First duckling hatch of 2025!

[Bolfreak]

I love this post! Banana is a handsome guy!
Easy way to get SL duckies is a Light Buff drake and a Black duck (Cayuga or Runner). You get Blue males and Lilac females, easy to distinguish as ducklings. I did it but without Runner genes because I don’t want that body type. If you have a Standard Buff drake, you get more options but also SL. I haven’t done this pairing yet, but have several Standard drakes with my Lilac girls and will be incubating in the next weeks. Also the Bib in the picture becomes dominant just fyi, once it gets added to the gene pool it doesn’t go away.
Let us know how it goes!

 

[My15Ducks]

I love this post! Banana is a handsome guy!
Easy way to get SL duckies is a Light Buff drake and a Black duck (Cayuga or Runner). You get Blue males and Lilac females, easy to distinguish as ducklings. I did it but without Runner genes because I don’t want that body type. If you have a Standard Buff drake, you get more options but also SL. I haven’t done this pairing yet, but have several Standard drakes with my Lilac girls and will be incubating in the next weeks. Also the Bib in the picture becomes dominant just fyi, once it gets added to the gene pool it doesn’t go away.
Let us know how it goes!

Thanks! I think Banana is really handsome too! Do you think he’s a light Buff? I think so but I don’t have anything to compare him too - except my girls who are darker buff than him.
I like the bibs so I don’t mind if they become more common in my flock. I think Div’s daughters will all be chocolate, or chocolate plus blue, or some variant of chocolate

 

[Bolfreak]

Thanks! I think Banana is really handsome too! Do you think he’s a light Buff? I think so but I don’t have anything to compare him too - except my girls who are darker buff than him.
I like the bibs so I don’t mind if they become more common in my flock. I think Div’s daughters will all be chocolate, or chocolate plus blue, or some variant of chocolate

What’s throwing me off is his chest, he looks almost Apricot mallard with that rich color. I’ve had Buffs for a little under a year and have only gotten Lights and Standards. I can only tell the drakes apart, the girls just all look the same to me
Light drakes are uniform buff with maybe lighter wings. The Standards have that nice seal color on their head and wingtips, but I think they lighten up too after shedding their juvenile feathers. Still have to see, I currently have an adult Std and two 5 month olds to document how they change.

 

[My15Ducks]

What’s throwing me off is his chest, he looks almost Apricot mallard with that rich color. I’ve had Buffs for a little under a year and have only gotten Lights and Standards. I can only tell the drakes apart, the girls just all look the same to me
Light drakes are uniform buff with maybe lighter wings. The Standards have that nice seal color on their head and wingtips, but I think they lighten up too after shedding their juvenile feathers. Still have to see, I currently have an adult Std and two 5 month olds to document how they change.

He had mallard eye stripes(very faint) as a duckling so he definitely has the mallard pattern. A buff mallard?

Here is my other buff drake who did not have any mallard markings as a duckling

 

[My15Ducks]

It’s day 4, and I candled 5 eggs. I know it’s super early but usually I can see something by day 4. All the eggs looked clear with no development. I’m not optimistic but of course I won’t give up yet. I’ll candle a few more tomorrow. It might be too early in the year and Div just doesn’t seem interested in the girls

 

[Bolfreak]

He had mallard eye stripes(very faint) as a duckling so he definitely has the mallard pattern. A buff mallard?

Here is my other buff drake who did not have any mallard markings as a ducklingView attachment 4033991

This guy has the standard buff color scheme, except? for the white neck ring. He’s lovely, too!

 

[Bolfreak]

It’s day 4, and I candled 5 eggs. I know it’s super early but usually I can see something by day 4. All the eggs looked clear with no development. I’m not optimistic but of course I won’t give up yet. I’ll candle a few more tomorrow. It might be too early in the year and Div just doesn’t seem interested in the girls

Yeah, keep trying. Mine lay through the cold but there seems to be downtimes for them to actually be fertilized.
Still waiting for my Crested ladies to allow my Buff guys to sexy times. They spend enough time together with a pool and everything, but no fertilization yet
These are my two Standard boys, 6 months old now (between the turks)

 

[My15Ducks]

This guy has the standard buff color scheme, except? for the white neck ring. He’s lovely, too!

I know, my ducks are weird! I have some female ducks with white rings including his sister who is buff with a white ring.

 

[My15Ducks]

Yeah, keep trying. Mine lay through the cold but there seems to be downtimes for them to actually be fertilized.
Still waiting for my Crested ladies to allow my Buff guys to sexy times. They spend enough time together with a pool and everything, but no fertilization yet
These are my two Standard boys, 6 months old now (between the turks)

Cute drakes! If Div’s eggs aren’t fertile, I’m going to try again with Banana. I’ve seen some “action” in the swimming pool with Banana.

Will your Buff + crested ducklings be sex linked?

 

[My15Ducks]

I candled a couple more eggs and found one that is developing, but it is one of the Runner eggs. Now I’m worrying that it is the only one. I am so anxious to candle them all I might candle them all tomorrow or I might wait a day or two