Nate Vanwey Shamrock Farm WI Cayuga Duckling Questions

[wolfcat87]

I ordered some Cayuga duck hatching eggs about 2 months ago from Nate Vanwey of Shamrock Farm WI. They are 100% Dempsey pure Cayuga ducklings. All the pictures of his birds online are absolutely gorgeous. Got 18 eggs, 5 hatched. All from his C3 breeding pen. The eggs from the other pens never really developed, about 3 tried and quit by day 10. No blame there, it happens. 6 eggs from C3 developed into the late stages. One quit around day 25.

For some reason one of mine came out with a large white bib, three have yellow eye stripes, one has a yellow dot on its nose. They just turned 4 weeks old. I'll attach a picture of the one with the most white/yellow on it. You can see the type of eye stripes they have on that one as well. They have been turning all black except one that is still losing the yellow dot over her nose and this guy.

None of his Cayuga ducks in pictures have white, and a breeder from another site said they can't be pure and have a large white bib like this. Nate hasn't answered the two messages I've sent since the eggs arrived. One to say I got them and ask a question. Another to say which ones hatched and how many with a picture of the duckling with the most white. Not sure if something is going on with him. I'm just kind of sitting here really confused.

Curious about if other people bought cayuga hatching eggs or ducklings from him. Any hatch details? What pens if you got them this year? Did they also have yellow eye stripes, white chest, a yellow dot over the nose? If so, how do they look now and how old are they? Pictures from hatch to adulthood are all appreciated.

Added a picture of his breeding set up.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Does this person have other breeds too? I'd say they aren't Cayuga maybe mixed but not pure.
Just replying to get your thread back up where others can see.

@shawluvsbirds has Cayuga hopefully she'll see this tag.

I tried looking this person up and there isn't anything.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

I ordered some Cayuga duck hatching eggs about 2 months ago from Nate Vanwey of Shamrock Farm WI. They are supposed to be 100% Dempsey pure Cayuga ducklings. All the pictures of his birds online are absolutely gorgeous. Got 18 eggs, 5 hatched. All from his C3 breeding pen. The eggs from the other pens never really developed, about 3 tried and quit by day 10. No blame there, it happens. All 6 eggs from C3 developed into the late stages. One quit around day 25.

For some reason one of mine came out with a large white bib, three have yellow eye stripes, one has a yellow dot on its nose. They just turned 4 weeks old. I'll attach a picture of the one with the most white/yellow on it. You can see the type of eye stripes they have on that one as well.

None of his Cayuga ducks in pictures have white, and a breeder from another site said they can't be pure and have a large white bib like this. Nate hasn't answered the two messages I've sent since the eggs arrived. One to say I got them and ask a question. Another to say which ones hatched and how many with a picture of the duckling with the most white. Not sure if something is going on with him. I'm just kind of sitting here really confused.

Curious about if other people bought cayuga hatching eggs or ducklings from him. Any hatch details? What pens if you got them this year? Did they also have yellow eye stripes, white chest, a yellow dot over the nose? If so, how do they look now and how old are they? Pictures from hatch to adulthood are all appreciated.

Hmm. Cayugas do get white feathers as they age but I've not had any have white as youngins. Or eye stripes. Sometimes they do have some yellowish down on the bib area but not as prominate as yours. My Drake is half Rouen, but my girls are full cayuga and here's what their ducklings look like.

 

[wolfcat87]

Does this person have other breeds too? I'd say they aren't Cayuga maybe mixed but not pure.
Just replying to get your thread back up where others can see.

@shawluvsbirds has Cayuga hopefully she'll see this tag.

I tried looking this person up and there isn't anything.

There are some references to him on this site, and I found him on the Exhibition Cayuga Duck Breeders page on Facebook. He has Magpie, Buff, Pekin, Muscovy. Maybe White Call and Black East Indie.

The black on these cayuga babies feathers, beaks, and feet is certainly glossier and deeper than the black on my two from a North40 farm supply store, and I'm already seeing iridescent feathers come through. The yellow/white is just bizarre.

https://www.shamrockfarmwi.com/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/349671553564062

 

[Miss Lydia]

Well what ever yours are they sure are adorable. But I'd say he owes you some pure Cayuga eggs.

 

[wolfcat87]

I got a hold of him. He says they are pure, it's just the lines.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Well, thats interesting. Hope you'll post pics along the way so we can see the changes they are going to make as they molt into their adult feathers. .

 

[wolfcat87]

Here are some updated pictures. The one boy did keep white on him. The other 3 boys are solid black, and the girl is nearly solid black except a tiny bit of white feathering above her nose that's been getting smaller and smaller with age. I went away for 5 days and couldn't tell her from the boys because it's even less now.

 

[Miss Lydia]

They are gorgeous! thanks for sharing.