Muscovy Duck Color Guesses?

[Pickled Plaid]

Background: We were given a box of ducklings the end of June, with very little information known about parents.

The Dilemma: The little fluffs are all feathered out now, and one in particular is stumping me. He was an unremarkable, solid yellow baby with two blue eyes (the only one), and I expected a solid white duck...which he is not!

His actual tail feathers grew in tipped in a copper color, almost like he's rippled, but not like any pictures I've seen. The feathers between his wings are tipped in a much more muted tone of copper. His wing feathers though, look like they were painted with watercolors in very subtle shades of muted copper.

The person who gave me the ducklings swears no lavender, but has three rippled ones. I'm new to duck genetics and Muscovies, but I'd like to understand what is behind his surprising and beautiful color!


First picture is him while wet. I know he just looks dirty! I swear the smudges don't wash off!

Second and third pictures are of him while dry.

Apologies if this is pure ignorance on my part, I just can't find any other comparable colored ducks with my Googling.

 

[townchicks]

I don't know anything about duck colors, but he sure is pretty.

 

[Ducklover77]

Wow the ducks is so beautiful I'm not an expert but someone on here will be able to help you I'm sure

Background: We were given a box of ducklings the end of June, with very little information known about parents.

The Dilemma: The little fluffs are all feathered out now, and one in particular is stumping me. He was an unremarkable, solid yellow baby with two blue eyes (the only one), and I expected a solid white duck...which he is not!

His actual tail feathers grew in tipped in a copper color, almost like he's rippled, but not like any pictures I've seen. The feathers between his wings are tipped in a much more muted tone of copper. His wing feathers though, look like they were painted with watercolors in very subtle shades of muted copper.

The person who gave me the ducklings swears no lavender, but has three rippled ones. I'm new to duck genetics and Muscovies, but I'd like to understand what is behind his surprising and beautiful color!

View attachment 1896945 View attachment 1896946 View attachment 1896947
First picture is him while wet. I know he just looks dirty! I swear the smudges don't wash off!

Second and third pictures are of him while dry.

Apologies if this is pure ignorance on my part, I just can't find any other comparable colored ducks with my Googling.

 

[Muscovy-palooza]

I can't say for sure since I have never had a white muscovy with such dark coloring in spots. However, I have been watching a few of my cute little yellow muscovy ducklings morph into snow white beauties. It seems as though some turn overnight. We currently have two that have a beautiful buff color mottled throughout their feathers. The third has already turned white. They are about 3 1/2 months.

 

[Pickled Plaid]

View attachment 1896998 View attachment 1896999 I can't say for sure since I have never had a white muscovy with such dark coloring in spots. However, I have been watching a few of my cute little yellow muscovy ducklings morph into snow white beauties. It seems as though some turn overnight. We currently have two that have a beautiful buff color mottled throughout their feathers. The third has already turned white. They are about 3 1/2 months.

Your babies are beautiful! I've not ever seen a buff swirl coloration like yours. Muscovy babies are so fascinating to watch grow and feather out. It seems like they change every day. One day they fit in your hand, the next it seems like they're angsty adolescents.

 

[Miss Lydia]

They sure are pretty!

 

[Pickled Plaid]

I found some other pictures of my little guy. It's really hard to take a picture that accurately captures his color! I admittedly thought the color on his tail was due to an overproduction of oil when I first noticed it. But then he feathered out more, and the color is visible elsewhere (just not as dark). His beak and early start of caruncles are both bright pink, and his feet and legs are almost an orange creamsicle color. I guess I'm sort of wondering if he could be an unusually diluted chocolate ripple? His breeder has a huge mixed flock and there are a lot of genetic possibilities.



Another duckling in the same box looked like a black barred, and ended up feathering out in a magpie pattern, with thin white circles on his black back feathers, along with one blue eye and one green eye...(that's Monet in the foreground, his brother behind him has crazy color margins - so much so that we named him Rorschak)


Here's an older, top down picture of Monet:

 

[Miss Lydia]

Beautiful! if your trying decide what color @learycow can help.

 

[learycow]

Do you know what color parents?
He does appear to be barred so thats a start!
I would guess a buff, heavily pied as theres so much white on him. You can breed to a black to find out though!

 

[Pickled Plaid]

Do you know what color parents?
He does appear to be barred so thats a start!
I would guess a buff, heavily pied as theres so much white on him. You can breed to a black to find out though!

Thank you for weighing in! I wish I knew for sure about his parents, but the lady who gave us the box of ducklings doesn't separate her ducks into breeding groups, it's one big flock. They're all Muscovies, but she has just about every color and pattern possibility minus lavender. She does have a few ripples.

Sorry for sounding ignorant, but I thought barring was only in white. The dark copper edge to his tail feathers threw me for a loop! There is a black barred, bibbed, lightly pied female he spends most of his time with, should I let them pair up as they get older?