We think our Drake just killed our first Duckling :-(

[NorthCalFamily6]

What !? Wow this is crazy, but it explains my low hatching ! The Drake has a pom pom but the female just has only a very small one, Ill find a picture to be sure - does this mean they can't mate ? The original Duck seller was a breeder and said it was ok for them to breed and never mentioned anything about this ?! Im shocked as I mentioned this to the breeder in the beginning before I bought the two ducks that my purpose was to breed ducks. Thank you for the link and the help, Im very grateful for the knowledge - what a day:-(

 

[NorthCalFamily6]

Mum & Dad ducks a day before the attack...we were sitting in the pen with the baby for this photo... :-(

 

[NorthCalFamily6]

 

[needlessjunk]

What !? Wow this is crazy, but it explains my low hatching ! The Drake has a pom pom but the female just has only a very small one, Ill find a picture to be sure - does this mean they can't mate ? The original Duck seller was a breeder and said it was ok for them to breed and never mentioned anything about this ?! Im shocked as I mentioned this to the breeder in the beginning before I bought the two ducks that my purpose was to breed ducks. Thank you for the link and the help, Im very grateful for the knowledge - what a day:-(

Yes, they are both crested. I'm very sorry for`being misled. You can breed crested to crested but I personally would not. He called them Swedish Crests as well? As far as I know there is no such breed. You have Crests on normal breeds such as blue swedish, pekins, ect. and then you also have a white crested breed. It's really confusing. If you are really wanting to breed crested ducks and are aware to be on the look out for problems I would see about getting some non crested ducks to mix in.

How does your drake do with just having one female? While one female can work out if your drake is pretty mellow most of the time you usually need more females than males to prevent over breeding. My crested drake is getting quite randy right now with spring and is really sharing the love with all 5 of my females. If he is mellow it can work out with just having a pair. Look out for her to make sure he isn't using her crest to help with mating. Since crested is due to a hole in the skull.

This must be a very hard day for your family and I hope that you don't get put off by ducks. Please ask around on here if you have any questions or need help. I am by no means an expert and haven't had ducks all that long but this site and books have really helped.

 

[Madelennon]

I'm so sorry about all of this. Animals, especially birds, can be cruel. I'm sad your family had to go through this.

 

[CyndiD]

I too, am very sorry or your baby duck, they r so innocent & vulnerable, & we as care takers must protect them w/our knowledge & hands on care giving.
Your children must be confused, so sorry.
Research, research, research.

 

[CyndiD]

I too, am very sorry or your baby duck, they r so innocent & vulnerable, & we as care takers must protect them w/our knowledge & hands on care giving.
Your children must be confused, so sorry.
Research, research, research.

P.S. FYI, My buff hatched an egg last yr & I didn't seperate her & baby from the rest of the flock,. She protected it well, she was always running around it if t/other hens or roo got near. But 3-4 days later I found the chick dead by the water dish. I was mad at myself for not protecting them (hen & chick) better. I know how I felt, I can understand your situation.
So sorry.

 

[Jen1979]

I'm so sorry for your loss I experienced something similar only a few months ago. We think two of our female ducks squabbled over a nest and killed the duckling that had hatched. It was heartbreaking. Our one duckling that we did get to keep we are only introducing to the rest of the flock this weekend (he has been kept separate with his mum since he was born) and he is 10 weeks old. We tried an introduction around 4 weeks and our drake tried to attack him. We've basically now kept them separate until the "baby" is fully feathered and the same size as the others.

Don't feel bad about the choice you made, I know it's hard not to feel like you've made a terrible mistake but breeding is a steep learning curve I've discovered! I can imagine your children must be devastated, but this might be an opportunity to teach them about life and death in the animal kingdom because invariably, if you intend to breed more, there will be other times when something else goes wrong and you lose others. I was almost scared off breeding for life after I lost one duckling to another duck and had another drown because I didn't think he could get into the water bowl. But I've learned things for next time now.

 

[NorthCalFamily6]

yes the seller called them " Lavender Swedish Crested Ducks " - sound exotic don't they ! Sucked me anyway lol !

 

[enola]

We have all learned there is a big difference in "breeders" in the poultry world. To new comers any one can be a breeder. You will soon learn that true breeders know what they are breeding, they have a goal in their breeding plans, they breed HEALTHY broodstock, they make sure their breeding stock STAYS healthy by providing what their breeding stock needs. But, most importantly they KNOW what they are breeding and selling and represent it honestly to the buyer.

Lots of people hatch lots of ducklings/chicks, claim they are "this or that" and unload them on the first person that comes along and has no idea what they are buying.

I am not condemning any breeders with my statements. Just trying to warn prospective buyers to research, research, research so you can hope to identify what you are looking at before you buy it.

I sell chicks every spring and summer, but I don't consider myself a "breeder". However, I am honest about what I am selling. I make SURE that my customers buying straight run chicks KNOW they are going to have roosters. After 6 years of selling sex-linked chicks, I have never had to take back a rooster. When I hatch EE chicks all of the pullets lay a blue or green egg. In my opinion, even EE should not lay any color but blue or green.

****climbing down off my soap box now****