Fancy Fowl asked the questions...
Adele, how long have you kept Cayugas?
I’ve kept them since 2013. I first saw the breed at the Scottish National that year and fell in love with them. I only kept a few hens and a couple of Khaki Campbells then and was keen to add Cayugas to the flock. I found it very difficult to source stock at the time so ended up buying a dozen hatching eggs from Thainstone auction. This was my first time hatching duck eggs and I was lucky enough to hatch 11 healthy ducklings using a Brinsea Octagon.
What classification do they come under?
They are a heavy breed duck, originating from North America. They are believed to be descended from the wild black duck. The breed was standardised in America in 1874 and in Britain in 1901.
How did your strain begin?
I kept one drake and a few ducks from the original 11 and have since acquired a couple of drakes from other breeders.
What is the best approach to breeding them?
I usually get the breeding pens sorted out in February. I find a trio or quartet work well as the drakes are very active and can be quite hard on the females if penned in pairs.
How many eggs do they lay each year?
They are great layers of good size eggs and come into lay around March time. You can expect around 180 eggs a year.
Is it true that the eggs can sometimes be black, and if so is that the desired shade?
Yes the eggs are initially jet black but this will gradually lighten throughout the season to a pale grey/green colour. The shell itself is actually a light green colour and the black pigment is deposited on the outside of the egg before it is laid giving the egg a sooty appearance. Dark laying strains are desirable as they will produce offspring with good colour.
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Denne historien er fra April 2017-utgaven av Fancy Fowl.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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What is Rare?
It would be accurate to say that many breeders and fanciers are currently concerned about their particular breed in terms of how it is regarded officially, and some may be unaware of who is looking after their interests as far as protection measures go in the face of any government-imposed cull.
Our Life with La Fleche (Part1) - Cherry Tree Rare Breeds
Our story with poultry started in 2006 when Chloe then ten, announced “can we keep chickens?’’ That simple question has taken us from a collection of 4 hybrid layers to an established flock of rare breed La Flèche within ten years.
Red Mite
The Poultry Keeper's Nightmare
Poultry Club News
Poultry Club News
VICVET
Victoria answers more of your questions… (www.vicvet.com)
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Having won ‘Best Bantam Vorwerk’ at the National show every year since 2011, it is clear that breeder Jane Freeman has a real passion for the breed - the bantams in particular. We caught with her to find out more about them…
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The LPCG moved last year to The Rutland County Show after its previous location and funding was lost.
A Visit To The Dutch Poultry Museum In Barneveld
Brinsea’s Fiona Browne and Marc Braddock have been planning a visit to the Dutch Poultry Museum since the beginning of the year. Friday 14th October was world egg day and since the museum was celebrating this over the weekend it seemed a great time to visit.
BWA Championship Show
Driving towards this year’s BWA Championship Show in Stroud, I remembered with fondness the same show in previous years.