Gorgeous runner ducks. Silver? Lavender?Blue Dusky? Curious about colour & genetics.

[Waddlewoods]

My 6 week old ducklings are nearly feathered and are absolutely gorgeous!!
I would love to know what to call these colours and anything else you could tell me re:genetics.

This first one is Stormy. A beautiful red/blue/silver.

And this one we have names Silver due to the fact that it is like liquid silver in colour.

Also linking a video...

 

[Jenbirdee]

you just killed me with cuteness

 

[cheezenkwackers]

I think the first one is lilac (or lavender) and the second one is silver. What were their parents?

 

[Waddlewoods]

I think the first one is lilac (or lavender) and the second one is silver. What were their parents?

The eggs came from a flock with a Chocolate drake over blue, fawn & silver hens. The lady said her chocolate drake started out blue but turned brown. ?

I have another unrelated duck who's silver. See pic. She's mostly white but with black bill and light grey feathers sprinkled everywhere. This new duckling is the most gorgeous light silver grey blue. Could be a darker silver I suppose. Pics and videos don't do it justice. Even their bill is a light grey.

 

[cheezenkwackers]

If the drake was chocolate and your duckling isn’t carrying brown, he is a boy. Boy silvers are usually more gray while females are mostly white. But, to be silver you have to get blue from both parents?! So, I do not really understand how he could change from blue to brown. Unless he is a lavender? I have what I think is a silver Swedish. She is pure white, like yours, with a black bill. Her daughter, with a Khaki drake, is lavender. This is her:

She can look more brown than this picture.

 

[Waddlewoods]

If the drake was chocolate and your duckling isn’t carrying brown, he is a boy. Boy silvers are usually more gray while females are mostly white. But, to be silver you have to get blue from both parents?! So, I do not really understand how he could change from blue to brown. Unless he is a lavender? I have what I think is a silver Swedish. She is pure white, like yours, with a black bill. Her daughter, with a Khaki drake, is lavender. This is her: View attachment 3663345
She can look more brown than this picture.

Interesting!!
I thought that was strange when she told me her drake changed from blue to brown. I wondered if maybe her drake might be similar to my Stormy here who you say is lilac. I completely thought Stormy would be a blue duck when she/he hatched right up until all the red/brown feathers on her tummy came in. When that happened I thought Stormy was going to turn all brown but the blue seems to be staying in this lovely pattern on the back/wings. Who knows.
I'm saddened to hear that Silver is likely a boy then. So if he was carrying the brown dilution gene it would always be visible? I have another duckling from the same hatch who's black and white Ancona colouring. Would that make it a boy as well? See pic. The brown duckling in this pic I'm thinking is a girl as she's started to quack which makes sense with what you're saying.

 

[cheezenkwackers]

Interesting!!
I thought that was strange when she told me her drake changed from blue to brown. I wondered if maybe her drake might be similar to my Stormy here who you say is lilac. I completely thought Stormy would be a blue duck when she/he hatched right up until all the red/brown feathers on her tummy came in. When that happened I thought Stormy was going to turn all brown but the blue seems to be staying in this lovely pattern on the back/wings. Who knows.
I'm saddened to hear that Silver is likely a boy then. So if he was carrying the brown dilution gene it would always be visible? I have another duckling from the same hatch who's black and white Ancona colouring. Would that make it a boy as well? See pic. The brown duckling in this pic I'm thinking is a girl as she's started to quack which makes sense with what you're saying.

Sorry, but yes. Brown is sex-linked recessive meaning it is carried on the Z chromosome. Since boy ducks are ZZ, a brown drake can only have the recessive brown (b) on those Zs. So, that is what he gives his offspring. Girl ducks are ZW, they only carry one allele brown (b) or black (B) on that Z. If she gives her offspring the Z, he is a boy, W she is a girl. So, in your cross, all duckling without brown are boys. Brown ducklings are girls from mothers who were blue or silver but could be either if their mother was brown or buff.
They are beautiful!

 

[Waddlewoods]

Sorry, but yes. Brown is sex-linked recessive meaning it is carried on the Z chromosome. Since boy ducks are ZZ, a brown drake can only have the recessive brown (b) on those Zs. So, that is what he gives his offspring. Girl ducks are ZW, they only carry one allele brown (b) or black (B) on that Z. If she gives her offspring the Z, he is a boy, W she is a girl. So, in your cross, all duckling without brown are boys. Brown ducklings are girls from mothers who were blue or silver but could be either if their mother was brown or buff.
They are beautiful!

Thank you for all the info!! And yes they are beautiful. Puts me in a bad spot though as I already have too many drakes. I was hoping to even it out with this hatch. Ha!

 

[cheezenkwackers]

Thank you for all the info!! And yes they are beautiful. Puts me in a bad spot though as I already have too many drakes. I was hoping to even it out with this hatch. Ha!

I just looked at this article from Pyrix, check out the Pastel or the Blue Fawn. I think that might be your 1st one. I think it is brown with 1 or 2 blue but without extended black.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/mallard-derived-duck-color-genetics-basics.74277/

 

[Waddlewoods]

I just looked at this article from Pyrix, check out the Pastel or the Blue Fawn. I think that might be your 1st one. I think it is brown with 1 or 2 blue but without extended black.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/mallard-derived-duck-color-genetics-basics.74277/

So this beauty is molting and turning more and more blue. Such a beautiful duck. Pretty sure it's a drake though as it has quite the raspy voice and I believe I see the beginning of a drake curl.