The female chocolate (that I bought as female anyway) is the only one starting to make quack-like sounds, and it is very subtle hidden in her peeps. The blue runner and mallard are still peeping. Mallard is starting to show some brownish new feathers coming in on the back, and no color changes...
Not sure how to respond to this. I guess I also appreciate your right to house your single purpose livestock as pets only. Just because a duck will be raised for meat does not mean that it wasn't provided a wonderful duck life, or that I would not appreciate it's sacrifice as my delicious duck...
It was some thread I stumbled across here about muscovy meat that set me on this craving. Haha. The more I think about it, the more it seems like I should section off another part of the yard just for raising a few ducks for meat!
Thanks for the replies :)
My primary use for them is not for meat, and more for pets/eggs, so I'm not too concerned with not getting lots of meat per duck (but WOW I didn't realize muscovy and pekin get so large!). Moreso, I am crossing my fingers that they are perhaps a tasty, even if more...
I have a couple indian runners and a mallard. One runner is guaranteed female, but the others are both straight run and too young to sex. In the event that I get a drake, I was wondering how runner ducks (or even a runner-mallard cross) are as meat ducks? I know runners are better as layers and...
15! The prime age for being swept up in such a craze! Crossing my fingers for you, but you may need to call upon some ancient voodoo to break that curse
Thank you for the suggestion :) I will talk to by local feed store about if they can order it in and how much it is. From looking online it looks pretty pricey, but it never hurts to check it out if it's available. Currently spending under $10 for a bale/bag of pine that is too large to strap a...
So I've recently developed an allergy to pine shavings... Started to notice it a little while ago where I would get home and get kind of itchy.. but nothing too out of control. Then, as of last night, I scooped a couple heaps of pine to the birds' new brooder pen, and within minutes my arms were...
Have her read 'Ender's Game'. Some similarities, and is a sci-fi book.. but mostly, it's just amazing, and I firmly belive reading it will fix her problem.. in fact.. I think everyone here should read Ender's game :)
How old is your sister? I'm guessing the craze will pass.. at least until the...
Candling is the only chicken term I'm familiar with after coming from the reptile hobby :P At least with chicken eggs it's ok to rotate them (with reptile eggs, they must not tip or roll!). Candling involves taking a flashlight and holding it up to the shell of the egg - do this in darkness, so...
A quick search on "STATENAME importation of poultry" will come up with some results. Typically, they can't come from any locations with a known disease problem, or quarantined area, and they need a certificate of healthy from a veterinarian.
More info...
I am not sure if you are looking to buy locally and what you have near you -
Some wild bird feed stores will set live mealworms in small tubs. Places like PETCO and PETsMART both sell live mealworms of different sizes, but be certain to check each tub for healthy mealworms/date on tubs...
Could a raccoon be reaching through and grabbing them through the mesh/fencing at the bottom, resulting in only the heads fitting through, and therefore being removed? Sounds really strange that it is just the heads missing and not the bodies, that remain in the coop...
Adding some info on the CO2 method... I have no idea how humane it is for chickens. My experience is only on small mammals after a certain age, as the younger they are, the more resistant they are to this type of euthanasia. With very young rodents, cervical discolation is generally accepted as...
(disclaimer.. I did not read all 52 pages, but I will later)
Another hobby of mine is breeding snakes. We have over 100 ball pythons currently in our snake room. We started off with a CO2 chamber, and had gotten pretty skilled at using just enough for the rats to curl up with each other and...
I don't mean to come off offensively or rub anybody the wrong way, just something I had to get out. Lol. Unless it is a protected species being destroyed, I respect everybody's right to protect their livestock and their family... if that means killing a snake rather than leaving it be or...
I've been told by our landlords that the house we are at has had rodent problems in the past, so I would be thrilled to have some sort of snake species in my area. The only ones that ever really show up are small garter snakes and there is the possibility of rubber boas in this area.. but a...