purebred Cayuga or mutt(s)?

[saphrose]

We just purchased our first Cayuga ducks this year (my son has been wanting some for years) and are beginning to wonder if the Cayuga ducks we purchased through our local feed store really are full blooded Cayugas. Although they all started out with black bills and legs (black feathers too except for the chest which was a dark yellowish brown on all of them), we've noticed that the bill of at least one of them is most definitely a yellowish green with a black tip and the feet and legs are taking on an orangish hue. The rest of the duck is the characteristic black/iridescent green of Cayugas. The ducks, which are now six weeks old, have access to plenty of grass and weeds so we thought that the green was just discoloration from foraging, but it's become such a uniform color except for the distinctive tip, we're no longer certain. I just noticed the orange hue on his legs today so that isn't as obvious. We've noticed a similar color on the side or tips of several other ducks but haven't been able to check the leg color as they are incredibly skittish despite our best efforts to work with them from the time we got them at a day old (by this age our Australorp chickens purchased from a different feed store were eating out of our hands and climbing all over my son - perhaps just a chicken vs duck thing?). Is this coloration possible in Cayugas? Or is he a Cayuga mix from some unknown hatchery? The feed store I purchased them from said they might have come from a Riker (sp?) Hatchery but refused to confirm this for me.

 

[Miss Lydia]

We just purchased our first Cayuga ducks this year (my son has been wanting some for years) and are beginning to wonder if the Cayuga ducks we purchased through our local feed store really are full blooded Cayugas. Although they all started out with black bills and legs (black feathers too except for the chest which was a dark yellowish brown on all of them), we've noticed that the bill of at least one of them is most definitely a yellowish green with a black tip and the feet and legs are taking on an orangish hue. The rest of the duck is the characteristic black/iridescent green of Cayugas. The ducks, which are now six weeks old, have access to plenty of grass and weeds so we thought that the green was just discoloration from foraging, but it's become such a uniform color except for the distinctive tip, we're no longer certain. I just noticed the orange hue on his legs today so that isn't as obvious. We've noticed a similar color on the side or tips of several other ducks but haven't been able to check the leg color as they are incredibly skittish despite our best efforts to work with them from the time we got them at a day old (by this age our Australorp chickens purchased from a different feed store were eating out of our hands and climbing all over my son - perhaps just a chicken vs duck thing?). Is this coloration possible in Cayugas? Or is he a Cayuga mix from some unknown hatchery? The feed store I purchased them from said they might have come from a Riker (sp?) Hatchery but refused to confirm this for me.

Welcome to BYC

The best way for us to help is for you to post pics. I don't think many hatcheries sell mixed breed ducks but they may not match up to SOP so some good pics will help us help you.