whodatwheeler
Hatching
- Feb 25, 2015
- 5
- 0
- 7
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.
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.