Recent content by FussyHen

One of my ducks disappeared for three days, and I found her setting on a hidden nest in the yard. They are free range, only locked up at night (she's lucky a raccoon didn't find her). I haven't had ANY eggs in the duck house, so both girls apparently decided to lay in the hidden nest. There...

That sounds very reasonable. An acquaintance said I should check their crops frequently, but they always act so healthy that I rarely do. Thank you!

For a heavy breed, like my Sussex mix? Just a matter of curiosity.

Since oysters live underwater, I hadn't considered that the shells would dissolve, but I just looked up the pH of seawater (7.5 to 8.4). I rinsed the dust off a tbsp of oystershell and put it in a small glass bowl of water to see what happens. In 24 hrs, nothing has changed, and nothing...

I frequently get an egg that has no shell from (I'm sure) the same duck. Do you think it would make it more appetizing or easier to eat if it were lying under an inch or so of water? It wouldn't hurt it as long as it didn't get scummy (and maybe not even then). I read somewhere that you can...

It's not bullying as much as being in Protective Mode. My drake sort of "herds" the dog (35 lbs) when she's passing through the hens to get from point A to point B, but after she jumps onto the deck, he veers away. He's just protecting his girls from a possible attacker. Of course, it doesn't...

The OP hasn't said what he/she feeds. Too many people try to buy the cheapest crap they can find, and it simply isn't appropriate. My neighbor was feeding cheap 9% protein! From hatching to about 3 wks, they need 18-20% protein. From 4 to 13 wks, they need 14% protein. Laying ducks need...

p.s. Also, with the high stupidity/obnoxiousness level of America today, if every town allowed roosters, there would be well-meaning morons who would take in unwanted roosters as "rescues". The neighbors would then be subjected to the crowing of 27 roosters who were also fighting and tearing...

If roosters just crowed for a few minutes when the sun comes up, it wouldn't be so bad. But they crow ALL DAY LONG. I'll be working outside and listening to my neighbor's rooster crowing all day, well into the afternoon. I've had two of them in the past ten years, and got rid of both of them...

One thing that I discovered by accident: My girls like to get their feet wet in hot weather. I left the hose dribbling slightly on a spot of packed and slightly depressed soil (in the shade), forming a shallow (like 1/4") "wading pool".

Ducklings. Seven ducklings, recently hatched. They look like Mallards. Do any other ducklings look like Mallards when young? There is no water around here. None of the nearby neighbors have ducks. No mom in sight. I chased them into a clump of tall clover, and caught them and put them...

Can the spots be scratched off?

"The bigger problem with German Shepherds is there are so many with crappy temperments. Hyper-wary and fearful." Actually, I believe there is some truth to that with any popular breed. But German Shepherds have generally been ruined for a longer time due to their popularity; they are...

One possible problem with herding breeds (like yours) is their built-in obsession to herd. My pup started with herding cats. The cats did not like this. There was a pile of lumber left by previous residents, and she would herd the cats to the upper levels, where they would wait for me to...

I have 3 hens and a drake. I don't know which the eggs came from, possibly all three. The hen was setting before I realized it (they're free range days). She kicked two eggs from the nest and I candled them: both dark on one half (lengthwise) and light on the other, which means nothing to...