March 15, 2017.
So my story started the day I went to TSC. I went by myself, going to buy 15 Barred Rock chickens. I had done plenty of research on which breed I wanted for eggs. Turns out, Barred Rock Chickens were the best.
They had lots of cages in the chicken section. White Rock, Rhode Island Red, Orpington, Brahama, Dorking, and Silkie. Looking around, I thought they had no Barred Rock chickens. Still, I looked and looked until I finally found Barred Rock, unsexed. Why it was so hard for me to find it, I don't know, but there was exactly 15 there, just for me.
I asked the lady to get me all 15, and while she was getting them I started looking around. Why there wasn't only a chicken section, but also ducks! Oh, they were so cute! I didn't know that ducks could be kept as pets! The big sign right above the cage said "M R LARGE DUCKS $5" I thought that was funny.
But, five dollars! That's so cheap! I had to turn myself down, and I thought to myself that I should do some research before I bought them. So I resisted the ducklings and the lady handed me the box with the chickens in it that said "TSC. Please come back again!" And then on the other side, it said in handwriting, "15 BARRED ROCK CHICKENS" from a black sharpie.
So, in total, the chickens were $20. Not bad, not bad! So I drove home with the chickens in the passenger seat, that way I could watch them just in case. I had already gotten the brooder set up, so I quickly set them in there with their nice, clean water, the warmness from the lamp, and the nice clean starter food as soon as my dogs greeted me and I unlocked the door.
The chickens were really happy in the brooder. They cheeped quietly. I started building the chicken coop with the help of my dad. We built it using a carport and some wood. We made a little window for it. It was very hot out, like 90 degrees Farheniet, but then it cooled down a little bit to 85 degrees.
I was so excited after we had finished, it was 120 square feet by 100, very huge for only 15 chickens. I thought about that for a while. We started painting it, white on the top and red on the bottom and sides. It was beautiful. Well, now that we had finished we had to put the tiny chicks in it, just to test.
They looked like little bugs when they were in there. Well, I obviously had to decide that I should get 5 more chickens, just to give more company. But that was my excuse to cover up why I was really going back to TSC.
It was to get 2 adorable ducks. So I drove back while my dad picked up all the chickens and put them back in the brooder. I was deciding on names, but none of them fit. I went to the store. I hurriedly walked towards the ducks' cage. What was that?? They were all gone!
I couldn't have believed my eyes. Who would buy over 30 ducks? Well, I had another plan, but I didn't think it would work. While I was in TSC, I picked up the 5 more Barred Rocks. I bought them, then left. I went to the other TSC we had nearby.
Anxiously looking around to see if my future would have ducks in my life, I found the chicken area. Losing hope, my ears heard something. I turned around, following the noise, and there was the duck section.
With a big sign on it said "LARGE DUCKS $10" It was five dollars more, but it was worth it. There was a lady there and I asked her for 2 "large" ducks. They were yellow, with soft down. They cheeped quietly. She picked up two and said to me "I picked out the healthiest looking ones. Nobody buys ducks here, anyway!"
she laughed, and put them in a box. She asked if I had been in another TSC because I had a TSC box with 5 chickens in it. I replied the truth, that yes, I did. She made sure, by scanning the number and searching it up on the register. She asked what my name was, and I replied to her what my name was.
She wrote numbers on the TSC box with the ducks in them. She handed me them and said, "twenty dollars, please." I gave her the money and my new pets cheered and so did I as we walked out the door.
I drove home with my new babies. I was thinking of names, again. I thought Donald. Why, yes, Donald! So I chose Donald as the dark duck, and then I chose Aflac as the light one. But I didn't like it. So I kept on thinking, and I thought Quackers.
Why, yes, it's a common name. So I discharged it. I thought Waddles, Aflac, Quackers, Puddles, and Quakers. I liked Quakers. And so he was named Quakers. After what seemed like a long drive coming home, I put the 5 chickens in the brooder and the two precious ducks in the brooder, too.
I had read (actually on BYC!) that ducks could eat starter chicken food. So I took care of all of them and then, with the help of my dad I made a new brooder for the ducks. It was made right by my bed. I put them in it and slept right next to them. The new day began. I went to work and after my job I came home.
I placed the ducks on my bed and played with them. I had to keep in mind that they couldn't sleep with me on my bed because I would squish those precious ducks. I wish they could though. I played with them, for about 30 minutes, and finally, I had to take care of the chickens.
I placed the delicate ducks in their brooder and took care of the chickens. I went to the kitchen and made dinner, quickly ate, did my chores, and went back to the ducks. They were softly cheeping for me. I set them on my bed, again; and then on the floor, and I, cautiously walking, looking at the floor, went to shut the door.
I went back to the bed. I introduced my dad to my new ducks, I think he loved them more than me! I told him, well, actually, he told me, that we would NEVER eat them. And that was what I thought too.
Soon, they were big enough to swim! I will never forget that day, ever. I filled up the bathtub,
enough where they could swim, but not drown. They were so cute. We took them out after 5 minutes and dried them. Soon, we found out that Quakers was a male, and Donald was a female.
Yes, yes, the name Donald for a female is a bit strange. I taught Quakers how to do LOTS of stuff. Open doors, close doors, lock doors, and, well, he kind of taught himself this, but he learned how to jump off a waterfall into the pond! He's a good boy. At that time, feathers grew in! They were so pretty.
But even before the feathers, an accident happened. The chickens had feathers already. We had 14 hens, and 1 rooster. The 5 others died. Big "roo" we called him, and boy he was mean. He attacked Quakers one day.
Quakers wing was torn up. But he healed very easily and then feathers started to grow in. Now of course, in not too long they grew huge and i obviously had to build a coop for them. I made my gazebo into a duck coop, and it's wonderful! It's a big gazebo, enough to hold 12 pekins-- fully grown.
March 27, 2019.
I lived with Quakers and Donald peacefully. And then a magical thing happened. I went to tractor supply to buy a shovel,and they had Black swedish ducks there. I mean, of course i bought them. But something happened an someone else bought MY ducks that i had ALREADY bought.
I was so frustrated. Anyways, i talked to the manager and he said he would call me whenever they get more in. And so a month passed without any calls and so I went to check another TSC. They had not only Pekins, but Silver appleyards, muscovives, and blue swedish!
I decide to take on appleyard and the only blue swedish they had.
I named the appleyard Daffy, and the blue swedish Smokey. They were darling.
Life was good with ducks.
Three days later something horrible happened. Soon going to work at 9:00AM, I checked on Smokey and Daffy. I found Daffy laying flat as a pancake on the hay. I was horrified. I called my boyfriend to pick her up, and we dug a grave.
Work that day was horrible. I came home and I cherished Smokey. Two weeks went by and I thought smokey was going to die, too. She had a vitamin deficiency. I had posted a thread of how to help smokey. I tried to help her all day.
She was very weak- couldn't even stand. I knew she had a very, very low chance of living passed this. But with the help of BYC Smokey got back to normal- but she couldn't live without anyone much longer. So my boyfriend went to tractor supply, and he just couldn't resist getting 2 Cayuga ducklings. Man, they were darling.
One was a small duck. I named that one Olive. And the other one was much taller, so I name that one Daffy in honor of Daffy the silver appleyard. They were happy. I started incubating two Pekin duck eggs from Donald.
April 7th, 2019.
Life was normal again, no more deaths with the ducklings. Both of the Pekin eggs hatched normally, and they were two VERY healthy ducklings. That's everything I could possibly ever ask for. I named the egg on the left Patches, (nickname is cotton) and the right Huey.
I enjoyed my new pets.
The Pekin babies were only a month younger then the others. Huey was born one day older then Patches. I didn't know having ducks could be so darn fun! Ducks are so cute.
May 8, 2019
And stinky. Very stinky. Finally the babies grew out of the brooder and I made a brooder for them. Now, this wasn't your ordinary brooder (honestly I should call it a pen).
This was a HUUGE pen that lived in the gazebo, with a lid you could lift up. It was fantastic. I am still really proud of myself for making that.
Sadly, about a month had passed and something horrible happened, again. The ducks were body in their coop, so I went to go let them out.
I looked in the pen and I saw Daffy upside down with her head straight up lying against the corner of the pen. I was horrified. I called my boyfriend to pick Daffy up. He told me later someone shot her in the head.
I was so mad I felt like I could've killed anyone who pulled up in the driveway thinking they were the person. How dare they shoot MY baby?! A BABY! That must have been a real sick person. They didn't even take the duck.
I can still picture poor daffy in my head the day she died.
I haven't found out who shot her yet, but when I do I'm making it clear that they won't go onto my property ever again.
A day later my boyfriend explained to me how he knew they shot her. He sighed and told me that with closer inspection there was a hold through her brain and on the other end was a bullet.
I bursted out crying. I hope she died instantly and not in pain. Having ducks wasn't fun anymore, because now they were just a hunters target. I couldn't get over that olives sister was gone.
The chickens had grown up by them and we had one rooster and the rest hens- what are the chances of that!
They had started laying and like I previously said, Quakers and the roo hated each other.
They free ranged all day. Then one day came and I went to go let the chickens out, and what is that but a DEAD chicken. At first I didn't see it; it blended in with the dirt.
I collected the eggs from the "midnight layers" and on my way out I dropped the eggs when I noticed. The chickens crowded over and started eating the eggs.
Umm! What happened? What animal is that, and why is it in here? I kicked it, and on closer inspection all the guts were eaten out of it! I was mortified.
The eyes were too. I went ahead and screamed. That.. is worse then Daffy's bullet through the head; I mean how it looks. The head was rolled back, it looked like it was broken.
I won't get into more details, but I removed it.i still dont know who ate the chicken, but I'm guessing it was her friends because one time they killed a squirrel and ate it.
How could they be so ravenous? I feed them the food scaps, and about 50 lbs of chicken scratch each WEEK.
Later that week I found out it was my Poopy, dearest poopy.
Poopy's name came from when she was a baby. Her butt got, y'know, filled up with poop and I had to remove it. That's how the name poopy started.
Poopy got physically and mentally sick after that. She would do yoga, (balancing on one foot) with her eyes shut screaming her beak off. Something was off, right?
Anyways poopy grew to be this unpleasant, pale, ugly looking chicken. But I had a heart for her. She laid only one egg in her days, and the egg was smaller then..
A bouncy ball for 25 cents that you can find at a dentist.
Yeah. Tiny. It even had a yolk in it. Poopy had a twin, and I still have her. Her name is "Poopy's twin". And she is more, healthy.
~~I will work on my story every day! Stay tuned!~~
So my story started the day I went to TSC. I went by myself, going to buy 15 Barred Rock chickens. I had done plenty of research on which breed I wanted for eggs. Turns out, Barred Rock Chickens were the best.
They had lots of cages in the chicken section. White Rock, Rhode Island Red, Orpington, Brahama, Dorking, and Silkie. Looking around, I thought they had no Barred Rock chickens. Still, I looked and looked until I finally found Barred Rock, unsexed. Why it was so hard for me to find it, I don't know, but there was exactly 15 there, just for me.
I asked the lady to get me all 15, and while she was getting them I started looking around. Why there wasn't only a chicken section, but also ducks! Oh, they were so cute! I didn't know that ducks could be kept as pets! The big sign right above the cage said "M R LARGE DUCKS $5" I thought that was funny.
But, five dollars! That's so cheap! I had to turn myself down, and I thought to myself that I should do some research before I bought them. So I resisted the ducklings and the lady handed me the box with the chickens in it that said "TSC. Please come back again!" And then on the other side, it said in handwriting, "15 BARRED ROCK CHICKENS" from a black sharpie.
So, in total, the chickens were $20. Not bad, not bad! So I drove home with the chickens in the passenger seat, that way I could watch them just in case. I had already gotten the brooder set up, so I quickly set them in there with their nice, clean water, the warmness from the lamp, and the nice clean starter food as soon as my dogs greeted me and I unlocked the door.
The chickens were really happy in the brooder. They cheeped quietly. I started building the chicken coop with the help of my dad. We built it using a carport and some wood. We made a little window for it. It was very hot out, like 90 degrees Farheniet, but then it cooled down a little bit to 85 degrees.
I was so excited after we had finished, it was 120 square feet by 100, very huge for only 15 chickens. I thought about that for a while. We started painting it, white on the top and red on the bottom and sides. It was beautiful. Well, now that we had finished we had to put the tiny chicks in it, just to test.
They looked like little bugs when they were in there. Well, I obviously had to decide that I should get 5 more chickens, just to give more company. But that was my excuse to cover up why I was really going back to TSC.
It was to get 2 adorable ducks. So I drove back while my dad picked up all the chickens and put them back in the brooder. I was deciding on names, but none of them fit. I went to the store. I hurriedly walked towards the ducks' cage. What was that?? They were all gone!
I couldn't have believed my eyes. Who would buy over 30 ducks? Well, I had another plan, but I didn't think it would work. While I was in TSC, I picked up the 5 more Barred Rocks. I bought them, then left. I went to the other TSC we had nearby.
Anxiously looking around to see if my future would have ducks in my life, I found the chicken area. Losing hope, my ears heard something. I turned around, following the noise, and there was the duck section.
With a big sign on it said "LARGE DUCKS $10" It was five dollars more, but it was worth it. There was a lady there and I asked her for 2 "large" ducks. They were yellow, with soft down. They cheeped quietly. She picked up two and said to me "I picked out the healthiest looking ones. Nobody buys ducks here, anyway!"
she laughed, and put them in a box. She asked if I had been in another TSC because I had a TSC box with 5 chickens in it. I replied the truth, that yes, I did. She made sure, by scanning the number and searching it up on the register. She asked what my name was, and I replied to her what my name was.
She wrote numbers on the TSC box with the ducks in them. She handed me them and said, "twenty dollars, please." I gave her the money and my new pets cheered and so did I as we walked out the door.
I drove home with my new babies. I was thinking of names, again. I thought Donald. Why, yes, Donald! So I chose Donald as the dark duck, and then I chose Aflac as the light one. But I didn't like it. So I kept on thinking, and I thought Quackers.
Why, yes, it's a common name. So I discharged it. I thought Waddles, Aflac, Quackers, Puddles, and Quakers. I liked Quakers. And so he was named Quakers. After what seemed like a long drive coming home, I put the 5 chickens in the brooder and the two precious ducks in the brooder, too.
I had read (actually on BYC!) that ducks could eat starter chicken food. So I took care of all of them and then, with the help of my dad I made a new brooder for the ducks. It was made right by my bed. I put them in it and slept right next to them. The new day began. I went to work and after my job I came home.
I placed the ducks on my bed and played with them. I had to keep in mind that they couldn't sleep with me on my bed because I would squish those precious ducks. I wish they could though. I played with them, for about 30 minutes, and finally, I had to take care of the chickens.
I placed the delicate ducks in their brooder and took care of the chickens. I went to the kitchen and made dinner, quickly ate, did my chores, and went back to the ducks. They were softly cheeping for me. I set them on my bed, again; and then on the floor, and I, cautiously walking, looking at the floor, went to shut the door.
I went back to the bed. I introduced my dad to my new ducks, I think he loved them more than me! I told him, well, actually, he told me, that we would NEVER eat them. And that was what I thought too.
Soon, they were big enough to swim! I will never forget that day, ever. I filled up the bathtub,
enough where they could swim, but not drown. They were so cute. We took them out after 5 minutes and dried them. Soon, we found out that Quakers was a male, and Donald was a female.
Yes, yes, the name Donald for a female is a bit strange. I taught Quakers how to do LOTS of stuff. Open doors, close doors, lock doors, and, well, he kind of taught himself this, but he learned how to jump off a waterfall into the pond! He's a good boy. At that time, feathers grew in! They were so pretty.
But even before the feathers, an accident happened. The chickens had feathers already. We had 14 hens, and 1 rooster. The 5 others died. Big "roo" we called him, and boy he was mean. He attacked Quakers one day.
Quakers wing was torn up. But he healed very easily and then feathers started to grow in. Now of course, in not too long they grew huge and i obviously had to build a coop for them. I made my gazebo into a duck coop, and it's wonderful! It's a big gazebo, enough to hold 12 pekins-- fully grown.
March 27, 2019.
I lived with Quakers and Donald peacefully. And then a magical thing happened. I went to tractor supply to buy a shovel,and they had Black swedish ducks there. I mean, of course i bought them. But something happened an someone else bought MY ducks that i had ALREADY bought.
I was so frustrated. Anyways, i talked to the manager and he said he would call me whenever they get more in. And so a month passed without any calls and so I went to check another TSC. They had not only Pekins, but Silver appleyards, muscovives, and blue swedish!
I decide to take on appleyard and the only blue swedish they had.
I named the appleyard Daffy, and the blue swedish Smokey. They were darling.
Life was good with ducks.
Three days later something horrible happened. Soon going to work at 9:00AM, I checked on Smokey and Daffy. I found Daffy laying flat as a pancake on the hay. I was horrified. I called my boyfriend to pick her up, and we dug a grave.
Work that day was horrible. I came home and I cherished Smokey. Two weeks went by and I thought smokey was going to die, too. She had a vitamin deficiency. I had posted a thread of how to help smokey. I tried to help her all day.
She was very weak- couldn't even stand. I knew she had a very, very low chance of living passed this. But with the help of BYC Smokey got back to normal- but she couldn't live without anyone much longer. So my boyfriend went to tractor supply, and he just couldn't resist getting 2 Cayuga ducklings. Man, they were darling.
One was a small duck. I named that one Olive. And the other one was much taller, so I name that one Daffy in honor of Daffy the silver appleyard. They were happy. I started incubating two Pekin duck eggs from Donald.
April 7th, 2019.
Life was normal again, no more deaths with the ducklings. Both of the Pekin eggs hatched normally, and they were two VERY healthy ducklings. That's everything I could possibly ever ask for. I named the egg on the left Patches, (nickname is cotton) and the right Huey.
I enjoyed my new pets.
The Pekin babies were only a month younger then the others. Huey was born one day older then Patches. I didn't know having ducks could be so darn fun! Ducks are so cute.
May 8, 2019
And stinky. Very stinky. Finally the babies grew out of the brooder and I made a brooder for them. Now, this wasn't your ordinary brooder (honestly I should call it a pen).
This was a HUUGE pen that lived in the gazebo, with a lid you could lift up. It was fantastic. I am still really proud of myself for making that.
Sadly, about a month had passed and something horrible happened, again. The ducks were body in their coop, so I went to go let them out.
I looked in the pen and I saw Daffy upside down with her head straight up lying against the corner of the pen. I was horrified. I called my boyfriend to pick Daffy up. He told me later someone shot her in the head.
I was so mad I felt like I could've killed anyone who pulled up in the driveway thinking they were the person. How dare they shoot MY baby?! A BABY! That must have been a real sick person. They didn't even take the duck.
I can still picture poor daffy in my head the day she died.
I haven't found out who shot her yet, but when I do I'm making it clear that they won't go onto my property ever again.
A day later my boyfriend explained to me how he knew they shot her. He sighed and told me that with closer inspection there was a hold through her brain and on the other end was a bullet.
I bursted out crying. I hope she died instantly and not in pain. Having ducks wasn't fun anymore, because now they were just a hunters target. I couldn't get over that olives sister was gone.
The chickens had grown up by them and we had one rooster and the rest hens- what are the chances of that!
They had started laying and like I previously said, Quakers and the roo hated each other.
They free ranged all day. Then one day came and I went to go let the chickens out, and what is that but a DEAD chicken. At first I didn't see it; it blended in with the dirt.
I collected the eggs from the "midnight layers" and on my way out I dropped the eggs when I noticed. The chickens crowded over and started eating the eggs.
Umm! What happened? What animal is that, and why is it in here? I kicked it, and on closer inspection all the guts were eaten out of it! I was mortified.
The eyes were too. I went ahead and screamed. That.. is worse then Daffy's bullet through the head; I mean how it looks. The head was rolled back, it looked like it was broken.
I won't get into more details, but I removed it.i still dont know who ate the chicken, but I'm guessing it was her friends because one time they killed a squirrel and ate it.
How could they be so ravenous? I feed them the food scaps, and about 50 lbs of chicken scratch each WEEK.
Later that week I found out it was my Poopy, dearest poopy.
Poopy's name came from when she was a baby. Her butt got, y'know, filled up with poop and I had to remove it. That's how the name poopy started.
Poopy got physically and mentally sick after that. She would do yoga, (balancing on one foot) with her eyes shut screaming her beak off. Something was off, right?
Anyways poopy grew to be this unpleasant, pale, ugly looking chicken. But I had a heart for her. She laid only one egg in her days, and the egg was smaller then..
A bouncy ball for 25 cents that you can find at a dentist.
Yeah. Tiny. It even had a yolk in it. Poopy had a twin, and I still have her. Her name is "Poopy's twin". And she is more, healthy.
~~I will work on my story every day! Stay tuned!~~
Your baby! People are so mean! 
I mean who has the heart to do that? Poor girl. 
I'm so sorry you lost your baby, Fluffy. 