Black Runner? Cayuga? BEI?!?

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brenna

brenna

In the Brooder
9 Years
Apr 20, 2010
25
0
22
I picked up four ducklings at Tractor Supply a couple of weeks ago. As far as I can tell they are now around 3 weeks old. They are doing wonderfully but I cant figure out what they are.

For a while I was convinced that they were Black Indian Runners because they seemed to be upright much of the time. Then as they aged a little, they became slightly less upright and I ran across some pictures of Cayuga ducklings that look an awful lot like my little crew. THEN I just saw a couple photos of some BEIs and now I'm all kinds of confused and don't have a clue what my ducklings are.

They're all a very dark brown/black, with varying degrees of yellow bibs that they are starting to lose as they get older. Black bills/black feet and legs.

I just want them to have an identity! Is there a way to find out whether they're cayugas, BEIs or runners for sure?

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My vote is cayuga, but at that age it's hard to tell a cayuga from a hatchery runner. The one seems to be a bit more upright than the others... Hatchery runners won't necessarily stand up all the way, but will hunch a bit. It makes telling them apart a bit harder. I don't think they are BEIs due to their size.
 
I'm going to have to vote for Cayuga.
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Not because I actually know what I'm talking about (newbie!)
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but because I've got 2 all- black TSC ducklings that look JUST like yours, right down to the light colored bib....I bought them as an impulse after buying 4 Rouens at a neighboring feed store and telling myself I was COMPLETELY DONE buying poultry this year! Famous last words....they were just SO cute and unique looking...and 2 weeks later, I topped the flock off with a bantam Cochin and a mystery yellow & grey mottled chick...*sigh*....my husband has banned me from going to TSC and Bomgaars without supervision until the chick sales are over LOL....
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I am really REALLY hoping mine (and yours, by default!) are Cayugas, and an opposite-sex pair to boot. SUCH pretty ducks!! I'd love it if I had a matched pair & they hatched more babies next year, I want Cayugas all over my yard LOL.
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I also have 4 Rouens that are a little bit older (4 days or so) than my black ones....the "posture" of my black ducks is almost the same as the Rouens. The black ones seem to have a lighter build so far, which at times lends them a more "upright" appearance compared to the Rouens, but I think it's just because the Rouens are developing faster and heavier with deeper chests (breasts? Whatever a duck's upper torso area is called?) LOL.

Keep us posted as they grow....I'll do the same once I start seeing feathers come in; I think mine are a week or so older than yours so maybe I can give you an occasional sneak peek of what yours will look like a week later
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Here is a picture of a black runner duckling that I hatched, maybe that will help. Mine is a little younger. The top picture looks like runner, but they look less like runners in the other pictures.

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Tough call with the pic at the bottom. I have 4 Cayugas, and they did have the bib Woofless mentioned, but over time they have become horizontal ducks. They are about 6-7 weeks old and weigh about 6-7 pounds. Yours do seem to be a bit more upright, but mine did that when they were still little.

I also got 4 new ducklings of some kind of god knows what mix today... I still have to get pics but I need some help with ID... I will be back later with pics in a new thread for that though.
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My vote is for Cayugas, too. I have some. I love them! They are my Ninja Stealth Ducks. They are very quiet ducks, while the females do quack, mine don't quack hardly at all. Mostly they gabble quietly to each other - and to me!

Their eggs are wonderful for baking (as are all ducks, I imagine) and cooking. I prefer them to chicken eggs for eating, too.....
 
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My cayugas were pretty quiet too, nothing like my noisy pekins! I never have used duck eggs for baking or eating. I tried to one time...cracked the egg open and plopped it into a pan...I couldn't get past the 'earthy' smell of it so I fed it to the dog.

But I probably would have had a reaction to it anyway...I do to any other type of egg I've tried
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