently just a little bigger than his female Khaki hatch mates (next to him). He is about the same size as my 9 month old Khaki drake (back of the photo, behind the fence). He looks a lot like a Khaki now but he had facial stripes when he hatched, his speculums are larger and more blue, and under his wings is pure white. The people I got the eggs from only have Khaki Campbells and Silver Appleyards and none of their Khaki ducklings ever had facial stripes before. They think that he is the offspring of a Khaki female and an Appleyard drake. I wonder if he would be bigger if his drake was the Khaki? In the "Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks" it says that sires of productive layers produce hens which are also productive in hybrid crosses. Is that because productivity is sex-linked or is it possible that size depends more on the hen? Anyone know?
Grannyjen, your ducks are very pretty!

 

[Miss Lydia]

This is Salsa. He is a Khaki Campbell/ Silver Appleyard cross. I have 4 pure Khakis but he is my favorite.

@cheezenkwackers Salsa is gorgeous

 

[luvmyduckies]

I have 6 khakis 2 pekinsI have a couple of Rouen/Runners mixes. A couple of I think Rouen. 4 black n whites that I have no idea what they are. Is there such a thing as a Magpie? 2 Appleyards a a 4 month old mix from 2 of my ducks