Silkie Duck Thread

[Amiga]

Well, now , this is bizarre. I have switched back and forth with layer that is 15% and 22% (I mix with other whole grains for my duck flocks, along with free ranging in daytime (not Silkies)... mainly because I have over 100 birds and live in a small farm community. I can use Flock raiser for my babies (and give some with a mix to the Silkies)...
But here is the Bizarre... I have a 1 yr old fawn female , who is just now getting Angel wing with new feathers (she is smooth showing heterozygous)... !!!

The only thing I can think , is she is on the 22% layer mix (has 4 other grains I mix with it)... and it can affect the growth , even after they are grown! Wonder if this is like the Sebastapols twisted wing that shows up later....?
I had switched to the 22% ( I add some grains) during molt , thinking they seemed to feather out better than when I used the 15% ( a quality issue?).... but this makes me think I will definitely drop it out and go back to the 15% and suppliment it some other way. OR it could be a mineral thing.... it claims to create more double yolks... and I have had some ducks lay some.... so whatever is in it ...looks like feed can create problems in adults too.....

Well, mercy. Such a headscratcher!

 

[mominoz]

FYI... I am going to the Newnan show in Ga. the 19-21 of Feb. and intend to bring some Silkie mini/bantam ducks to sell and am going to show some (just for fun/display)... will try to get some cage holes for the sale birds , otherwise will have some at our sale site. (bringing a 2h trailer that is beige/tan) and will drive either a red Nissan truck, or the beige/tan matching 250 Diesal truck. 30-35$ (OBO) Probably some Mallard, black/bibbed/and misc. colors. (also Maybe some Penciled & Gray Runners, Dutch hookbills, Saxony, one pair Shetland Geese)

 

[learycow]

FYI... I am going to the Newnan show in Ga. the 19-21 of Feb. and intend to bring some Silkie mini/bantam ducks to sell and am going to show some (just for fun/display)... will try to get some cage holes for the sale birds , otherwise will have some at our sale site. (bringing a 2h trailer that is beige/tan) and will drive either a red Nissan truck, or the beige/tan matching 250 Diesal truck. 30-35$ (OBO) Probably some Mallard, black/bibbed/and misc. colors. (also Maybe some Penciled & Gray Runners, Dutch hookbills, Saxony, one pair Shetland Geese)

Do you have any pied silkie ducks? Color doesn't matter

 

[duckmeister]

Counting excess drakes that I need to get rid of today and realized that I have a white Silky call drake, don't know how that happened, as have never had any silky ducks. Must be some recessive gene or a mutation?

 

[LauraHope]

Or you could have found a whole new silkie gene mutation

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Breed him into a new seperated line and see what happens.

 

[duckmeister]

I remember about 45 years ago was the last time I had a silky duck crop out, she was a little khaki Cambell cross, I thought there was somerhing wrong with her, never heard of Silky ducks back then. 10 years ago had some mallard ducklings one was a tufted head crop-out. I guess over a lifetime of raising ducks, a guy will see the occasional genetic mutation.

 

[duckmeister]

Caught him for the first time, can't believe how soft and silky his feather's feel! Guess I'll start looking for a silky hen to pair with him, will contact Holderead's and see if they have any silky hens to sell this fall.

 

[jenniferlamar70]

Can anyone tell me how the silkie feathering works? I hatched out two snowy mallard calls. One has silkie feathers. Sure suprised me. I ordered silkie duck eggs and put them in the incubator with my call eggs so at first I thought I mixed the eggs up. However the silkies I ordered are black east Indies so I don't think I mixed them up. New to silkies so if someone could dumb it down for me I'd much appreciate it lol. Thanks.

 

[BelValleyDaisy]

Hi does anyone know the incubation time for these ducks? or egg colour/eggs per year? also how long they live for?

 

[Miss Lydia]

@Pyxis