Dutch Hookbill

unavailable for

2024

unavailable for 2024

Dutch Hookbill are lightweight ducks that were kept by the hundreds on the waterways of Holland. It is said that the downward curved bill was bred so that hunters would be able to tell the difference between wild ducks and the birds that came back to their barns every night. Dutch Hookbills are a very old breed. There is mention of them as early as the 1600s! Unfortunately in the mid 1900s they nearly went extinct. Currently they are considered extremely rare.

Hookbill fun facts:

they come in a wide range of colors. (We currently keep a mixed color flock of Hookbillls)
they are GREAT foragers.
they are similar in size to a khaki campbell…rather a small duck.
they are very hardy.
the curve of the bill is something that can be lost when not actively selected for which means there is some variation in this iconic feature with some ducks sporting straighter bills than others.

Dutch Hookbills will be unavailable for 2024

Every responsible breeder sometimes has to share unfortunate news. This season the Hookbill fertility is no good at all, which is an issue we struggled with last year as well. We have come to the conclusion that due to the extreme inaccessibility of fresh Hookbill genetics in Canada, they have become inbred to where it’s effecting them in a negative way. We have decided to take them off the hatching egg sales list so that we can work towards sourcing fresh genetics.

For anyone who has already paid a deposit for Hookbill eggs, please contact us asap and the deposit will be refunded.

We are very sorry for this turn of events, but believe it's for the best. Stay tuned for progress reports!! Happy spring!