Post by bergere on Apr 1, 2006 15:20:36 GMT -5
Dutch Hook Bill
This Dutch light breed duck is a seasonal layer and is mainly kept for exhibition. Its eggs are blue. The bird shown above is a Dark Mallard (is called Duskie), and this breed adds to that coloration a white bib and two white primaries. It also appears in White. They weigh 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 pounds (2.3 to 2.8 kilos).
Its most outstanding characteristic is the strongly curved bill, which should continue the line of a semicircle started on the back of the skull.
Hook bills have been traced back to the 1600s. They were traditionally raised along the many canals in Holland.
I raised this breed of water fowl for a few years,, after raising other breeds of ducks for quite a long time.
Found them charming, very gentle, easy to handle and hardy. They did not lay in winter but laid nicely sized eggs the other three seasons. The Duskie colors laid very light blue eggs and the whites laid white eggs.
The males were kind to the females and were not over sexed, so I did not have the same problems I did with other breeds of ducks. Of the females being hurt by males.
Only down side to the breed is they do not hatch well in incubators. They are very picky about the humidity levels and the shells tend to be thick.
Here are some of the pictures of my Hook Bills which Featherside uses. I raised all three colors.
They are in need of more breeders for preservation.
www.feathersite.com/Poultry/Ducks/Hooks/BRKKroms.html
Holderreads has the best Quality Dutch Hook Bill Ducks in the US.
They do not have a web site but you can contact them at..
Holderread's Waterfowl Farm and Preservation Center
PO Box 492
Corvallis, OR 97339
541-929-5338
This Dutch light breed duck is a seasonal layer and is mainly kept for exhibition. Its eggs are blue. The bird shown above is a Dark Mallard (is called Duskie), and this breed adds to that coloration a white bib and two white primaries. It also appears in White. They weigh 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 pounds (2.3 to 2.8 kilos).
Its most outstanding characteristic is the strongly curved bill, which should continue the line of a semicircle started on the back of the skull.
Hook bills have been traced back to the 1600s. They were traditionally raised along the many canals in Holland.
I raised this breed of water fowl for a few years,, after raising other breeds of ducks for quite a long time.
Found them charming, very gentle, easy to handle and hardy. They did not lay in winter but laid nicely sized eggs the other three seasons. The Duskie colors laid very light blue eggs and the whites laid white eggs.
The males were kind to the females and were not over sexed, so I did not have the same problems I did with other breeds of ducks. Of the females being hurt by males.
Only down side to the breed is they do not hatch well in incubators. They are very picky about the humidity levels and the shells tend to be thick.
Here are some of the pictures of my Hook Bills which Featherside uses. I raised all three colors.
They are in need of more breeders for preservation.
www.feathersite.com/Poultry/Ducks/Hooks/BRKKroms.html
Holderreads has the best Quality Dutch Hook Bill Ducks in the US.
They do not have a web site but you can contact them at..
Holderread's Waterfowl Farm and Preservation Center
PO Box 492
Corvallis, OR 97339
541-929-5338