Thanks for the information gang. I figured something was up nutritionally with the spent grains by the way they reacted to to it. I just didn't know what. That's where this site is so helpful.
They are on the 20% layer ration and we are back to 5-6 eggs a day from my 7 hens and one reluctant...
Hi,
I have 8 hens that have been laying pretty regular since they were about 4 months old. They are about ten months old now. I normally run a 20% layer ration for them but discovered that I can get spent grains from a local micro brewery for free. I tried swapping them over to the spent...
How do these guys do with Ducks and vice versa? I have 5 Muscovies (4 ducks, 1 drake) and would like to use a tiered system where the ducks get the bottom of the coop and the quail get the top part.
Can they be free ranged or do they need to be kept in cages?
Thanks
Scott
My Rouens started laying a week or so ago. Of course, they picked the coldest part of the year, so far. Nighttime temps are in the area of 10-15 below F and just making it to 0 for a high. I have a infrared lamp in the coop (I wasn't going to give them supplemental heat but after a week of 15...
I have 3, 5 month old Muscovy's that have been outside from almost day one. No supplemental heat and we have seen temps to 15 below (F) this winter so far.
They definetly slow down when it gets colder out. I had to put a log across half of their heated water bowl to keep them from swimming in...
My Muscovys seem more robust than my Mallard based birds. We have seen as cold as ten below zero at night and have already had more than week of zero-ish (-19c) high temps.
They are in a uninsulated coop with a deep straw/sawdust floor (6 birds) and I haven't been putting water in the coop at...
Here is something else I have noticed about Muscovy's in comparison to the 3 mallard derivatives I have now. The scovies smell much less than the Campbells or the Rouen/Campbell mixes. It seems like the oilier feathers of the Mallards have a musky-ish smell to them. I can definitely tell the...
So the gang seems to be doing fine with the onset of winter. I am a little paranoid about freezing the buggers so am watching closely for any hints of discomfort etc.
They are cooped up with no supplemental heat. I am running lights anywhere between 14 hours a day to 24 hours a day if I forget...
I have 4 ducks here in Anchorage and I'm wondering if they need water overnight? I don't leave food for them in their coop (I feed them in the morning and late afternoon) and they have water available all day long.
Even with my super wiz-bang duck water bowl I still end up with a bunch of wet...
I'm kinda laughing about finding a way to stress out a duck enough to get a quack check done. The only time mine make any noise louder than a low chuckle is when they are really upset. Like when the dog pushes his way into the duck feed can during breakfast.
Scott
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Ok,
So when I go back out to get another duck what are the clues on an adult Khaki Campbell that tell me it's a drake? Darker head, Tail feather curl, and what else? I am going to get a sibling of this fellow so the markings are pretty close it seems. They are about 18 months old.
Thanks...