Hatching of my first ducklings of the year - Particularly stressfull, but lessons learned!

[Papaye]

Hello.

God... I feel so bad...

I just found the biggest one of my Light Dusky ducklings dead in its coop. Poor baby was crushed to death by its mama... throat-level!!

I know it a major risk when we let hens raise babies... especially with big hens such as Brahmas...
I was prepared to have some losses, but fact is : I am not happy about that.
I feel guilty, even though I know it is not my fault...

Poor baby. I hope Angels are good to it!

@shawluvsbirds :

Oh.My.God...!!

This Cayuga is so impressive...!! I have NEVER seen one so white!!
We (are supposed to) love Cayuga because of their black and shiny feathers, and yet, this one is just so amazing nobody could not want to take it home...!

Wow...
Seriously : wow...

Thank you very much for the pictures.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

Hello.

God... I feel so bad...

I just found the biggest one of my Light Dusky ducklings dead in its coop. Poor baby was crushed to death by its mama... throat-level!!

I know it a major risk when we let hens raise babies... especially with big hens such as Brahmas...
I was prepared to have some losses, but fact is : I am not happy about that.
I feel guilty, even though I know it is not my fault...

Poor baby. I hope Angels are good to it!

@shawluvsbirds :

Oh.My.God...!!

This Cayuga is so impressive...!! I have NEVER seen one so white!!
We (are supposed to) love Cayuga because of their black and shiny feathers, and yet, this one is just so amazing nobody could not want to take it home...!

Wow...
Seriously : wow...

Thank you very much for the pictures.

Sorry you lost one.
I know it's frustrating.
Anything can happen wether your brooding or letting them raise them. I've even had two cayugas that were co- brooding try to rip a duckling apart when it hatched.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

Here are some more duck pics to cheer you up

 

[Papaye]

Hi!

Sorry you lost one.
I know it's frustrating.
Anything can happen wether your brooding or letting them raise them.

Don't know... at least, it is easier for me - and to be honest : probably cheaper - when I let the hens raise the babies!

Last year already, I found my first duckling dead crushed to death by its mama...
And just some days later, another duckling had died in its coop, during the night - but not even crushed this time : he had probably died from cold or from fright, since there was a big storm then...

They die so easily, these poor babies...

(But with my smaller hens, I had no loss!)

...Thank you for your kindness!

I've even had two cayugas that were co- brooding try to rip a duckling apart when it hatched.

Wow... that's terrible!
I would have thought each one would want to be THE mama, and not kill it...?!

Here are some more duck pics to cheer you up

Thank you!

I showed them to my mom, and she did not recognize the Cayugas, so white they are - ah, ah!

You know, I actually am thinking to bring home another breed of duck... and Cayugas are my first choice, since they are so beautiful, and pretty good layer... and it is sad to say, but in the worst case, if I can not give the young drakes born in my yard : they are renowed to have a delicious meat.

I am thinking about bringing some home in summer or fall, but I am still not sure if I am really going to take Cayugas or not.
But your pictures make me envious...!!

(If I adopt Cayuga, I would also like to make some mixed breed. I have seen some beautiful Cayuga cross ducks, and I would want to make some Chocolate coloured...!)

 

[Papaye]

Hi.

Here is a picture of the ducklings taken just now :

God... they grow so fast...
(They seemed to be so much smaller yesterday...!!)

...White feathers are just starting to grow out from the yellow duckling, so I don't think it is lavender despite its feathers leakages...?

Since I hold it everyday so it can be used to me, I also could notice there are actually TWO colours in the leakages this time : gray/lavender/blue (whatever it is), and a darker colour that could be black or brown...

(Do somedy know about Splash Indian Runner...? What do they look like...? Because I do wonder if leakages in white feathers could mean the duckling would actually be Splash coloured?)

...I will post new pictures soon!

 

[Papaye]

Hi.

I promised pictures, so here they are :

Runner ducklings grow so fast... right?
And to say they are only one-month-old...

I have banded them three days ago, with resin, closed leg bands.

Since the ducklings are Indian Runners, I use 16 mm leg bands specifically.
(Fact is : the first time I banded my Runner ducklings, I actually wanted to use 14 mm leg rings as recommended; but since I could not find them anywhere anymore, I bought the 16 mm ones instead... and I found it worked perfectly fine! So, I decided I would only use this size for my Runners from now on!
...With 16 mm leg bands, I just have to wait for my ducklings to be 29/30-days-old to put them on them...)

The next day after having put the leg bands on these ducklings - so two days ago -, I have moved them in another run, so they would have a direct access to the pool.
(...I always wait for my ducklings to be one-month-old before letting them bath/swim...)

Besides, they are now big enough for the corvids to not be a threat for their life, so I don't have to worry about letting them freerange unsupervised...

(I have a lot of cats in my yard, but strangely, none attack even my youngest ducklings... weird for wild cats, but I'm not complaining!)

The ducklings' juvenile plumage has started to emerge, and I have not succeeded in taking good pictures, but I have to say the Light Dusky ones' (juvenile) feathers are really beautiful : contrary to their adult colours, they are a rich brown for the time being... actually almost a mahogany red...! (And shiny!)

That's a shame I never seem to be able to start developing a talent for photography...

The yellowish duckling is growing out white feathers... and darker ones where there are leakages on his feathers.
But since the sun is so strong for now, I can not tell if the darker feathers are brown, black, or whatever other colours could actually show...
(Besides, all of the juvenile feathers still have not emerged leakages-level, so the only spot the leakages are starting to show some colours is centered just above the tail...)

...Voilà.

I will post the next pictures when there are more juvenile feathers on the ducklings, so we can then see what colours are emerging from the white duckling.
I also will try to take better pictures, but I can not make any promise...

 

[Bolfreak]

Hi.

I promised pictures, so here they are :

View attachment 3855209

Runner ducklings grow so fast... right?
And to say they are only one-month-old...

View attachment 3855210

I have banded them three days ago, with resin, closed leg bands.

Since the ducklings are Indian Runners, I use 16 mm leg bands specifically.
(Fact is : the first time I banded my Runner ducklings, I actually wanted to use 14 mm leg rings as recommended; but since I could not find them anywhere anymore, I bought the 16 mm ones instead... and I found it worked perfectly fine! So, I decided I would only use this size for my Runners from now on!
...With 16 mm leg bands, I just have to wait for my ducklings to be 29/30-days-old to put them on them...)

View attachment 3855213

The next day after having put the leg bands on these ducklings - so two days ago -, I have moved them in another run, so they would have a direct access to the pool.
(...I always wait for my ducklings to be one-month-old before letting them bath/swim...)

Besides, they are now big enough for the corvids to not be a threat for their life, so I don't have to worry about letting them freerange unsupervised...

(I have a lot of cats in my yard, but strangely, none attack even my youngest ducklings... weird for wild cats, but I'm not complaining!)

View attachment 3855247

The ducklings' juvenile plumage has started to emerge, and I have not succeeded in taking good pictures, but I have to say the Light Dusky ones' (juvenile) feathers are really beautiful : contrary to their adult colours, they are a rich brown for the time being... actually almost a mahogany red...! (And shiny!)

That's a shame I never seem to be able to start developing a talent for photography...

View attachment 3855253

The yellowish duckling is growing out white feathers... and darker ones where there are leakages on his feathers.
But since the sun is so strong for now, I can not tell if the darker feathers are brown, black, or whatever other colours could actually show...
(Besides, all of the juvenile feathers still have not emerged leakages-level, so the only spot the leakages are starting to show some colours is centered just above the tail...)

...Voilà.

I will post the next pictures when there are more juvenile feathers on the ducklings, so we can then see what colours are emerging from the white duckling.
I also will try to take better pictures, but I can not make any promise...

I think your light colored guy would be a Splash, not uncommon in Runners and Anconas. Remember that “white” is what is presented visually but genetically they can be any color (I’ll post the link on duck color genetics, it’s a great thread if you can wrap your brain around it
Also the bibbing I think once it’s there doesn’t go away and Bibs with Bibs breed Bibs. It happens when “white” is introduced to solid Blue or Black (think Swedish ducks). White introduced with Buff for example gives pretty colors in the mallard pattern. Buff does not breed true because of its genetic makeup, you get variations of three shades.
I also looked for Lilac/Lavender duckling pics online and found like three…not helpful lol. But I’ve been on a months long journey in my own flock to get sex linked ducklings and eventually blue & apricot mallard Crested ducks (my Cresteds are not old enough yet).
I stuck with Cayugas and Buffs because similar body types and have 1 Cayuga drake, 4 hens and 2 Buff drakes, 1 hen that range together. The Cayugas hide their eggs which is extra work for me, but the Buff lady lays same place, same time in a separate nest. So from the hatch I got:
1 Blue from a Buff egg (SR)
3 Black Cayugas SR
3 Buffs SR
1 Lilac (should be female) SL
1 Blue Cayuga (should be male) SL
Here are some pics to compare-Blues hatch dark with yellow, Cayugas all black and shiny, Buffs yellow and Lilac hatched dark then really lightened up as she dried to a very light gray with purple/gray bill and feet. I can’t wait to see what she’ll look like as she grows!
The trio pics left to right: Blue Cayuga, Buff, Lilac and a group pic they got to go outside

 

[Bolfreak]

Here’s the article, superb information:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/mallard-derived-duck-color-genetics-basics.74277/

 

[Papaye]

Hi.

I took new pictures today, since I noticed my ducklings feathers already allow us to sex them by appearance...

I can (already) voice sex them of course, but given I learned from experience that voice sexing is not 100% accurate EVEN around 3-months-old... I am now being careful about trusting it.

▬ So... visually sexing 5-weeks-old Indian Runner ducklings :

Trout and Light Dusky coloured males ducklings already have their blueish black feathers on their rump.
I noticed it today, since there is some rays of sunlight, and these feathers are kind of shiny...

Actually, two of the drakelets' heads also seem to be already starting to turn green... so, really : no doubt possible about their gender!

(...And one Light Dusky duckling has had a greenish bill for two-three weeks already, so I did know he was a boy even before I could think about voice-sexing him...!)

Thus, I have 4 males confirmed on these 11 ducklings : 3 Light Dusky drakelets, and 1 Trout drakelet.

▬ ...Regarding the hens :

Trout and Light Dusky coloured females ducklings show light, brown feathers with black accents on their rump.

And they quack, so I already did know they were girls... but again : at 5-weeks-old, voice sexing is not totally accurate, so mistakes are always a possibility.
Thanksfully, the colours of feathers of some (colours of) ducks are a sure way to know the gender of ducklings (according to their age)...!

Thus, I have 6 females confirmed on 11 ducklings : 3 Trout coloured little hens, and 3 Light Dusky coloured girls...

▬ ...Now, the 11th duckling is the white one, and I am not sure I could sex him by his appearance only :

Indeed : even though he does already have a black feather on his rump AND I'm tempted to believe this feather would be a leakage from Mallard/Grey colours... I don't know if it is so, nor even how leakages on white work about feathers sexing, and if a hen could show male feathers because of leakages...

I'm pretty sure this one is a boy, but I'm still hoping he could actually be a girl...

I think your light colored guy would be a Splash, not uncommon in Runners and Anconas.

Too late to hope : he already show a black feather from a leakage on his rump...

I am waiting to see what other colours will emerge from the other leakages, but I don't think a Splash coloured duck would have black on its feathers...?

Here is another white duck with leakages : https://www.duskyfeatherswaterfowl.com/white

Also the bibbing I think once it’s there doesn’t go away and Bibs with Bibs breed Bibs. It happens when “white” is introduced to solid Blue or Black (think Swedish ducks).

I got my Bibbed Black Indian Runner drake by crossing a Trout drake with a Black duck.

I tried to get rid of the bib by crossing this Black Bibbed drake with a Light Dusky duck, but instead, I got better than I hoped : black bibbed ducklings WITH WHITE ON THE WINGS!!
I so can't wait to see what colours they are going to have once adults...

I also looked for Lilac/Lavender duckling pics online and found like three…not helpful lol.

Yeah... that's so hard to find pictures of some ducks...
I have searched for hours for Splash coloured duck, and found NONE...!!

But I’ve been on a months long journey in my own flock to get sex linked ducklings and eventually blue & apricot mallard Crested ducks (my Cresteds are not old enough yet).

Wow... some work you do...!!

I stuck with Cayugas and Buffs because similar body types and have 1 Cayuga drake, 4 hens and 2 Buff drakes, 1 hen that range together. The Cayugas hide their eggs which is extra work for me, but the Buff lady lays same place, same time in a separate nest. So from the hatch I got:
1 Blue from a Buff egg (SR)
3 Black Cayugas SR
3 Buffs SR
1 Lilac (should be female) SL
1 Blue Cayuga (should be male) SL

They are going to be beautiful...!!
I would like to see what they become... especially the Lilac one : pictures of Lilac ducks are so difficult to find...

...What do "SR" and "SL" stand for?

Here are some pics to compare-Blues hatch dark with yellow, Cayugas all black and shiny, Buffs yellow and Lilac hatched dark then really lightened up as she dried to a very light gray with purple/gray bill and feet. I can’t wait to see what she’ll look like as she grows!
The trio pics left to right: Blue Cayuga, Buff, Lilac and a group pic they got to go outside

Thank you so much for these pictures...!!
You are an angel.

Here’s the article, superb information:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/mallard-derived-duck-color-genetics-basics.74277/

I know this article.
I am grateful, since I learned a lot from it...!