Duck · breed notes

Cayuga Duck

The Cayuga is the black American duck, said to have been first found beside a lake in New York. Below is what two early books on ducks say about it, quoted line by line. The 1922 book is the one that tells how the black colour slips as a bird ages.

Where it comes from

Howard calls the Cayuga an American duck and says it had been bred here so long that nobody could trace where it began. The story he repeats is that it was first found in central New York, on Cayuga Lake. He gives two old nicknames, the Big Black duck and the Lake duck, and says the breed is now known only as the Black Cayuga. Lamon and Slocum's Cayuga paragraph does not discuss where the breed came from.

distinctly an American duck, having been bred so long in this country that all trace of its origin is lostHoward, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management
It is said that it was first found in the central part of New York, on Cayuga Lake.Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management

More from the books (1)

It was sometimes called the "Big Black duck," and again the "Lake duck," but is now known only as the Black Cayuga duck.Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management

Howard passes on two other stories without choosing between them. By some, he says, the Cayuga is supposed to have come originally from the wild Black duck. Another story puts its discovery in Dutchess County, New York, where a miller had a flock bred from a pair he said he had captured in a mill pond, which grew easily tame in the poultry yard. In the 1922 book the breed is described as one not kept very widely at the present time; Howard, writing earlier, says many people blamed the black plumage for the Cayuga not being more extensively bred.

By some it is supposed to have originally come from the wild Black duckHoward, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management
Their black plumage is against them also, and many assign this as the reason why they are not more extensively bred.Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management
this breed is not kept very widely at the present timeLamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese

More from the books (1)

a pair he had captured several years previous in a mill pondHoward, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management

How to recognise one

The colour is the whole point. Howard wants a small head with glossy black plumage, a short, broad, dark bill with black preferred, and dark hazel eyes. He says the plumage must be lustrous black throughout and that a feather of any other color disqualifies a bird in the showroom, and prefers black shanks, toes and webs, with dark slate allowed. Lamon and Slocum call the color a lustrous greenish black, somewhat brighter in the drake than in the duck.

The head of the Cayuga is small, with glossy black plumage; bill rather short and broad, of dark color, black being preferred; the eyes dark hazel.Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management
The color of the plumage must be lustrous black throughout, and feathers of any other color will disqualify a bird in the showroom.Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management
The color should be a lustrous greenish black throughout, being somewhat brighter in the drake than in the duck.Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese

More from the books (1)

Black shanks, toes, and webs are preferred, though dark slate color is permissible according to the standard requirements.Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management

The black does not last, and the 1922 book is frank about it. Lamon and Slocum say the duck is more likely to show a brownish cast, particularly as she grows older, and that a little white sometimes develops with age on the back of the neck, around the eyes and under the bill. White or gray is apt to occur in the breast of females. Drakes as a rule hold their color better than ducks, and every Cayuga starts life with a white breast: when first hatched, the baby ducks all show one.

The duck is more likely to show a brownish cast of plumage, particularly as she grows older.Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese
With age also a little white sometimes develops on the back of the neck, around the eyes and underneath the neck at the base of the bill.Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese

Temperament and habits

Howard describes a calm, home-loving bird. He calls Cayugas splendid birds for a restricted range that breed well in confinement, quiet and docile, strongly attached to their home, and showing no wish to stray far from the place where they were bred. Lamon and Slocum say nothing about temperament in their Cayuga paragraph.

Cayugas are splendid birds for a restricted range and breed well in confinementHoward, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management
they are quiet, docile, and form a strong attachment for their home, evincing no inclination or desire to stray far away from the place where they were bredHoward, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management

On sitting, the 1922 book names only the Muscovy, the Call and the Black East India as broody breeds and classes all the others as non-broody, though some of those ducks will still go broody and want to sit. That puts the Cayuga with the non-broody group. Howard says nothing about sitting in his Cayuga section, apart from the miller's story in which his captured ducks built their nests on the edges of the pond.

The Muscovy, the Call and the Black East India ducks are broody breeds.Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese
All the other breeds are classed as non-broody breeds.Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese

More from the books (1)

built their nests on the edges of the pondHoward, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management

The two books side by side

Point	Howard, 1897	Lamon & Slocum, 1922
Plumage	Lustrous black throughout“The color of the plumage must be lustrous black throughout” (Howard, 1897)	Lustrous greenish black throughout“The color should be a lustrous greenish black throughout” (Lamon & Slocum, 1922)
Drake and duck	The duck's wings are sometimes dark brown“excepting those of the duck, which are sometimes of a dark brown” (Howard, 1897)	Somewhat brighter in the drake“being somewhat brighter in the drake than in the duck” (Lamon & Slocum, 1922)
Bill	Short, broad, dark; black preferred“bill rather short and broad, of dark color, black being preferred” (Howard, 1897)	Drake's should be black“the bill of drakes, which should be black” (Lamon & Slocum, 1922)
Back	Broad“the back is broad” (Howard, 1897)	Straight; no arch“The back line should be straight” (Lamon & Slocum, 1922)
Eyes	Dark hazel“the eyes dark hazel” (Howard, 1897)	Not described in this book
Shanks, toes, webs	Black preferred; dark slate allowed“Black shanks, toes, and webs are preferred, though dark slate color is permissible” (Howard, 1897)	Not described in this book
White with age	Not described in this book	A little on the neck, round the eyes, under the bill“a little white sometimes develops on the back of the neck, around the eyes” (Lamon & Slocum, 1922)

Old standard weights

Book	Adult drake	Adult duck	Young drake	Young duck
Howard, 1897	8 lb	7 lb	7 lb	6 lb
Lamon & Slocum, 1922	8 lb	7 lb	7 lb	6 lb

The two books give the same figure in every column. Both are historical show standards from their own year, not the current American Poultry Association standard.

As printed in Howard, 1897: The standard weight of the adult drake is 8 pounds; adult duck, 7 pounds; young drake, 7 pounds, and young duck, 6 pounds.

As printed in Lamon & Slocum, 1922: Cayuga 8 7 7 6

Where the two books disagree

The books do not agree on whether the Cayuga is lighter than the Pekin. Howard's standard weight line for the Pekin is word for word the line he gives the Cayuga, so in his book the two breeds weigh the same in every column. Lamon and Slocum say the Cayuga is slightly smaller than the Pekin, by about a pound on average, and their table puts it one pound under the Pekin in each column. Neither book comments on the other.

The standard weight of the adult drake is 8 pounds; adult duck, 7 pounds; young drake, 7 pounds, and young duck, 6 pounds.Howard, 1897, Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management

It is slightly smaller than the Pekin, Aylesbury and Rouen, averaging about a pound less.Lamon & Slocum, 1922, Ducks and Geese

Questions readers ask

Where did the Cayuga duck come from?

Howard calls it distinctly an American duck, bred here so long that all trace of its origin is lost. He says it is said to have been first found in central New York, on Cayuga Lake, and gives two other stories: that it came from the wild Black duck, and that it was first found in Dutchess County, New York. Lamon and Slocum's Cayuga paragraph does not discuss where it came from.

Is a Cayuga all black?

That is the standard. Howard says the plumage must be lustrous black throughout, and that the duck's wings are sometimes a dark brown. Lamon and Slocum say the color should be a lustrous greenish black, brighter in the drake than in the duck. Young ducklings show a white breast when first hatched.

Why does an older Cayuga show brown or white?

Lamon and Slocum say the duck is more likely to show a brownish cast as she grows older, and that a little white sometimes develops on the neck, around the eyes and at the base of the bill. White or gray is apt to occur in the breast of females. They say it is hard to hold good black color with age, but give no reason beyond that. Howard does not mention this in his Cayuga section.

How big is a Cayuga compared with a Pekin?

Lamon and Slocum say it is slightly smaller than the Pekin, Aylesbury and Rouen, averaging about a pound less, and their weight table agrees. Howard gives the Cayuga's standard weight but does not compare it with the Pekin in his Cayuga section.

Will a Cayuga duck sit on her eggs?

Not as a rule, going by the 1922 book. It names only the Muscovy, the Call and the Black East India as broody breeds and classes all the others as non-broody, although some ducks of those breeds will go broody. Howard says nothing about sitting in his Cayuga section, other than that the ducks in the miller's story built nests at the pond edge.

The books quoted here

Ducks and Geese: Standard Breeds and Management, George E. Howard (1897; USDA Farmers' Bulletin No. 64). Full text and catalogue entry.
Ducks and Geese, Harry M. Lamon and Rob R. Slocum (1922; Orange Judd Publishing Company, New York). Full text and catalogue entry.

At a glance

Home: Distinctly an American duck“distinctly an American duck” (Howard, 1897)
First found: Central New York, on Cayuga Lake (so it is said)“It is said that it was first found in the central part of New York, on Cayuga Lake.” (Howard, 1897)
Colour: Lustrous black throughout“The color of the plumage must be lustrous black throughout” (Howard, 1897)
Bill: Dark; black preferred“bill rather short and broad, of dark color, black being preferred” (Howard, 1897)
Ducklings: All show a white breast when first hatched“When Cayugas are first hatched the baby ducks all show a white breast.” (Lamon & Slocum, 1922)
With age: Hard to hold the black colour“It is hard to hold good black color with age.” (Lamon & Slocum, 1922)
Temperament: Quiet and docile“they are quiet, docile, and form a strong attachment for their home” (Howard, 1897)