I ordered a batch of ducks and chickens, to grow up to be replacement birds for those who will be getting old in a year or two.
I got these from Welp hatchery, just because they had both Magpie ducks and Rhode Island Red chickens, and had availability of both in the near future. Last week turned out to be their last planned week of Magpies, so I got my order in just under the wire.
I just got 20 ducks and 10 chickens.
I’ll sell a few to offset my costs, and the extra birds offset any losses from shipping. Indeed one duckling was DOA, but they had packed an extra duck and chicken, so I’m still ahead, and no more mortality thus far. The birds are all healthy. I was a bit disappointed in the low quality of the Magpies marking-wise, there is maybe only one with pretty decent markings (and naturally, the dead one was marked the best of all). The rest look more like Swedish, with black necks and heads, and too much black on their bodies. There is one open-marked one that’s mostly white. But maybe this is the normal distribution of markings in the breed, where you only get one or two in twenty with show-quality markings? I haven’t purchased or bred enough to know. Anyway, that’s ok, I don’t plan on showing them, so I’m ok with mediocre markings as long as they lay well.
There is also a crested one in there-doh! So, that gene must manifest in the Magpie gene pool regardless of source (my other Magpies were from Welp and a local source). That one will definitely be going to someone else’s flock to wreak genetic havoc on their hatches! It is cute though!
The chickens are “rare dark” Rhode Island Reds. I’d never heard of that before, but thought it might be interesting to have a wider range of shades of red. They really are very dark.
August 5, 2010 at 7:32 pm
I have a dark RIR that has hatched her third batch this year. She dumps her brood at about 6 weeks to start the next one. She is a very protective mommy too. She produced a rooster whose daddy was a Jersey Giant, and he is georgeous!! He has black, green, blue, and dark red feathers. He is a big boy.
Baby ducks are the cutest!!
August 6, 2010 at 5:08 am
I love magpie ducks! If you watch the original “Journey to the Center of the Earth” movie one of the guys has a pet magpie duck that he brings with him.
August 6, 2010 at 3:53 pm
Doris, where did you get your Dark RIR? I didn’t know people were breeding these as a separate breed? I’m curious to see how they turn out. The hatchery’s pictures looked like they were almost black.
Michelle
August 6, 2010 at 3:54 pm
Kelly, I love them too. I lived in Eastern WA while in college and always marveled at the Magpie birds there, so striking in their markings and so naughty and clever. The duck breed I find is mellow and easy to handle, and they are superb egg layers! I didn’t know there was one in that movie, I don’t think I’ve seen it.
Michelle
August 7, 2010 at 6:31 am
hmm, oh, well, she’s not black looking like the one’s in the Welp pics. but she is a dark Mahogany red and she is really pretty imo. I have a bunch of other RIR’s and they are definitely lighter red. I got her from a gal north of Arlington and I guess she got a whole variety of chickens from ?? as I recall ?? a local feed store?? Anyways I plan on keeping her for life. I’ll see if I can get my daughter to get a pic for you. =)