Nine days until my new babies hatch and ship. Nearly everything is ready for them. Got my brewer's yeast, crumble, electrolytes and probiotics, heat lamp, brooder and drinker ready. We are getting some days in the fifties so I put some vinyl stickers on the duck house to "decorate" it.
Inside is just a 6' x 8' rectangle with pooping bedding in it... nothing to see here
Inside is just a 6' x 8' rectangle with pooping bedding in it... nothing to see here. The house is just for overnighting so I've gone the route of no food, no water. We tried food and water in the very beginning and they would either spill all their water, or make it inaccessible by filling the area with bedding and no matter what it was a big mess plus in the winter, we would have to provide heat for the water. If they spill their water or it freezes and they eat food --- trouble. Even in the hottest weather, once the evening sets in, it is never very hot through the morning and by the time it starts getting warmer, the "night" for the ducks is down to 6-8 hrs. For example, today's weather is 51/26F. In the hottest part of the year, the average temps run around 83/52 and a random super hot day might hit 100 but evening/nighttime/early morning temps are still mostly below 65F. I think the ducks are smart enough to figure out their situation because the very first night we locked them up without water, they made a bee line for the water in the morning. From the second time on to the present, about half an hour before they have to go in, they start drinking and eating (leisurely). When they get out they may or may not get water right away. Many times they hop and flap for a while, then lay down, then mosey on over to the water and food. They don't seem distressed at all so we stick with that. If we ever design their super quack shack, it will probably have a drinking corner (with proper support drainage and isolation) and maybe food too (If we go really crazy, it might have its own TV for them to watch)
Week from today / tomorrow. They should be @ 24 days incubating today so they are pretty much ducks sucking in yolk and getting strong enough to pip
Week from today / tomorrow. They should be @ 24 days incubating today so they are pretty much ducks sucking in yolk and getting strong enough to pip
My work is as a field tech on a pager. I get a lot of my BYC time in on "work" time when I am not being called. When I get busy at work, I am on less. When I get busy at work and at home I am on much less. The weather is getting warmer and I can spend more than 5 minutes with my ducks without freezing so sometimes I do.I'm excited to see them! Will you tell us all about brooding and how you integrate them into your existing flock? I'll hopefully be about 2 weeks behind you.
Haven't been seeing you around here as much lately. Hope all is well!!
My work is as a field tech on a pager. I get a lot of my BYC time in on "work" time when I am not being called. When I get busy at work, I am on less. When I get busy at work and at home I am on much less. The weather is getting warmer and I can spend more than 5 minutes with my ducks without freezing so sometimes I do.So all is well. Also I am subscribed to more threads so I spend more time reading (which means less time writing). But don't you worry, the 'lings should come in on the 9th or 10th and I am taking the week of the 14th through the 18th off just for snuggling and picture taking.I will probably start a new thread so I don't fill this one up and link to it from here. Forgive me if you already said, but whatcha getting??? I know @ViolinPlayer123 is getting their ducks the same time as I am.
Yay. Time off for the new babies. Even I can hardly wait. Pictures!! Happy.....My work is as a field tech on a pager. I get a lot of my BYC time in on "work" time when I am not being called. When I get busy at work, I am on less. When I get busy at work and at home I am on much less. The weather is getting warmer and I can spend more than 5 minutes with my ducks without freezing so sometimes I do.So all is well. Also I am subscribed to more threads so I spend more time reading (which means less time writing). But don't you worry, the 'lings should come in on the 9th or 10th and I am taking the week of the 14th through the 18th off just for snuggling and picture taking.
I will probably start a new thread so I don't fill this one up and link to it from here. Forgive me if you already said, but whatcha getting??? I know @ViolinPlayer123
is getting their ducks the same time as I am.
