Not unlike many others, I have decided to jump on the bandwagon and try my hand at raising some ducklings this year. Last year I successfully raised one Pekin duckling and 9 chicks. I figure that even though my Pekin is happy living with the chickens maybe she would also enjoy the company of some other ducks. I also really love the eggs. I purchased 10 babies from my local feed store. I know for a fact that they order from Ideal Poultry and their list of breeds is fairly long: Buff Cayuga Khaki Campbell Black East India Black and White Magpie Gray Mallard Snowy Mallard Pekin Rouen Black Runner Fawn and White Runner Blue Swedish Some of these I know what breed they are and others have left me guessing. I thought maybe it was time to ask the experts! Without further ado, here's my peep squad: "Dirty" - My first impression was that this little one was possibly a Welsh Harlequin, but Ideal doesn't sell those. My next best guess would be Snowy Mallard, though the coloring is weak for one of those. This is the smallest duckling out of the bunch. "The Quads" - The flash in the photo makes them look very washed out. They are all colored much like the duckling on the far left. They're almost like a greenish color up close. My best guess would be Khaki Campbell. These guys are small. "Blackie" - Possibly Black East Indie or Cayuga (though I don't know if Cayugas have a bib like that when they're young). I would include a Runner in the options but I don't feel like the posture is right for a Runner. This baby is also quite big. "Baja" - Could be another Snow Mallard, maybe a Buff? I really don't know... "Topknot" - This is the only crested baby I got. Unfortunately you can't really see the crest in the photo. S/he appears to be totally white, though sometimes I feel like I can see a darker color on the head. Ideal sells crested Pekins, which would make the most sense if s/he's all white. If not, the only other crested breed that is light colored is the Buff. "Smokey" - This one throws me for a loop too, because I see darker color around the head and tail area and the chest looks white compared to the rest of the body. Could it be that this baby is a Buff or Fawn/White Runner? "Duckie Jr" - Last but not least, this baby is the most "normal" of all. I really believe this one is a Pekin. It's quite large in comparison to all the other ducklings.
I am not a breed expert, but I enjoy guessing! Dirty might be a Buff, Baja, too Blackie looks like a Swedish to me, with that bib Smokey - magpie? The rest look to me like what you are thinking. sigh. babies. Ahem. So. You have all the duckling management stuff handled, yes? water? food? temperature? security? Goodness, I get all maternal when I see or hear little peeps.
Oh yes of course, I have them in a great setup after reading through probably a hundred different websites and threads here about what to do and how to raise them successfully. I know this may seem a little crazy but because the weather is so poor right now (30-50 degrees and random showers) I have all of my young'ns in my laundry room. Heating lamps installed and I actually found a great way to keep my ducks with water without them being able to soak themselves with it... and of course food and bedding are taken care of. I use aspen shavings for all my birds. Aspen seems to be the least dusty for sensitive respiratory systems. I just have my fingers crossed that they are mostly females. I don't have any "use" for a drake, which would mean they'd have to find another home if they were boys.
Ah, you say no use for a boy, but honestly if I didn't want the eggs I would keep a few boys instead. The girls are noisy and bossy. Not to mention the boys are generally nicer to look at. LOL.
I agree the girls are loud and obnoxious but I live on 150 acre ranch and have four-five households including my own that either wants duck in the freezer or duck eggs for breakfast. We don't tend to simply keep animals as pets, they have to serve a purpose...
