Show Off Your Drakes!

[WVduckchick]

So, there's a Show Off Your Roosters thread on the chicken side, I think we need a Drake thread.

Come on duck people, let's see your lovely drakes!

 

[Krazyquilts]

Here is "Handsome Henry," a Golden Cascade drake purchased from Holderread Farm last month. He was born in 2016 and, besides being truly handsome, is also a perfect gentleman with our female ducks. He is very vain and loves to bathe and preen and bathe and bathe and bathe.

 

[WVduckchick]

Wow! Stunning pictures of a beautiful boy!

Perfect way to kick off a thread. Thank you!

 

[Krazyquilts]

Wow!  Stunning pictures of a beautiful boy!    Perfect way to kick off a thread.  Thank you! 

Thank you! I think he's gorgeous and my neighbor says she is just in love with his curly tail feathers (not that she isn't utterly besotted with the females too) but I think we might be a bit biased.

The ducks in your photo are beautiful too! Are they all drakes?

 

[WVduckchick]

Thank you! I think he's gorgeous and my neighbor says she is just in love with his curly tail feathers (not that she isn't utterly besotted with the females too) but I think we might be a bit biased.

The ducks in your photo are beautiful too! Are they all drakes?

Don't see very many Golden Cascades. His coloring and markings are lovely. You can be biased, but he's still gorgeous.

Yes, those are all drakes. I seem to have a knack at hatching male birds. I only got 1 female in my original 4, so 2 drakes went to my farm pond and I kept a pair at home. I let her hatch a brood last summer, and ended up with 6 males and 2 females.

So now I keep the 3 girls and one boy at home, and the pond has become the drake retreat.

 

[Spyderk117]

This is Pippin my Mallard drake! He is very sweet to me and his hens.

 

[GoldenFlight]

.

 

[NathanZee]

Quote: Wow.. Henry is beautiful! I love his face markings!!!

Quote: Awww Pippin is so beautiful! Is he completely in eclipse now?

 

[NathanZee]

My drakes:

Oliver, our Fawn and White Indian Runner drake. He is the top drake, and probably the smartest.

















Nyasa, our Mallard drake. He has been in eclipse since we got a good camera.

Snuggles, our Wood Duck drake. Snuggles isn't really into protecting the flock, he's only interested in showing off to our Khaki Campbell hen, Mildred.

 

[Krazyquilts]

Don't see very many Golden Cascades. 

That's part of why I got him - I'm very interested in rare breeds and there is so little information about that amazing breed. I'm trying to take lots of pictures and videos and also write on my blog about Henry.

Yes, those are all drakes.  I seem to have a knack at hatching male birds.  I only got 1 female in my original 4, so 2 drakes went to my farm pond and I kept a pair at home.  I let her hatch a brood last summer, and ended up with 6 males and 2 females.     So now I keep the 3 girls and one boy at home, and the pond has become the drake retreat. 

Wow, that is some weird numbers!

The "drake retreat" is very intriguing. How do they do on the pond? Do they sleep on it? Have predators been an issue? Have you considered sending any of them to freezer camp?