Questions about different duck breeds

[PatriciafromCO]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/silver-appleyard-ducks.1368809/post-23321131

and there is some post of pictures of the new hatchlings,

 

[Papaye]

Hi!

Your ducks are beautiful.

Thank you.

The Cayuga looks so much like the black runner duck I bought off of a man but mine is not quacking, instead I hear that darn raspy voice as it is a male, lol.

Yeah... I have Cayuga AND Black Indian Runner ducks eggs underneath a broody hen...
...they should hatch... maybe today, if I'm lucky?

...I so don't know HOW I will be able to differenciate the Cayuga ducklings from the Black Runner ones, the first few days...!!
(If they really hatch at least, since the eggs are shipped ones...)

Mine is a Runner Duck and it came from a flock of all different types of ducks mixed together so I am not sure what type of Runner other than black with a shinny chest now where the fuzz is starting to get replaced by its feathers.

"Black with a shinny chest"...?
Do you mean he had yellow fluff on the chest, or just he is so black is chest is litteraly shiny?

How old is he? Maybe he is a she, and still has not quacked?
(I have found one of my 2-months-old duckling I thought was a drakelet was quacking some days ago - so late! -, and so was actually a ducklet.)

I would like to see a picture...!

You are fortunate to have 2 Hens.

Yes.
Because for the time being, I still have 18 drakelets to find a home to, so more drakes would be a bit too much...
At least considering my limited number of hens...!

(But I would not mind a Cayuga drake, since they look so cute and beautiful.)

Friendly ( am not one to cuddle with them, if I need to handle them they are very confident and trusting to sit in your lap doing first aid stuff. They respond very well learning hand signals and words. (any time of the day If I need it , I can tell them "barn" or "follow me" and they will do it) lol they all have the same name (duck duck lol) they will respond to calling them.

So... they are beautiful and smart...
(Yeah... one fine breed!)

A shame I don't know where to find them : I would like to have one or two hens, since I also like their colouring and their overall apperance.

(Sadly, my Indian Runners don't like to be petted. But they are smart birds, so educating them is really easy at least!)

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/silver-appleyard-ducks.1368809/post-23321131

and there is some post of pictures of the new hatchlings,

Thank you!!!

 

[Luv Ducks]

Hi!



Thank you.



Yeah... I have Cayuga AND Black Indian Runner ducks eggs underneath a broody hen...
...they should hatch... maybe today, if I'm lucky?

...I so don't know HOW I will be able to differenciate the Cayuga ducklings from the Black Runner ones, the first few days...!!
(If they really hatch at least, since the eggs are shipped ones...)



"Black with a shinny chest"...?
Do you mean he had yellow fluff on the chest, or just he is so black is chest is litteraly shiny?

How old is he? Maybe he is a she, and still has not quacked?
(I have found one of my 2-months-old duckling I thought was a drakelet was quacking some days ago - so late! -, and so was actually a ducklet.)

I would like to see a picture...!



Yes.
Because for the time being, I still have 18 drakelets to find a home to, so more drakes would be a bit too much...
At least considering my limited number of hens...!

(But I would not mind a Cayuga drake, since they look so cute and beautiful.)



So... they are beautiful and smart...
(Yeah... one fine breed!)

A shame I don't know where to find them : I would like to have one or two hens, since I also like their colouring and their overall apperance.

(Sadly, my Indian Runners don't like to be petted. But they are smart birds, so educating them is really easy at least!)



Thank you!!!

Actually my Black Runner duck when it was 2 weeks old when I got it was brown and I thought it was a Chocolate Runner Duck. Now that it is getting all of its feathers it is Black. Miss Lydia on here has always had to post my pictures as I am not savvy enough to know how. We picked him up on 6-18 and he was a couple of weeks old so he's not 10 weeks old yet but his stance has his legs father apart which is a sign of a drake and he is starting to make noises like one. I was hoping for a hen but he's really pretty and big. I just hope he doesn't try to over mate the hens next year when he will be feeling his oats. I hope yours hatched out and that all is good with yours. This one at 2 weeks stood erect after we got him home so we knew right away he was a runner duck. He was laying down when we picked him out and smaller than the rest of the ducklings he had hatched out with is what made us chose him, thinking he might be a hen. lol Thanks for the encouragement, I guess there is always hope.

 

[Papaye]

Hi.

At 29-days-old, my Cayuga and my Khaki Campbell ducklings are now leg banded :

▬ For the Khaki Campbell duckling, I am using a 18 mm closed resin ring.

I know the recommended size is actually 16 mm for Khaki Campbell ducks, but I always prefer using a bigger size for my ducks... just in case.
(At least, I never have any issue with muddy leg bands cutting off circulation...! Or whatever...!!)

Size is perfect for a 29-days-old Khaki Campbell, so I don't think this little girl will lose her ring in the next few days.

▬ For the Cayuga duckling, I am using a 20 mm closed resin ring.

Again, instead of using a 18 mm ring, I prefer to use a bigger size than recommended...

Nevertheless, a 20 mm leg band look a bit too big for a 29-days-old Cayuga duckling...
For the time being, she has not lost her ring... so maybe it will stay on her leg...
...but if she does lose it, I will put it on her again in three-days. It should be good then...

Actually my Black Runner duck when it was 2 weeks old when I got it was brown and I thought it was a Chocolate Runner Duck. Now that it is getting all of its feathers it is Black.

Weird... I never had any black duck that was born brown...
...I would have think he would be Chocolate, indeed!

We picked him up on 6-18 and he was a couple of weeks old so he's not 10 weeks old yet but his stance has his legs father apart which is a sign of a drake and he is starting to make noises like one. I was hoping for a hen but he's really pretty and big.

I... actually have a hen that look like that : she is tall, would look like a boy if not for her colouring, and has a so fine stance I am keeping her just for breeding...
...And she has made pretty babies...! (I'm happy to have kept her!)

From her very first days of life, she was really bigger than all of her sisters (only girls were born then)...
...And since she was my favorite, given she looked tall and strong... I was afraid she would end up being a drake (her legs were so apart she looked like a drakelet).
Thanksfully, she was a girl.

Voice sexing is not even 100% accurate : I had once a drake that quacked like a hen until he was almost 3-months-old...
...and this year, my first duckling I thought was a boy (sounded and looked like one) is now a confirmed girl - at around 2-months-old.

I just hope he doesn't try to over mate the hens next year when he will be feeling his oats.

Sometimes, drakes are not sex monsters...?
They are their first maring season, but even then, you don't know... you could be lucky with him...?
(I know I was lucky with one of my first two drakes... and he is an Indian Runner. Even during his first mating season, he was not a serial rapist, and actually let the girls breath.)

I hope yours hatched out and that all is good with yours.

They are hatching.
Have been since yesterday... but I still did not see any of the ducklings, so I don't know how many are already born, and what are their breeds.
(Waiting to see them is killing me.)

This one at 2 weeks stood erect after we got him home so we knew right away he was a runner duck. He was laying down when we picked him out and smaller than the rest of the ducklings he had hatched out with is what made us chose him, thinking he might be a hen. lol Thanks for the encouragement, I guess there is always hope.

Size of a duckling is not related to its gender.

My first duckling of MAY 2024 was the bigger and stronger of all... and he actually is a she.
And the smallest duckling of my first ones born in MAY 2024 is now a growing, strenghtening boy.

(I really can not tell what duckling would end up being a male or a female by their size alone... or even by their stance.)

 

[Luv Ducks]

Hi.

At 29-days-old, my Cayuga and my Khaki Campbell ducklings are now leg banded :

View attachment 3894622

▬ For the Khaki Campbell duckling, I am using a 18 mm closed resin ring.

I know the recommended size is actually 16 mm for Khaki Campbell ducks, but I always prefer using a bigger size for my ducks... just in case.
(At least, I never have any issue with muddy leg bands cutting off circulation...! Or whatever...!!)

Size is perfect for a 29-days-old Khaki Campbell, so I don't think this little girl will lose her ring in the next few days.

▬ For the Cayuga duckling, I am using a 20 mm closed resin ring.

Again, instead of using a 18 mm ring, I prefer to use a bigger size than recommended...

Nevertheless, a 20 mm leg band look a bit too big for a 29-days-old Cayuga duckling...
For the time being, she has not lost her ring... so maybe it will stay on her leg...
...but if she does lose it, I will put it on her again in three-days. It should be good then...

View attachment 3894634



Weird... I never had any black duck that was born brown...
...I would have think he would be Chocolate, indeed!



I... actually have a hen that look like that : she is tall, would look like a boy if not for her colouring, and has a so fine stance I am keeping her just for breeding...
...And she has made pretty babies...! (I'm happy to have kept her!)

From her very first days of life, she was really bigger than all of her sisters (only girls were born then)...
...And since she was my favorite, given she looked tall and strong... I was afraid she would end up being a drake (her legs were so apart she looked like a drakelet).
Thanksfully, she was a girl.

Voice sexing is not even 100% accurate : I had once a drake that quacked like a hen until he was almost 3-months-old...
...and this year, my first duckling I thought was a boy (sounded and looked like one) is now a confirmed girl - at around 2-months-old.



Sometimes, drakes are not sex monsters...?
They are their first maring season, but even then, you don't know... you could be lucky with him...?
(I know I was lucky with one of my first two drakes... and he is an Indian Runner. Even during his first mating season, he was not a serial rapist, and actually let the girls breath.)



They are hatching.
Have been since yesterday... but I still did not see any of the ducklings, so I don't know how many are already born, and what are their breeds.
(Waiting to see them is killing me.)



Size of a duckling is not related to its gender.

My first duckling of MAY 2024 was the bigger and stronger of all... and he actually is a she.
And the smallest duckling of my first ones born in MAY 2024 is now a growing, strenghtening boy.

(I really can not tell what duckling would end up being a male or a female by their size alone... or even by their stance.)

Thank you for all of your replies and information. I won't call it a boy for sure until I see that drake feather. It's really chilled at this point and has no interest in bothering anybody else in the pen. I hope that you get to see all of your babies soon. They are sooooo sweet when they are babies and when they get older too.

 

[Papaye]

Hi.

Updating again on my Cayuga and Khaki Campbell ducklings...
...here they are, at 33-days-old :

My Cayuga duckling is growing fine, so much so her emerging juvenile plumage is already shiny : indeed, she has very apparent blue, green, and purple tints on her feathers... and I did not even know it would be the case for a Cayuga hen, since I thought only the drake were very shiny.
(...I am patiently waiting to see here once she is an adult...)

...My Khaki Campbell duckling has had her bib becoming smaller and smaller as she grows, so much so she now only wears a very small white patch on her throat.
...That is a shame, since in my opinion, a bigger bib/collar/necklace/patch/whatever-you-want-to-call-that would be cuter on a Khaki Campbell hen...

Regarding their behaviour, these two little girls are always together; but the Cayuga seem to be the boss - not agressive with her "sister", but always leading their movements.

Actually, the Cayuga duckling is somewhat agressive with my adult Indian Runner hens : she does not hesistate to threaten and run after them... even though she still is really small compared with them.

On the other side, the Khaki Campbell duckling is more timid, and is clearly afraid to be alone - far from her Cayuga sister. (She cries when they are separated.)

The ducklings freerange together with almost all of my other ducks - meaning here all my juveniles and my adult hens.

Nevertheless, they still don't seem to get along : my Cayuga chase my adult hens, and my juveniles chase my ducklings AND my adult hens...
(Thankfully, none of them actually acts so hostile I would need to worry about even one of them getting hurt...)

(Also, just to say : their leg bands - closed rings - have stayed in place until now.)

Now, concerning my last born duckling...
...here he is, now at 5-days-old :

He is black coloured, so he is either a Cayuga duckling, or a Black Indian Runner duckling.
I still can't tell...

From the 14 eggs I bought for my hen to sit on - then at least one of them emptied/eaten by an animal (probably a rat) -, only ONE egg hatched.
I am really disappointed, but I still have hope... and my hen keeps sitting on the unhatched eggs for the time being... so maybe some remaining eggs still can hatch? (I don't know.)

If none of the eggs hatchs, I at least hope my duckling will not fell too much alone... since he has his mama, and for the time being sleeps in an enclosed space next to my Cayuga and Khaki Campbell ducklings' run...

They are sooooo sweet when they are babies and when they get older too.

They are, but seriously... I was so surprised to see how much my Cayuga and my Khaki Campbell ducklings have grown up in one month...!
...I actually could compare their size with my newest born duckling, and just wow... they grow fast!

 

[Rouen Mom]

ROUENS!! They're the best ducks ever I love my rouens!! They're sweet, gorgeous, not messy, great layers...I can't say enough good things about Rouens. I have many different breeds, some common some rare, all sizes...I recommend rouens 100%

 

[Papaye]

Hello.

ROUENS!! They're the best ducks ever I love my rouens!! They're sweet, gorgeous, not messy, great layers...I can't say enough good things about Rouens. I have many different breeds, some common some rare, all sizes...I recommend rouens 100%

Okay... I don't want to bother you, but would you please take the time to tell me exactly what you love about Rouen ducks?
Since what you tell about them could also describe other ducks... like Khaki Campbell or Cayuga?

...I'm curious : what do you mean, by telling they are not messy?
How would you compare Rouen ducks with other duck breeds?

I am not planning to bring even one Rouen home, since I feel they are much too big to live together with my Indian Runners...
(They can be so big I actually even feel pity for them...!)

Nevertheless, I would love to know the reasons you love them so much. (And pictures...?!!)

I would not have thought they could be considered "best ducks", but for the meat... (Or the fact they are beautiful ducks!)

(Please : do brag about your Rouen ducks, so I can understand why you love them so much...!!)

 

[Luv Ducks]

I have two Rouen female ducks and just rehomed my two males. I like mine better than some of my other breeds simply because they are so much more friendlier. I have Runners, Muscovy, Mallards, Khaki Campbell, Call Ducks and my Mule which is Half Rouen and Half Muscovy. They all get along just fine. Mine are all messy though, none cleaner than another other than my Calls and only because they are so little. To be perfectly honest though my Mule duck is my favorite. Born in my living room, hatched out by me and peeled out of the egg. She is my most friendliest. Good luck on your decision.

 

[Papaye]

Hi.

Since yesterday, I have definitively separated my Cayuga and my Khaki Campbell ducklings from their mama.
Indeed, even though the ducklings are just 5-weeks-old, the hen has just not been raising them for... I don't know, but at least for a pretty long time? (For them at least...)

She just was not warming them, and prefered to go live her life in the yard than stay with her babies... so, I just decided to let them alone during the day, and let the hen sleep with the other chickens during the night.

...Surprisingly, the mama was not happy to not sleep in the same run than the ducklings last night, but... again : since she was not warming them anymore (did she actually do it even once?!), it is useless to keep them together.

And so, I forced the hen to sleep with her friends last night; and for the first time, I then put the two ducklings in the same run than my adult duck hens.
...And they did not fight!

I have two Rouen female ducks and just rehomed my two males. I like mine better than some of my other breeds simply because they are so much more friendlier.

I'm French, and I did not even know Rouen ducks were so friendly compared with other breeds...!!

I have Runners, Muscovy, Mallards, Khaki Campbell, Call Ducks and my Mule which is Half Rouen and Half Muscovy. They all get along just fine. Mine are all messy though, none cleaner than another other than my Calls and only because they are so little.

...More I am learning about Bantam ducks, more do I want them...

What could you tell me about Call ducks?

After thinking about that, I may be interested by Bantam ducks, but... that's mating that (still) worry me.

Can Bantam drakes fertilize bigger ducks' eggs?
And are they more sex driven than bigger drakes...?

...Are Bantam hens at risk of wound if mated by bigger drakes...?

I am interested by Wood Ducks, Mandarin Ducks, Call Duck, and Black East Indie Ducks...
But regarding Mandarin and Wood Ducks, I don't know what to think, because I might take only drakes home, but given they are monogamous... I don't know if it is a good idea?

If you do know something, please tell!
(Thank you!)

To be perfectly honest though my Mule duck is my favorite. Born in my living room, hatched out by me and peeled out of the egg. She is my most friendliest.

Then that's a shame she is a mule and can not have babies...

Was she your only duckling, at the time?

Good luck on your decision.

Thank you!