Daffy Ducks at the Duck Pond

[Catherine]

Thought these Ducks a bit 'Daffy'!
They were at the local Duck Pond yesterday...

[rolf]

Not sure what those first ones are Catherine, but I believe that we have another post somewhere on the forum with some. Not pretty though whatever they are.

[Chocky]

1.Moscovy ducks, http://www.thamesvalleybirds.co.uk/n...-moschata.html
2.Mallard female
And
3.a Crested Duck http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/D...stedDucks.html

Lovely aren't they ?

[rolf]

Ah thanks Beryl, new I'd seen them on the forum.

The Crested Duck is a real winner.

[Chocky]

I feel sorry for the crested duck.Poor thing . Imagine looking like that and not being able to do any thing about it

The Moscoy duck looks as though it has had a nasty accident

[Catherine]

Yes, the first ones are Muscovy Ducks - really ugly ones - no Cinderellas there! (There must be over a dozen at the pond, mostly black and white ones.)

I think the second is a just a hybrid, Beryl. Don't you think that's too long a bill, neck and body for a Mallard? I may be wrong - as I often am!

The third is - as you guessed - a Crested Duck. He/she used to have a mate, but the other bird hasn't been seen by us for a few months.

Read more about Crested Ducks here;
Crested Ducks /Domestic waterfowl Club
I worry about cruelty being involved in breeding them as they can't have a 'normal' existence.

Here, with the a pic of the Crested pair are two of some Mallards there, one female being leucistic (I think!)

Also there's a view of the pond in April with some of the very large, darker ducks below the tree. There are many Canada Geese at the pond as well.

[Catherine]

Oops! Just realised that's another hybrid or type in the background of the middle pic - not a Mallard drake at all!

[Chocky]

I didn't guess the third. We have loads at Dawlish . Crested ducks are bred from mallards The crested gene in these ducks is linked to a lethal condition during incubation.
Did you not see this link ?http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/D...stedDucks.html
Quite a few Mallards are Hybrids. Mallards are true Ducks. The Mallard and the Muscovy Duck are believed to be the ancestors of all domestic ducks.
Mallard - Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia

They have Bred the Silver Appleyard and it's a very large duck and then they escapes and bread back and you get a duck lie this
and the two white ducks are two if her offspring which are throwbacks to purpose bread white runners Slightly smaller than the true mallard and half the size of the Aylesbury / Campbell

I have been following them for 4 years now. They are lovely. The mother duck here is the noisiest duck in the park. I thought at first she was Leucistic

[Catherine]

These are lovely photos, Beryl!

Yes, I read your earlier link re. the Crested Duck, but felt it failed to expose the side effects of deliberately breeding them, thus I posted the other link. (I had an even better explanation of the condition before and posted it on BGB last year, but have lost it now...)

Your Wikipedia link says that the crested gene can be bred into any variety.. I think that doing it deliberately is sad - rather like those dog breeders breeding extra wrinkles into Pekinese, etc., causing breathing and eye problems too.

The white Crested Duck at the pond seems to have eye trouble now - and I understand that can be one complication of having the 'crested gene'. Really sad.
(See pic below)

Now I've had time to look it up, the larger bird in one pic seems to be a Saxony Duck; Omlet UK | Breed Information | Ducks | Saxony

[Chocky]

I think it is very sad the things breeders some times do Breading birds for colour is fine with me I had a beautiful Powder blue Indian rose ring -necked Parakeet He was lovely and they don't suffer but to breed for monstrosities is monstrous.

The mallard gets every where though doesn't he

At Dawlish you can see the ducklings in the incubators I'll dig out my photto later You can see the little tufts on their heads