Australian Call Duck
The Australian Call Ducks is breed of domesticated ducks from Australia. It is officially a separate breed, and is not related to English or the American Call Ducks. The Aussie calls are raised primarily for the ornamental purposes, or just as pets. This bantam breed is still developing, with a lot of work to be done for its further development.
| Other Names | Australian Call |
| Characteristics | Both males and females have domed heads, short bills and short webbed legs |
| Colours | Brown, buff |
| Purposes | Ornamentation/decoration |
| Size | 1 ¼ – 1 ½ Pounds |
| Diet | Normal duck foods like slugs, snails, rice bran, crustaceans, insects; organic foods |
| Country of Origin | Australia |
History and Development
The Australian Call Duck is very similar in appearance to the other call duck breeds across the world, including the English call ducks. However, the Australian Poultry Standard Committee has come to the conclusion that, the call ducks present in Australia is a genetically independent breed. The committee has also cited evidence for the same, and has asserted that, the breed has developed independently in South Australia from a spontaneous mutation in a domestic flock of mallards that belonged to Hamish Russel.
In 2011, the committee, with this view in mind, renamed the second edition of the breed from ‘Call Duck’ to the ‘Australian Call’, and set their standards accordingly. The Australian Call Ducks, like other call breeds, demonstrate the classic dwarf characteristics including its short legs and bills, and a domed head.
While introducing the Australian Call breed, the committee had also stated the differences between the Australian and the other call ducks. The Australian calls are relatively much bigger in size, as well as display a different color range from the British and the American call ducks.
Behavior
Call ducks are easily maintainable, and are easy to keep. As their name suggests, call ducks are rather talkative. Because of this trait, it might be unsuitable to keep these ducks as pets in gardens which are close to neighbors. They can stay well with other ducks, and are also good for children especially because of their small size and docile nature.
As Pets
They need shallow containers to be able to reach water. Half size buckets that are suited for other duck breeds are quite big for call ducks. Under-bed storage containers can also be a good pool for these ducks to swim in. In that case, a few bricks should be arranged on the sides for them to climb in and out.
Interesting Facts
- These ducks sometimes breed ducklings that cannot be sold as ‘call ducks’ unless they grow up to display the correct breed standards.
- Baby Australian call ducks that are born with long necks, bodies, and resemble more of a mallard, should be sold as ‘Australian Bantam Ducks’.
