* Medium Duck Breeds:- Crested  |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Any breed can throw a crested duckling
normally bred crested to uncrested not always the best egg layer
dependant upon the original uncrested format.Here they are large
Appleyards. . . .Technical bit :-The domestic Crested Duck is a
duck breed descended from the Mallard. It has its appearance because it
is heterozygous for a genetic mutation causing a deformity of the
skull. As a result, when a pair of crested ducks breed, the young sort
out in the usual 1-2-1 ratio:- * 25% are homozygous for the normal allele of this gene and so have no crest and if bred together their offspring will never have a crest. * 50% are heterozygous for this gene and hatch with a crest of varying sizes. * 25% are homozygous for the crested allele of this gene and die from exposed brain without hatching, as it is lethal in homozygous form. If a crested duck and a non-crested duck breed together, the resulting ducklings would be expected to be 50% crested and 50% non-crested but are often stronger For housing use a large dog kennel or small garden shed to house the ducks or in with the chickens. During the winter they need to be protected against rain, wind, and snow . The shelter must be waterproof, predator proof and well ventilated ( goose crap is high in ammonia so small places produce quite a smell). At night ducks must be penned up being vulnerable with their quiet and trusting nature to two and four legged predators. . . they were not named as 'sitting ducks' for nothing For bedding use straw, paper shreds,wood chip, wood shavings or hay, although I do prefer hay for the nests. Recommend mucking out the enclosure every 2-6 weeks, depending on how many you have in the enclosure, and how big the enclosure is. Queries ask via the domestic - waterfowl club website
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| . Telephone : 01691 655 635 (Shropshire) or Email grahamhickss@hotmail.co.uk |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||