Cayuga
The Cayuga is a medium-sized breed of duck originating in New York. Aside from their beautiful plumage; they are known for being hardy, mild mannered, observant and productive. Historically they were raised for meat and are said to be exquisite in taste. These ducks are a great all-purpose breed, as pets they do an amazing job at both foraging for pests and interacting with people they are familiar with. Having a strong maternal drive allows the females to successfully raise large broods. Originally Cayugas were only black, but more recently available in all of the "Self" colors. We raise them Black, Blue, Silver, Chocolate, Lavender and Lilac.
Silkie Ducks
These bantam ducks have an unusual feature when Homozygous for the Silkie gene. It causes feathers to be longer, lighter and lacking the hook-like barbicels normal feathers have. Barbicels are part of a velcro-like system in conjunction with barbs and barbules that allows the feathers to stick together, creating a smooth surface. Fully Silkied ducks are still capable of flight- over short distances. Although the smooth Heterozygous birds of the breed can fly quite well- they don't prefer to. If allowed to free range with the ability to fly they will stay close with little desire to spend much time away from home. Compared to the most common bantam- the Call Duck- they are quiet, only making noise if given a reason. In size Silkies are a bit smaller than Mallards. The mutation that causes their unique feathering also causes the shell and outer membrane of their eggs to be thicker. Hatching does not come easy to Homozygous birds. Which is why it is necessary to retain Heterozygous birds in the breed- they don't share that issue.
Aztec Ducks
These personable little guys have an interesting story. Dave Holderread created this breed in the the 1980's in order to have a bantam breed of duck smaller than a Mallard and much easier to raise and hatch than Call Ducks. He was successful in his attempt, creating his exotic looking Aztec Ducks. The name was chosen from their reminding the Holderread's of the look of beautiful Aztec-styled rugs they had seen during their travels. At the time there were only 3 bantam breeds readily available to the public- Calls, Mallards and Black East Indies. None of which occurred in the Porcelain or Blue Pearl (now known as Blue Fawn/Blue Mallard) colors that the Aztecs did. In fact, Dave commented that at that point in time- he had never seen either color.
Efforts have been underway to increase the genetic variabilty within the breed while simultaneously correcting a few small imperfections in type. But as Dave both retained and made available his original breed standards- this has been a fairly simple task. The birds originally purchased were all of the Porcelain color. As of yet, the Blue Pearl color has not been perfected. The 2020 hatching season should see that accomplished.
Efforts have been underway to increase the genetic variabilty within the breed while simultaneously correcting a few small imperfections in type. But as Dave both retained and made available his original breed standards- this has been a fairly simple task. The birds originally purchased were all of the Porcelain color. As of yet, the Blue Pearl color has not been perfected. The 2020 hatching season should see that accomplished.
Australian Spotted Ducks
Despite the misleading nomenclature, these bantam beauties are American made. The foundation stock for this breed originating from 1920's Pennsylvania include Call Ducks, Mallards, Northern Pintails and an unidentified species of wild Australian duck. Using the 'flock breeding' method of raising the different breeds together garnered amazing results. The birds were allowed to breed and mix freely, the resulting progeny were then rejected or selected for the various traits desired.
John C. Kriner and Stanley Mason developed the breed over several generations. By 1990 they were readily available to the public. Currently Aussies are listed on The Livestock Conservancy's "Conservation Priority List" due to low population numbers. This is despite the overly-friendly demeanor, unique beauty and efficacy in yard and garden pest control.
Australian Spotted Ducks come in 3 varieties. These include Greenhead, Bluehead and Silverhead. Unlike the breed itself- the names of it's varieties do correlate to their descriptions. Greenheads have green heads, Blueheads are blue in the head region and, surprisingly- Silverheads have a more gunmetal-grey type of color. Aussies are the best choice in bantam duck for people who want a calm, interactive and general pal-aroundability type of duck. They do fly quite well. In my experience, they don't go far from home or spend very long exploring outside of their known area of comfort and safety. More than any of my other bantam breeds, I find them relaxing under bird feeders leisurely snacking on fallen seeds.
*Currently rebuilding our Aussie flock, will not be available in 2021
John C. Kriner and Stanley Mason developed the breed over several generations. By 1990 they were readily available to the public. Currently Aussies are listed on The Livestock Conservancy's "Conservation Priority List" due to low population numbers. This is despite the overly-friendly demeanor, unique beauty and efficacy in yard and garden pest control.
Australian Spotted Ducks come in 3 varieties. These include Greenhead, Bluehead and Silverhead. Unlike the breed itself- the names of it's varieties do correlate to their descriptions. Greenheads have green heads, Blueheads are blue in the head region and, surprisingly- Silverheads have a more gunmetal-grey type of color. Aussies are the best choice in bantam duck for people who want a calm, interactive and general pal-aroundability type of duck. They do fly quite well. In my experience, they don't go far from home or spend very long exploring outside of their known area of comfort and safety. More than any of my other bantam breeds, I find them relaxing under bird feeders leisurely snacking on fallen seeds.
*Currently rebuilding our Aussie flock, will not be available in 2021
East Indies Ducks
The East Indies Duck is another bantam with a misleading name, as they were developed in the U.S.A. in the 19th century. They have been accurately described as a tiny and more striking version of the Cayuga. The iridescent green 'beetling' is much more pronounced in the Indies Ducks. There are no photos that capture the visual appeal radiating from these ducks- especially when viewed on a sunny day. In size Indies are slightly larger than Calls and much more streamlined. They don't share the dwarfed features of calls, such as overly-short beaks and puffier cheeks. These differing features equate to the Indies being more easily hatched, as well as generally more vigorous and hardy. Like the Cayuga, the eggs laid at the beginning of the season have a black coating deposited on them as they are laid. The coating gets progressively fainter as the season continues.
Historically, they've been known by many names. The most common in the U.S.A. being the Black East Indies. More recently they've become available in Blue, Silver and Chocolate colors as well. We are currently working on developing Lavender and Lilac versions using the highest quality Blue East Indies available.
Historically, they've been known by many names. The most common in the U.S.A. being the Black East Indies. More recently they've become available in Blue, Silver and Chocolate colors as well. We are currently working on developing Lavender and Lilac versions using the highest quality Blue East Indies available.
Pachaug Forest Ducks
These are my ducks. I developed them as a breed showcasing my favorite aesthetic and breed traits. In size PFDs are slightly smaller than Wild Mallards, with more robust necks and fairly horizontal stance. The base stock used in the making of them included my most pleasant Cayuga girls. In temperament they are very similar to the standard Cayuga- observant, motivated foragers, highly capable mothers and protective. Development is fast- fully capable of laying, nesting and hatching eggs, as well as successfully raising their brood- only 5 months after hatching.
PFDs are available in Black, Blue and Silver. They carry the Rust gene. It causes a Cinnamon overtone in Blue birds that covers the White Bib as they mature. As they age, the color spreads over the rest of the body. But- it seems to only affect one side of any given feather, and to varying degrees. Sunlight enhances the effect significantly. In Black ducks it behaves a little differently. Rather than Cinnamon, a deep Chestnut color covers the breast. Dependant on the lighting they can occasionally appear Chocolate. They have the iridescent 'beetling' similar to BEIs and Cayuga, but more often than Green it appears Purple or Blue. This is especially true for the females. The effects of the Rust seem more pronounced in their sex. Some birds develop pencilled Dark Brown and Black Primary Feathers, and fewer develop the same color/pattern on the outermost few feathers on either side of the tail.
Females are a few shades lighter than the Blue drakes. They also have a visible white eye ring extending as a line toward the back of the head. A White Outline should be present around the female's beak. Both sexes have Blue beaks, feet and legs. Drakes have lighter bills.
PFDs are available in Black, Blue and Silver. They carry the Rust gene. It causes a Cinnamon overtone in Blue birds that covers the White Bib as they mature. As they age, the color spreads over the rest of the body. But- it seems to only affect one side of any given feather, and to varying degrees. Sunlight enhances the effect significantly. In Black ducks it behaves a little differently. Rather than Cinnamon, a deep Chestnut color covers the breast. Dependant on the lighting they can occasionally appear Chocolate. They have the iridescent 'beetling' similar to BEIs and Cayuga, but more often than Green it appears Purple or Blue. This is especially true for the females. The effects of the Rust seem more pronounced in their sex. Some birds develop pencilled Dark Brown and Black Primary Feathers, and fewer develop the same color/pattern on the outermost few feathers on either side of the tail.
Females are a few shades lighter than the Blue drakes. They also have a visible white eye ring extending as a line toward the back of the head. A White Outline should be present around the female's beak. Both sexes have Blue beaks, feet and legs. Drakes have lighter bills.
