Black Dog Farm Water Fowl

The Ducks
Our ducks, all drakes, were cross-bred from Khaki Campbell, Cayuga and Swedish Blue stock.  The Khaki Campbell is an egg-layer that originated in England around 1900 from Indian Runners, Mallards and Rouens.  Cayuga and Swedish Blues are dual purpose breeds providing both meat and eggs.  We used to eat the duck eggs, however, were forced to stop once we changed our duck flock to include only males.  This change was made in order to prevent fighting. In addition to providing food for our table, the ducks have been used to start several of our border collies herding.

Embden Geese
The Embden Goose is the most popular breed grown commercially in North America due to its white feathers and rapid growth.  They are also known for their large size and excellent egg production.  The breed was developed in Germany and subsequently bred in England before being imported into the United States.  We recently sold last year's goslings and our goose has started to build her nest  in the barn for this year's brood.

Our Swans
Our first swan, "Manny" is a young male swan adopted from the Village of Manlius.  Manny is a mute swan from the Imperial Line.  He and his siblings needed to find other homes because swans are very territorial during mating season and he might have been killed by his father.  In Febrary of 2000 we adopted another male swan from Manlius who we have named "Casius."  Manny seems much more content with another swan and no longer follows the geese around the yard.  Instead the swans stay primarily on the pond.

Ducks of Distinction

Can you identify the ducks pictured above?  Scroll to bottom of page for the answers.

Waterfowl Links
Ducks for Kids (and adults) - fun site including information, stories, clip art and sounds.

Waterfowl Identification in the Central Flyway - includes pictures of many different types of ducks and waterfowl.

Carl Bark's Duck Family Tree - Shows how the Disney Duck family is related.

About Mute Swans - nice source of information about mute swans in Great Britain that is pertinent for swan owners in the U.S.  Also includes sound clip.

Incubation Periods of Eggs - Table lists incubation periods for common birds and factors that will cause variations.

Feathersite - Poultry page containing scads of information about domestic fowl.  Also includes link for a chicken screen saver!

Answers to "Ducks of Distinction"
Clockwise starting in upper left hand corner - Daffy Duck, Darkwing Duck, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, $crooge McDuck, Huey, Dewey and Louie.