Australian Spotted Bantam Ducks
Last Updated: 10/27/11
10/27/11: Well, what a difference several months make! Shown above are 3 of my baby ducklings born on 8/1/11. I was so excited to get a couple of Green-headed ducklings. Obviously, I have a Green-headed male in the center back. Isn't he gorgeous! I believe the left foreground duck is a Blue-headed female and the right foreground one is a Green-headed female.
8/2/11: Baby ducklings were out and about this morning ... even went for a swim. There are six ducklings total. Check out the new photos above!
8/1/11: Baby ducklings are here!!! Mother hen hasn't let them out of the house yet but will get photos as soon as she does. I saw at least two ducklings this morning when I peeked into the house:)
7/14/11: Lucille (Blue-headed female) is now trying to hatch some ducklings. She has been sitting on her nest for over a week now. The weather has been much warmer so we are hoping for success this time. The boys aren't getting along the best so I may need to come up with some new arrangements.
6/5/11: I brought back another pair of ducks from Karen Valley. These ones are both Blue-headed so I will have a 25% chance of getting some Green-headed ducklings:) No ducklings for Daisy yet but she is diligently sitting on her nest.
5/17/11: Daisy is sitting on a nest of eggs again. It's been pretty cold but hopefully she will be able to hatch some of them in about a week or so.
Blue-headed male and Silver-headed female (Daisy) shown in two photos directly above.
The Australian Spotted is a bantam breed that actually originated in the United States. It was developed with a foundation stock of Call, Mallard, Northern Pintail, and an unidentified wild Australian duck in the 1920's. Those breeds were kept together and allowed to interbreed for several generations and then the preferred offspring were selected and bred, thus forming the new breed.
The weight of adult ducks averages 2.0 to 2.2 lbs. and the coloration is complex. Depending on the variety, the drake's head is blue (Bluehead), silver (Silverhead), or green (Greenhead).
Australian Spotted ducks are fast maturing and the drakes can exhibit courtship behavior at 3 - 4 weeks of age. They are the best layers of the bantam breeds and will produce 50 - 125 cream, blue, or green shelled eggs annually.
Along with their small size and beautiful plumage, Australian Spotteds are calm and personable. They are exceptionally hardy (a must in Embarrass, Minnesota). They are also excellent foragers and a big help in reducing slugs, snails, sow bugs, Japanese beetles and other insects in gardens and yards. They also eat mosquito larvae in pools and ponds.
According to the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, numbers of this delightful breed are dangerously low.
Much thanks to Karen Valley for allowing me to purchase the beautiful breeding pair shown in the photos above. My drake is a Bluehead and my female is a Silverhead. Hopefully I can do a small part to help preserve this rare breed. I am looking forward to being entertained by them in the upcoming cold winter months!