Pekin Duck Club!

[donaquijote]

Are you not being sure to keep them warm, and rotate them just as a female duck would do?

 

[MandyJ]

How do you tell if they molt or not? Mine is about 5 months old and they are still quite fluffy. And is there a age limit on when their eggs will bear ducklings? I know all the eggs she has laid seem are fertal, atleast something is growing in them but they get to a point where they just die and go bad. I have candled the last set and I could see movement in them and veins in them. Come back a couple days later and nothing. So what do I do?

When my Pekins molt it looks like a duck exploded in the yard. There are feathers EVERYWHERE!!! They also get to looking very dirty right before they molt, their wing feathers seem to have brown edges, then POOF they start loosing feathers, big time! Mine seem to take about 2 months to fully molt. Can't help you on ducklings, I have all hens. I have heard on here that Pekins are terrible, they don't go broody or if they do, it is only for a little while, but then I have seen pictures of Pekin hens with ducklings, so I guess it just depends on the bird.

Good luck,
Mandy

 

[dan26552]

When my Pekins molt it looks like a duck exploded in the yard. There are feathers EVERYWHERE!!! They also get to looking very dirty right before they molt, their wing feathers seem to have brown edges, then POOF they start loosing feathers, big time! Mine seem to take about 2 months to fully molt. Can't help you on ducklings, I have all hens. I have heard on here that Pekins are terrible, they don't go broody or if they do, it is only for a little while, but then I have seen pictures of Pekin hens with ducklings, so I guess it just depends on the bird.

Good luck,
Mandy

X2!

I had a broody Pekin hatch out 6 of 10 eggs, one was too early though and one got trampled (not by her) and another was just really weak and died but she did hatch ducklings however like you an others have said it depends on the bird and if you want duckling it might be best to have an incubator.

 

[pejmo3]

I guess i'll just wait a little bit longer and see if she sits on them. I know she doesn't do it during the day. I mainly wanted the ducks for the eggs and it turned out to be a male and female. So now all my eggs are furtal. Do I just gather the eggs everyday or what? Sure don't want to crack an egg and there be something growing in it. As for the incubator, it's just cheaper for me to buy them already hatched.

 

[cfgroen]

Wow, I'M just the opposite. I plan upon buying a small incubator because of the cost of buying day old ducklings. For straight run they are $5.60 each and sexed they are $7.13 & $7.64 for males & females from one of the sources on the internet. So for the cost of 15 straight run ducks, I am going to buy a small incubator.
I have Drakes and females so fertile eggs are not a problem. I am doing away with the chickens for eggs and going full on Pekin ducks and increasing my flock and will need replacements in a year or two. My next step is also to go with Heritage turkeys next year and hope for hatching my own turkeys down the road also!!

 

[pejmo3]

I wish you the best of luck with the incubation thing. I tried it and failed. Could never keep the temp and humidity levels correct. The turning wasn't any problem. Guess I just wasn't cut out to do the incubation thing. When tractor supply has chick days again i'll get some more ducklings and maybe able to give my drake away when hen has other hens with her. But for now going to keep them both together and see if she will sit on her eggs. Let mother nature do her thing.

 

[cfgroen]

Thanks, I am kind of bummed that the Pekins don't normally go broody. I really would prefer to go the mother nature route, but I want a chance for ducklings. I have a Buff Orphington that goes broody once a year, but she just quit being broody before the ducks started laying this year. Bad timing.

 

[blueeyescry]

This is just one of my adorable pekins, they love watermelon and meal worms, they follow me everywhere I really enjoy them and watching them play, I have some eggs in the incubator and I have a little duckling it was born yesterday. Doing great.

 

[Miss Lydia]

This is just one of my adorable pekins, they love watermelon and meal worms, they follow me everywhere I really enjoy them and watching them play, I have some eggs in the incubator and I have a little duckling it was born yesterday. Doing great.

@blueeyescry very pretty Pekin and congrats on the new duckling. Be sure to post pics when you can and Welcome to BYC!!

 

[dan26552]