Recent content by HumbleHen207

Ducks are very difficult. I hate... I repeat hate, hatching ducks. There is a fine balance between their membranes drying too fast and them drowning. Its a learning curve, I often add damp sponges to my incubator when hatching ducks.

Well, I dont raise them, but I hunt them... And with hunting comes habitat conservation and knowledge. My family has set up wood duck boxes for years and years. From my observations wood ducks like trees and clean water. I wouldn't fill the pond with vegetation too heavily, adding some wouldnt...

This is normal, their comb coloration will also change with age. As long as their combs arent super pale or dark (This is also dependent on breeds, silkies have mullberry colored skin for example), they should be fine. Black specks are common in black chickens, its a pigment thing.

Be prepared to wait 24-36 hours with ducks. What is your humidity at? I keep mine about 85%+ for waterfowl at hatch, its extremely crucial. Refrain from opening the incubator too much as well, it dries the membranes rapidly!

Happy to hear your hen is doing alright. Keep us posted. She is getting to the age where chickens frequently begin developing issues. After about age 3 health problems are not uncommon. They can live well into their teens though! Birds typically recover well from impacted crops, I wish the best...

Sorry I didnt see these earlier, I am very busy making it difficult to be on frequently.Any natural sources of vitamin E will work. I merely used oil as my birds were unable to eat solid food and I could administer it via syringe.

I wouldnt give up on him. I'd keep giving vitamin supplement, and maybe trying some light physical therapy as long as it doesnt hurt him. Especially where he doesnt seem to be able to walk much on his own, loss of muscle strength isn't going to help his situation. The joint thing is odd, I dont...

This isn't Mareks. Mareks is a disease that can infect birds of all ages, but symptoms will typically only show in birds under or around 16 weeks of age. I have a flock diseased for life with Mareks, it is a horrible, horrible thing. Maybe she has a discomfort in her abdomen, such as internal...

I have a flock infected with Mareks. The state sadly confirmed this a few weeks back. Mareks causes swelling of the sciatic nerve, causing the lameness and swelling that is commonly associated with it. After having to watch 20+ birds die from it on my property this year alone, I do not think you...

I have dealt with a fair amount of imprinted birds recently, ducks and geese. I know for a fact, that any ducks I have obtained from hatcheries, NEVER imprint on me. They imprint on whoever they spent the last several hours with in their shipping box. You can certainly socialize them however...

On occasion, canada geese will cross breed with domestics, but even then it is rare. I keep a free range flock of geese in an area very heavily visited by deer and turkeys, and have never had any conflicts. They keep to themselves for the most part, although the turkeys like to eat the grain on...

They last on the counter un-washed for quite a while. However, I did encounter someone earlier this year who got a nasty case of salmonella poisoning from her own duck eggs, as she was leaving them un-washed on her counter, and failing to wash them prior to use. I leave mine out for a little...

She truly is happier now. A goose is happier being a goose than a human... The duck that came with her however is having a harder time figuring things out. He cannot seem to figure out he doesn't belong with the geese, and gets very confused when they chase after him.

Meet "Eggbert" (she came with the name). She was a house goose at one point, raised solely in the presence of humans and a duck. Geese are exceptionally smart though, and she figured out where she truly belonged in a week. Though she is still friendly, she no longer dependent on people, and now...

This is what after hours working the poultry barn looked like. This is me with Lucky, she is such a sweetie. We got another buff goose yesterday - Eggbert... She is extremely imprinted on humans, and has never seen another goose before in her life! Any suggestions on melding her in with the...