SWEDISH Duck Thread!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SunnySkies]

I FINALLY found some female blue swedes and we go to pick them up tomorrow. It's been tough finding them. Finally saw some on CL after sending lots of e-mails to people on the web, etc. I'm driving a long way to pick up a few ducks, lol. Not sure how old they are, but I don't care....the one drake has started really chasing people and will nip you when you aren't looking. Luckily for him, I don't like eating duck. But he might find himself penned up soon if he doesn't knock it off. We even got the boys a pool hoping they would spend their time swimming and not chasing people and wandering over to the neighbors (about a football field away, so it bugs me). I hope the ones we are picking up are actually girls. We thought we had a boy and a girl based on bill color, but alas, not so.

 

[starlingsbaby]

i was told these r rouens but i was also told they are black swedish, do yall have any advice>

 

[RoosterThigh]

I have Blue Swedish and these look more like mine than a Rouen, so I would say you have Black Swedish, but I'm very new with ducks.... It looks to me like the Rouens have a black line through their eyes and your pics here don't have that either.

 

[SunnySkies]

Well, the new ones sure look like girls. I'll see if I can get photos.

The drakes are not amused. We have to be very, very careful to make sure they can't get into the pen. I think they would rather like to eat the new ones.

 

[ButterflyKisses]

Hi, Im new here, this is my first post

. I found this thread the other day in a Google search & it seems the perfect spot to ask a couple questions. I have some Swedish ducks that are about 12 weeks old. I ordered them from Ideal Hatchery & they are my first ducks. I LOVE them!!!!!!! I lost 1 in transit & 4 more to a nasty coon on their first night actually out in their house & I have 5 left. I have 2 Blue, 2 Black & one that I originally thought was what is considered a splash coloring but everything I am seeing online is showing splashes as being very light in color & she is a solid blue/grey. About the same as the Blue Swedish but no markings at all. I ordered all Blue Swedish but Ideal sends what hatches from the blue swedish eggs, not specifically blue's in color, so I knew I could end up with splashes or blacks & Im glad I did because they are all so beautiful.

My solid color one, who's name is Splash, also was injured when the coon got the others. She lost a leg & a chunk from her tail

but has been doing really well & has healed nicely. She sleeps indoors & I feed her here too because the other ducks were pushing her from the food. After she has eaten I move her out to the pen for awhile so she can enjoy the sunshine & go for a swim. She gets tired quickly but enjoys her outside time. My husband found a local person who raises Blue Swedish & got me 6 more babies from her & Splash has adopted them

.

So I have several questions about her. It seems it is very rare that a Swedish will be a solid blue? Do you think there is a chance that the hatchery may have ended up with some cross breed ducklings somehow? She looks Swedish in build but also is a bit smaller than the others & her feathers look different somehow, like she still has some down mixed in them for one thing. I tried to get a picture of her yesterday but she was not being cooperative at all. Also, anyone have any tips for caring for a one-legged duck? She can get around by hopping, she can swim but she has a very hard time getting in & out of the pool on her own. I have to feed her seperately because the other ducks do push her from the food but if she can keep up with them they will let her join them. She gets tired very quickly too.


As for the other 4, it appears we have 3 ducks & 1 drake. The drake is the lovely blue in my profile picture. My 5yo had named him Ming Ming but she also wants to name one of the new babies Ming Ming too so I think I may give him a boys name

(though my son named one of the girls Stevie but I will let that one stick since he was adamant about it & there are female Stevies LOL) . He doesnt seem to have a drake feather which confused me a bit but he doesnt quack really either. I made a point of listening to each duck last night & the other 3 clearly quack while he has a raspy, whispery quack that you can barely hear unless you really pay attention


If I can figure out how to do it I will add a picture.

Ok, this is the drake & Splash in the pool. Its the only really good picture I got of her yesterday. You can see she is just a solid blue/grey.




Back to front... Mrs Puddleduck, Violet, Stevie & Ming Ming (the drake)

 

[jonhpdx]

I'm sorry, I really can't answer any of those questions you have, but great pics! Here are a few of my black swedish girl I got yesterday when she decided that she wanted to be photogenic.

 

[SunnySkies]

My boys are really wandering. I'm thinking about penning them up. But are they really going to be happy penned? We would give them a pool and shade and stuff, so they would not be uncomfortable. But they seem to really like to free range, and it's making one of the neighbors angry.

 

[RoosterThigh]

My boys are really wandering. I'm thinking about penning them up. But are they really going to be happy penned? We would give them a pool and shade and stuff, so they would not be uncomfortable. But they seem to really like to free range, and it's making one of the neighbors angry.

They probably won't be too happy penned if it is small, especially now that they have been roaming around free ranging. Good luck!

 

[SunnySkies]

They probably won't be too happy penned if it is small, especially now that they have been roaming around free ranging.  Good luck!

I've had them penned up, and they aren't happy about it, but we are letting them go out under supervision. I'm working on a fence between our property and the neighbors this week. Apparently 7 acres is not enough for the ducks. Silly boys.

 

[luluann]

i own 1 black Swedish duck. I am dying for more. I just need to find eggs. Anyone have any to spare?