MandyJ
Songster
Great advice! I'll try it. I am thinking seriously of getting a few Cayuga to go with my girls. I have a hatchery close that has both Pekin and Cayuga ducks.Sorry I took so long, I was on the road the last two days. In the book, there are three black ducks:
Big black duck: Cayuga
Small black duck: Runner
and Big black duck with white chest: Swedish
I want to reinforce what Miss Lydia said about herding. While they are still hard to get remember, they have a great built in handle, their neckWhile you shouldn't squeeze their necks or pick them up by their necks, it is a part that is easy to quickly but lightly grab with one hand and just hold them them long enough to get your other hand near them. I had to do this in the beginning with my ducks. Now I can herd them to a corner some place and they will usually let me catch them with very little protest. Also to get them used to you, if you sit on the ground and feed them peas or meal worms or whatever drives them crazy. Get to where they hang close and you throw treats at them, then get them to take a treat from your outstretched palm, then bring your palm in closer eventually you will get them to feed from your palm against your body (which means they are stretching over your legs. Then occasionally grab one and hold it in your lap and let it feed (gorge) out of the cup the treats are in, for a few seconds, then let it go and let it walk out of your lap and repeat. Slowly increase the time to a minute or two. After that, it depends on the duck... some will take a lot more and some won't. I still have a few ducks that won't eat treats while being held, but most of mine I can cradle on their backs and they will still eat treats. (But none of them EVER volunteers to be picked up.)
Can you tell me, is the Cayuga hen's feathers as colorful as the drake? The blue, purple are gorgeous! But...I don't want drakes, only hens, I like my harmony!
Also, do you know anything about the blue Swedish duck. My husband is interested in them as well. Our ducks are for pets only. We collect the eggs, keep some, but give the others away.
Thanks again,
M