Mystery ducks?

[ThreeWillows]

Very welcome...

And btw, those very well could be the parents... or part of the parents... blue gene in drakes dilutes the green head to steel grey or charcoal and also dilutes/washes out/fades the speculum (blue wingbar)...

It'll be interesting to see if this duckling is male or female.

 

[Ravynscroft]

By the way, for anyone reading this thread, as I understand it, the silver appleyard call duck (not to be confused with the silver appleyard bantam, which is what Chickens Really has) looks like this (Note that this is more similar to the color pattern of my duck. But, it has the correct call body):

View attachment 1056728

Derek Wheeler at Wheeler farms raises them, and he also raises Miniature Silver Appleyards, aka Silver Bantams), which look like this:

View attachment 1056732

He also has full size silver appleyard ducks, which have a similar color pattern to the call, but not the bantam.

What I had ordered were silver appleyard CALLS. Like Derek's. I had ordered some eggs from him, but they didn't hatch. As hatchlings, they should look like the large appleyards (to the best of my knowledge, light restricted mallard--yellow with a dark mohawk and tail patch--but I've never hatched any, apparently, and so I'm not sure about this. Would love some clarity). The birds on this thread do look similar to the ones I hatched, at least in color:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/silver-appleyard-versus-snowy.308832/

It doesn't help that people use the names so interchangeably, or that some people do not realize that there is both a bantam and a call. And, that the color pattern for each is different. To my knowledge, light restricted vs. harlequin dusky.

Sigh. The one thing I know for sure is that my "mystery duck" doesn't have the correct body conformation for a call duck, nor the correct coloring for a bantam. So, either way, unless someone who knows a lot about the genetics of both can tell me otherwise, I think she is not what she is supposed to be...

And looks like you helped me as well!!

I've given up trying to understand Call colors and patterns. Too many differences from US to UK, name this color this, and that color that, but here its this, and there its that.

Best of luck to you breeders that understand it all!

My main reason for commenting was just to say they are all beautiful!!

WV, remember this girl?

And see the first pic in ThreeWillows post I quoted? Looks like I might have created a Silver Appleyard Call, lol.

 

[WVduckchick]

And looks like you helped me as well!!



WV, remember this girl?

View attachment 1059603 View attachment 1059605

And see the first pic in ThreeWillows post I quoted? Looks like I might have created a Silver Appleyard Call, lol.

Holy smokes! That's awesome! But now what do you mate her with to keep the pattern?

 

[ThreeWillows]

Pretty! That's pretty much what I thought I was getting! There are people working with the Appleyard calls (Oak Grove Poultry in Wis. had one of the nicest pics--the website isn't working but here's one of her birds on google images):

 

[luvmyduckies]

And looks like you helped me as well!!



WV, remember this girl?

View attachment 1059603 View attachment 1059605

And see the first pic in ThreeWillows post I quoted? Looks like I might have created a Silver Appleyard Call, lol.

SO PRETTY

 

[WVduckchick]

Pretty! That's pretty much what I thought I was getting! There are people working with the Appleyard calls (Oak Grove Poultry in Wis. had one of the nicest pics--the website isn't working but here's one of her birds on google images):

 

[Ravynscroft]

Holy smokes! That's awesome! But now what do you mate her with to keep the pattern?

Oddly enough, I have a drake that's similar to her we hadn't figured out what he is either... but, he has a blue gene as well... his duckling down was slightly different, but similar to ThreeWillows duckling, lol... I will have to see if I can dig it up, but here he is now... please forgive him and the Snowy drakes next to him, they're eclipsing right now, lol...

He's the middle one of the three side by side...

Pretty! That's pretty much what I thought I was getting! There are people working with the Appleyard calls (Oak Grove Poultry in Wis. had one of the nicest pics--the website isn't working but here's one of her birds on google images):

Yep, I am familiar with Oak Grove, and ran into the same issue of links leading to a no longer existing website...
I just hadn't looked up about Appleyard since I didn't have the need before... my young girls' duckling down pattern almost matches the other 2 you hatched out even...

She is the middle top one, note the finer eye stripe and the brighter/more yellow than a standard grey duckling... this was something new to me, so I have been tracking her development... I believe now this is light phase grey (or wildtype)...

Now, the down color you were expecting for a mini SA is one I am quite familiar with too... the harlequin dusky duckling down pattern is what my Snowy Call line hatches out with... yellow down and smoked head and tail...

The smoked can extend across the entire body and can vary in amount (lightly or heavily smoked) but always the head and tail at minimum...

So now I need to do more research, lol... and very much would love to keep in touch and see how yours grows out...

Also, if you don't mind, I am curious as to where you sourced the original eggs from? Feel free to PM me if you'd rather not post it openly, I am just curious...

SO PRETTY

Thank you...

 

[ThreeWillows]

Very interesting! Yes, your female duckling does resemble the ones I hatched out. I am almost sorry I rehomed the others now. It would have been interesting to see how they feathered out.

Sending you a PM with the breeder info.

 

[Ravynscroft]

Yeah, would have been neat to compare them... but at least the mystery is solved!

 

[ThreeWillows]

Adult pic. ☺