Hi, all! I'm a newbie with a question, something that's been puzzling me for some time.
One of the local feed stores got a bunch of ducklings from a hatchery last Spring. We bought some that were supposedly Pekins. Three of them wound up looking just like our other Pekins, but there is one that is quite different. Her legs are a bit shorter, and her neck a lot shorter than those of the other birds. She also has the biggest mouth of any duck I have ever met! She is very loud, and quacks all the time. This past summer, I frequently saw her panting during the hottest part of the day, and she made a soft quacking sound with every breath. I thought that maybe if I could count the number of quacks per minute and graph it all out, I would have a way to tell the temperature without looking at the thermometer!
I have heard that Call ducks are supposed to be very talkative, and the shorter body parts certainly suggest Call body type. But can she possibly be a Pekin/Call cross? I'd have thought that the difference in size would have made such a thing nearly impossible! I know some hatcheries may not have the typiest birds, but I'd think it would be pretty hard to get Pekins and Calls mixed up.
So what do you think? Is it possible, or do I just have a weird duck?
One of the local feed stores got a bunch of ducklings from a hatchery last Spring. We bought some that were supposedly Pekins. Three of them wound up looking just like our other Pekins, but there is one that is quite different. Her legs are a bit shorter, and her neck a lot shorter than those of the other birds. She also has the biggest mouth of any duck I have ever met! She is very loud, and quacks all the time. This past summer, I frequently saw her panting during the hottest part of the day, and she made a soft quacking sound with every breath. I thought that maybe if I could count the number of quacks per minute and graph it all out, I would have a way to tell the temperature without looking at the thermometer!
I have heard that Call ducks are supposed to be very talkative, and the shorter body parts certainly suggest Call body type. But can she possibly be a Pekin/Call cross? I'd have thought that the difference in size would have made such a thing nearly impossible! I know some hatcheries may not have the typiest birds, but I'd think it would be pretty hard to get Pekins and Calls mixed up.
So what do you think? Is it possible, or do I just have a weird duck?
