My Chocolate Calls :)

[easttxchick]

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All chocolate hens as they mature develope white feathers such as this one. Yes they will produce pure chocolate babies, but the hens wont stay like that for long. their first molt they get a few then even more as they get older. hope this helps. My good friend david touchette helped develope the color with Dr. darrel Sheraw, also my buddy

Yep, fact, jbourget. I just got a GORGEOUS pair of chocolates from duckluck about 2 weeks ago.
So many people get discouraged with the chocolates due to the "fading" of the color. I myself like to think that they go from dark chocolate to milk chocolate to a light mocha...

 

[ourlittleflock]

Quote:
2x - I love the look of the black/white one!!!

 

[jen5680]

I really don't mind the chocolate color with the white. I mean if they were all solid that would be great too but... I think it's cute so thanks for all the info about when they get older and that the babies being all chocolate ect!! That will be awesome!!!
What would happen if I put them with my whites too??? Are duck genetics the same as chicken genetics???
I still have lots to learn about these cute little ducks

 

[easttxchick]

Quote:
Strictly from the perspective of a Call enthusiast, I would keep the color lines pure simply because the Chocolates are relatively rare and need TONS of work on their type, etc.
That's just my opinion.

 

[jen5680]

So are duck genetics the same as chicken? If I only have these two to work with how is it going to help because they need something to help them lol..
But really, something has to be added to give them help right?

 

[70%cocoa]

If you cross them with a white duck you could end up with anything. White is the product of a recessive gene that in two doses turns the bird white all over and 'masks' other colours. White calls are supposed to be wild type (mallard pattern) under the white but you just don't know. So adding in a white bird is a fast way to introduce random and unwanted genes.

If you want to introduce diversity the best thing to do is to introduce another chocolate Call.

The next best thing is to introduce a black Call (as chocolates have all the genes for black plus a chocloate dilution gene that turns the black to chocolate, so black is the closest thing to chocolate). If you got a black drake then all the offspring the first time round would be black. But if you kept one of the sons (not daughters) and used that with the chocolate duck you have now half the offspring would be chocolate and half black. You could keep the chocolate ducks from this and breed them back to your original chocolate drake. It's one option if you just can't find any more decent chocolate ducks. As long as the black is from a pure line then ultimately the end result will be pure chocolates, genetically the same as the choc birds you have now.

 

[priss]

Beeeeautiful!

 

[duckluck]

Yes, chocolates will, but I was wondering by what I said was if they might also throw chocolate with white on them...that is, unless the OP knows the parents are both solid chocolate, in which case they just whited out with age. There are bibbed, magpies, etc. out there that can also throw white into offspring.

Jen, did you buy these from someone you know, or is their parentage unknown?

 

[jen5680]

I bought them at a show and didn't even think to ask about the parents like a dumb dumb
so I have no idea???
I have a friend that called a few days ago and said he picked me up a really nice pair at the
Iowa show and he is shipping on Monday. I can't wait to see what they look like!!
Thanks for the info Cocoa!!