Feather Acres
Specializing in Rare Breed Poultry Preservation
Silky Ducks
One of our 2007 breeding pens. We have blacks, whites and mallards to work with.
Original Black Silky Pair (2004) First Silky Duck babies!!! From the above pair.
Mallard 2005 Silky Duck with some black 2005 brothers and sisters. All out of the original black pair! Note the "whispy" silky feathering on all (except the trout runner in the background).
Here he is in his beautiful adult plumage.
Our white silky we were able to get form Holderread's in 2005. He's a friendly little guy! Very pretty!
NEW COLOR! Ron is calling it Blue Fawn. Aren't they PRETTY?!
To quote directly from the Holderread's Waterfowl Farm and Preservation Center catalog, "These extremely rare little ducks have soft lacy feathers similar to Silky Doves and were first bred by Darrel Sheraw of Pennsylvania. They weigh between 28 and 36 ounces and come in white, black, dusky and mallard colors. They are non-fliers, excellent foragers, faithful setters and make delightful pets."
After conversations with Dave Holderread, I have also learned that the silky feathering is similar to that of a silkie chicken in that it should be transferable to most any breed it is crossed with, and will most likely show up in the second generation. I have had a really hard time hatching them in the past, and I guess I'm not alone. Holderread's has had a difficult time too. Apparently the young ducks lay a really dense not very porous egg, that isn't able to dehydrate enough before hatch. I have a really hard time getting a decent sized air cell on them by hatch time. I have learned through trial and error, that daily spraying of the eggs is essential in the incubator. The best luck I have had was under a runner duck hen. Otherwise, it is sometimes necessary to help the babies out of their shells. They take about 26 days to hatch. Also, because their numbers are so few, they are in need of outcrossing. We are in the second generation now of crossing them with the Australian Spotteds. It is a very interesting project! We have gotten some wild colors! Can't wait to see the silky feathering this year!
One of the most common questions I get is, "Can they swim?" Yes, they are very watertight and can swim just as well as any other duck. The best way I can describe it is that they have a layer of tight feathers with a layer of whispy ones over them.
The hens lay a fairly large egg in proportion to their size. Fertility is great, and for some odd reason, the eggs ship AMAZINGLY well. Rarely do we have someone report that all did not develop! It's just hatch time that everything sometimes falls apart.
If you are up for the challenge, and would like to try hatching some yourself, please contact me to be put on the waiting list. You are also welcome to check the Available Birds and Eggs page to see what we've got.