Mystery runner color

[columbiacritter]

What I paid for was supposed to be 3 sexed hen runners, a blue, a black and a fawn & white. So far the only things I'm sure of is they are runner ducks and ones black.

Since they are 6 wks old and have yet to make a clear quack or a drake rasp their sex is a continuing mystery and now two are definitely color changing.

The blue, who was a gorgeous shad of blue grey is getting definite brown tones even when she/he hasn't been in the mud so I'm thinking chocolate runner.

Here's the trio

Here's the probably chocolate. Sorry her colors don't come thru good with my camera.

And the real mystery whose supposed to be fawn and white but seems to be growing in mostly grey feathers with odd white patches. She was a standard yellow duckling.

I won't get rid of them because their colors are different than I wanted but I won't keep more than one drake.

 

[FenDruadin]

Hmmm. Those are strange colors. The blue may yet be a true blue--sometimes blue does have a rusty tint to it--it's considered a fault, but doesn't mean it's not blue. The other though--definitely not a fawn/white...

I'm thinking that your seller had a mixed-color flock and made some assumptions about color that were not entirely correct. I have a duck that is a sort of off-white color that resulted from a fawn & white hen and, if I remember correctly, a blue drake... though I'm not completely sure on that--it's been a while. I also have some blues with a rusty tint that were from a similar combination. On the other hand, I have seen blues that have a rusty tint that were the result of blue x blue.

But since you have *two* that are not *quite* right--my guess is you received mixed-color ducks. I would definitely contact the breeder. Be nice about it, because it may well have been an honest mistake. But I'm sure she/he will want to know. And they'll probably make it right with you financially too. Of course, if they deceived you deliberately then you have my permission to not be nice.

 

[columbiacritter]

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I went thru a 3rd party, mostly to give a new organic farm store some business, but I know where they got them. If the colors aren't true, I will politely let them know. If they are drakes I will politely, but with bared teeth ask for my money back. Mostly I just want healthy runner hens.

 

[FenDruadin]

Another thought just occurred to me--the third one could be a silver/splash runner, sometimes treated as a dilute blue or just a blue (Holderread classes silver/splash as blue). The ducklings are very light, but I don't think they're necessarily yellow so... maybe not. Still, it looks from the pictures a lot like a silver.

 

[1lpoock]

I was thinking silver too. Also, the one is defiently not a chocolate...its a blue with some brown tinge, nothing wrong for a pet, but a fault for show birds. By 6 weeks you should hear loud quacks, but I would give it just a little more time.

 

[Mom2Munchkins]

I am no help, but just got my first runners too.

Do you have any pictures of them as babies?

 

[columbiacritter]

Quote:
Silly question. Who doesn't take pictures of their fuzzies?

Mystery color duck as 3 wk old

 

[L0rraine]

Here's my splash/silver Runners as babies and at 6 1/2 weeks. The parents were both blues so 1/4 of the babies would be expected to be splash/silver (never sure which to call them). I'm thinking they look pretty similar to yours. Your blue is a lovely shade (mine are darker -- almost black). I too have problems with brown tones and I've always wondered if it's because we have soooo much iron in our water here. I didn't notice the brown tones when I originally got the drake (as an adult) from Holderreads.

Gosh I just noticed how much much my grandson resembles me in this pic (my avatar is me 50+ years ago). Sorry to get off topic, just thinking out loud.

 

[columbiacritter]

Quote:
Oooo pretty, I hope mine turns out that nice. I have a ton of iron in my water too, we live at the base of Iron Mt.

Our mud is generally orange. I actually had to give up my love of showing Koi., the pretty pond fish, since iron makes them get black freckles.