Question about crested ducks??*picture added*

[dipence71]

I was reading on another post about crested ducks and I got to wondering. Is this what I call a Mohawk on their head? Is it really a deformity? I have 5 magpie ducks and 2 of them have what my girls an I lovingly call mohawks. One is Zorro, has the black mask on it's eyes. The other is Dotti, DD11 named her because she at the time was the only one with dots all over the bill. They have had them since we got them although they are more pronounce now that they are much bigger.
I have no intention of breeding them but if there is a mix of male female they will do the deed themselves as they are on our pond now,(well mostly).
We put them on the pond early July and a few days ago started coming back to the house(where the chicken coop is they use to live at with my chickens until the were big enough to go to the pond) DH 's bright idea.

I just herded them back to the pond by myself this am(this is the 2cd time the first time I had help from Dh & DD11)(DH called from work to tell me to herd them back to the pond because our indoor dogs go out in the fence and that is where the ducks have decided to come back to, and DD11 is still in bed,I should have gotten her up and will next time as I expect it will continue) and now I am exhausted they are quick little farts and don't go where you want them to...lol
My problem is I don't have the time to do this everyday and if I leave them up here I am afraid they will destroy the garden sooo... And when I go back to work (laid off for summer) I have to be at work by 6-6:30 am and there is NO way I can keep this up.
#1 I am too old for all the running

#2 To much other crap to do

#3 Just don't want to lol

Any suggestions??

 

[Dances with Ducks]

I have a duck proof fence around my garden - the first year it was just a temporary wire fence held up with stakes. Doesn't need to be any more than two feet tall.

 

[dipence71]

So is this considered a crested duck.
It is a Magpie.

 

[Goat_Walker]

You have a Magpie named Zorro? thats what I was going to name one of my mag cross Ducklings! Hehe , just thought id add. he has a jet black cap that comes to below the eyes yet above the bill, and even a black cape on his back

 

[Dances with Ducks]

Yes, that's a crested Magpie! What a cutie! And your daughter is adorable too!! Does that duck have a white line around her head? - amazing!

 

[dipence71]

Quote:
I never even thought about 2 of my 5 being "crested' I just thought it was some weird mohawk thing LOL. Now I feel special.
Thanks you I think she is adorable as well.
Yes a white line around her head, maybe her crown lol..

I got all 5 at the farm and home store and they looked like pretty normal duckling but as they got bigger two had mohawks (I guess crests) LOL.

Is it normal or unusual for them to be crested. My first time with ducks.

How do you tell male from female? Is it by their quack as I have heard or is there a different way to tell????

P.S. They keep coming home every couple days from the pond so guess they miss the chickens lol.

 

[dipence71]

Oh and when do ducks lay eggs??

 

[Dances with Ducks]

Quote:
I never even thought about 2 of my 5 being "crested' I just thought it was some weird mohawk thing LOL. Now I feel special.
Thanks you I think she is adorable as well.
Yes a white line around her head, maybe her crown lol..

I got all 5 at the farm and home store and they looked like pretty normal duckling but as they got bigger two had mohawks (I guess crests) LOL.

Is it normal or unusual for them to be crested. My first time with ducks.

How do you tell male from female? Is it by their quack as I have heard or is there a different way to tell????

P.S. They keep coming home every couple days from the pond so guess they miss the chickens lol.

A crown, or maybe a halo that just slipped a bit!
Crested show up every once in a while.
There is a "Sticky" at the top of the duck forum give some clues on sexing your ducklings. I was just going to ask if you had both male and female crested, because that's when you have a problem. If one of them turns out to be a male you might not want him to breed with the females because a certain percentage of the ducklings could have some bad deformaties and/or die.

 

[Dances with Ducks]

Ducks can start laying at twenty weeks. If that happens to be in winter they may take longer because they also need a certain amount of daylight to stimulate egg laying.

 

[dipence71]

I am off to go "listen" to my ducks to see who is female/male. I know I have one rasper but cant remember which one it is. And i know Zorro is definitely a she as she is quit vocal.