Cayuga Duck Questions *Update* with a PHOTO

[scooterward]

Here is a pic of our first Cayuga egg:

And here's one showing the difference in their eggs:

The two missing ones made really yummy brownies! mmmmm

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

YEP, JUST A NOTE ON CAYUGA EGG COLOR.
A lot of people are under the impression that cayugas are supposed to lay all black eggs all the time. This just isnt turue. The fact is, they lay an assortment just like pictured above. Usually the first couple eggs from each hen in a clucth are black, then as she continues to lay, they progressively lighten in shell color to just an off white. This is prefectly normal, and it's very odd for one hen to lay more than just a few black ones. As long as she continues to lay, they will lighten. Once she stops and takes a good 3-4 week break in the action, then they will darken up again, but they fade even quicker after the first clutch. Usually the second clutch will just start dark grey, and so on threw the year.

As for the crest, there are crested cayugas, but no they didnt originate that way, in order to get the crest, they were crossed to another crested breed, then bred back to get the cayuga type with a top not still. So, yes and no, it is a cross, but has been bred back to cayuga. Honestly, all domestic breeds are crosses of mallard or muscovie some where down the line to make them anyway.

 

[marcumbackyardfarms]

Last night I told my wife about the swelling in the rear and dragging the ground being a sign. My wife told me last night then she must be ready because that is exactly what she looks like. So...this morning I found this in their house when I let them out to forage:

It is just an off white color with maybe a greenish tint to it.

Thank you for all your help answering questions!

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

haha,
There ya go, now you know what to look for, big bottom = eggs every time
congrats

 

[bibkel]

I am excited! I think I got my first duck egg this morning....I let them all out (later than usual cuz it's Sunday and I wanted to sleep in haha.) and filled the food etc...and when I went to shut the shed they are currently renting as temp houseing....I saw a small egg. Now they (14 ducks-a mishmash group cayuga, blue swedish, hybrid and mallard) live with the chickens (and bonus rooster) that are about 5 months old. They are in a pool that for the life of my I cannot keep dry more than 4 hours and that is where I found the egg, lucky it had not been trampled on and broken. It is small, white and has green splotches....I am assuming it was the mallard....and covered with shavings so I cleaned it.

My chickens (The Girls) occasionally will roost on the lip of the pool but they are quickly dispatched by my more aggressive ducks...golden hybrid 300's from a breeder.

I know my rooster has been mating with at least one chicken...and I know the ducks have been head bobbing to the drakes....But I thought I would have another month before I had to think about eggs. Darn them for dashing my plans!

Their mansion is being finished very soon, and I will be evicting them from the shed and they will all live happily ever after with my three laying hens (who have the world's tiniest apartment which came with them). I have read to move everyone at night to prevent as much turmoil over roosting space as possible, they simply wake up in the morning and think, huh, never noticed them before...ok....

Now, since I found such wonderful information here about my Girls....and I am ecstatic that I found info about ducks etc here too (hard to find ANYTHING online about ducks) I need advice!

Since the mansion will be a blend, I need to know what kind of bedding would be best. I live in a pretty damp area, the coop needs to be lifted during the spring but totally can't right now. We added height to it, and I will be a roofer hopefully next weekend (if DH gets his fanny in gear). It is large, 9x7 on the floor and has a bench looking thing to the side. I am planning to put the laying boxes for my Girls on top of the bench thing and creating a shavings area below for my ducks. I will have a ladder type roost beyond the bench to provide access for lazy chickens to get up there.
Would anyone suggest hay on the rest of the ground area that I simply layer on until it is time to change it, or should I continue with the shavings?

The shavings are being layered each day and mucked out weekly, thrown away. I need to change that. We get horrible flies in warmer weather, so I muck weekly at this point. Oh, and is the litter I choose compostable? The darn shavings are damp and smelly every morning. (I found my dog digging it up so I close the shed each morning and it can't air out, dumb dog)
I have so many questions.......

I read what I can online.....

 

[gryeyes]

Keep an eye on that drake mounting chickens - they can harm chicken hens, because roosters do not have "parts" for penetration, unlike drakes.

Luckily, Louie is faithful to Thelma. Or maybe my hens just run faster than Louie can waddle!

 

[bibkel]

oh, goodie. another thing to worry about.....drakes that mix.

They pretty much stay together, birds of a feather and all. The rooster is the only one who will provide equal torment to my babies (5 months old, same as Elvis the rooster) and my laying girls.

So, curious. how would a rooster get his business done if he cannot penetrate like the drake can? I have seen that action in a park, long time ago...but I only see the rooster try to mount.....DH watched him nail two, one of the youngers and one of the layers.

 

[marcumbackyardfarms]

She laid another egg this morning in her hutch again. I let them out at 7:30 am every morning and for two straight mornings and egg has been there. She charges right out in the morning but if I leave the eggs there will she sit on them? They are very cold when I pick them up so I'm pretty sure she is not sitting on them and she did not make a nest. If she'd raise little ones I'd let her sit on them but I have the feeling she is not in the mood for that.

 

[treldib]

Quote:
Mallard/Mallard Deriviative x Muscovy = Infertile Offspring

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
It's called the "cloacal kiss." The hen squats (or not), the rooster grabs the back of her head or neck with his beak, mounts her, flips his tail-feathers to one side, she spreads hers or flips them to the side, and they touch their cloacae. The sperm is transferred in that manner. Takes all of a few seconds.

He hops off, she stands up, shakes her feathers all over to be presentable again, and goes on her merry way. The rooster looks for another gal to service.

You may now return to your normal programming.