Mixed ducklings… did we just get unlucky?

[DuckyMama4]

An extra of our coop baby too! It’s sibling looks identical from what I can tell… mama doesn't like when I get close. Lol.

 

[Miss Lydia]

How precious

 

[DuckyMama4]

That looks like the KC.

I thought it looked very KC also, much darker then our drake was as a duckling. I was not expecting to see one resemble him!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Nice thing about mixes they can come out with both traits of parents, it will be fun to see how these feather out, be sure to post pics.

 

[DuckyMama4]

Hatchling #7 is fluffing up nicely! Another KC looking baby… much lighter then the other one! I will have to compare again tomorrow and get better photos!

 

[Miss Lydia]

So precious

 

[cheezenkwackers]

Since all of your females are most likely not carrying sex-linked brown, but your drake is, you have sex-linked ducklings. The white duck is the questionable one. So, all of the brownish ducklings are girls. The darker, blacker ones are boys. The ones with facial stripes are most likely from you Welsh or Rouen. These were ducklings from my Welsh hen x Khaki drake:

I believe the solid ducklings are most likely from your white duck. She probably carries dusky, like the Khaki, which is a recessive trait so both parents have to have it. It results in no facial stripes. They are adorable!

 

[DuckyMama4]

Oh this is wonderful news!!! I knew the khaki drake to Welsh hen would make sex linked ducklings. I haven’t been able to find much on the khaki Rouen cross though. If the Rouen and khaki cross is also sex linked then yippy!! That would put us at 4 boys, 4 girls and then the KC looking ones. Most of these ducklings have homes already so the ratio here will stay in balance.

I’ve been trying to get the basics of duck genetics but with the ducklings hatching, having two in the coop with a mama who is still sitting, another broody who is also still sitting- and doing great with the babies even though they aren’t “hers”, it’s just been impossible to wrap my brain around it right now.

I have been trying to determine which “set” of babies came from who. Comparing things like the eye stripes, foot/leg color, bill color (top and underside), egg size they hatched from… anything I possibly can. The one with the orange splashes on the feet just makes me question everything I think I have figured out. Lol!

After putting some real thought in about the eggs in the nests the last month, I do believe we just got really unlucky with getting Swedish or pekin eggs in the mix. We started with one nest in one corner that my Welsh and Rouen were sharing. I’m assuming most of their eggs ended up there. Then we had another nest behind it, in another corner, that I believe our pekin was laying in. She often pretends like she wants to sit but never makes it more then a day or two. Our black Swedish, I think, prefers a corner outside of the coop so the majority of her eggs probably never made it into a nest. The “front” nest and eggs ended up divided into two and my Welsh and Rouen would each sit on one, often switching up which one they sat on. Lol. Most of the eggs in the incubator came from the middle nest after it was left alone for an entire day. The two babies in the coop hatched from the front nest. Most of the eggs from the back nest were either not fertile or pulled before they had started developing.

 

[cheezenkwackers]

Oh this is wonderful news!!! I knew the khaki drake to Welsh hen would make sex linked ducklings. I haven’t been able to find much on the khaki Rouen cross though. If the Rouen and khaki cross is also sex linked then yippy!! That would put us at 4 boys, 4 girls and then the KC looking ones. Most of these ducklings have homes already so the ratio here will stay in balance.

I’ve been trying to get the basics of duck genetics but with the ducklings hatching, having two in the coop with a mama who is still sitting, another broody who is also still sitting- and doing great with the babies even though they aren’t “hers”, it’s just been impossible to wrap my brain around it right now.

I have been trying to determine which “set” of babies came from who. Comparing things like the eye stripes, foot/leg color, bill color (top and underside), egg size they hatched from… anything I possibly can. The one with the orange splashes on the feet just makes me question everything I think I have figured out. Lol!

After putting some real thought in about the eggs in the nests the last month, I do believe we just got really unlucky with getting Swedish or pekin eggs in the mix. We started with one nest in one corner that my Welsh and Rouen were sharing. I’m assuming most of their eggs ended up there. Then we had another nest behind it, in another corner, that I believe our pekin was laying in. She often pretends like she wants to sit but never makes it more then a day or two. Our black Swedish, I think, prefers a corner outside of the coop so the majority of her eggs probably never made it into a nest. The “front” nest and eggs ended up divided into two and my Welsh and Rouen would each sit on one, often switching up which one they sat on. Lol. Most of the eggs in the incubator came from the middle nest after it was left alone for an entire day. The two babies in the coop hatched from the front nest. Most of the eggs from the back nest were either not fertile or pulled before they had started developing.

The solid ducklings are most likely sex-linked as well. Only one of my khaki/Welsh ducklings pictured above lived to adulthood (friend had raccoons break in) but she is really pretty. She looks like a lighter Khaki with facial stripes. She is on the far right of both pictures.

 

[DuckyMama4]

She is beautiful! Is the drake and Welsh hen in the first photo her parents? All of them are very pretty!

Ahh! Really?! I was just doing some more reading to trying to get my head around it. Lol! I also found the calculator. That is nifty!

I see now why you think the solid ones came from the pekin, if she carries dusky. So interesting!

If we ever do end up with hatchlings from the Swedish is it safe to assume they would have the wing tips and eye brows as ducklings? I do see that as adults they would look like the Swedish with the hens being brown and the drakes being black.

We have a couple of family members who would really love a Swedish looking duck or two. If I knew for sure that the Swedish’s ducklings would have those traits it would be much easier to fulfill their request. Lol!

Thank you so much for the help! I think I am starting to get a better understanding of it!