Recent content by Blacksmithchic

I've only raised ducklings and chicks to laying and/or slaughter age for 2 years now, but I have a few observations which I would like to have critiqued by wiser people than myself. In regards to ducklings: I raised runners and cayugas from baby to layer/slaughter in 2014, and I kept them in a...

I am not new to raising ducklings and chicks of many breeds, but I am new to raising Pekin ducklings, and I have a problem. I have two male Pekin ducklings: both are the same age, but after three weeks one of them has grown to about six times his original size, while the other has not grown one...

This is my second year raising ducklings, and both times I have experienced growth issues with them. Last year I had cayugas and runners; my runners developed shakey legs, which I "cured" by feeding brewers yeast. This year I have khakis and pekins, and one of the pekins is in trouble: it isn't...

I've been rearing baby ducks and turkeys for years without special treats, but I'm curious about offering suet blocks to baby chicks that I plan to raise in the coming spring months...I've read many posts that suggest suet blocks are great for baby chicken chicks, but I've also read posts that...

Pardon my ignorance to the exact verbage of the law, but isn't it completely legal to shoot any animal (protected species or not) if it harasses your livestock/poultry, especially if it is on your own property? I know that if, for instance, a neighbor's dog comes on my property and chases my...

Just a quick word about getting goats/livestock to keep with your birds. I started my farmer life with American Blackbelly sheep as my first flock (to control the tenacious grass in our pasture), and while I thought I was merely going to use them as lawnmowers, I did my research and could now...

I have five Indian Runners, two Cayugas, and a Blue Swedish, and the Runners always bob their heads at each other when they're in the pool...as far as I know, they are all female. Age doesn't seem to be a factor; my Swedish and one of my Runners are two years old, the rest of them are three...

It could also be from them scratching themselves. If you're sure there aren't any mites (which are small, you have to look very close), then check if they're getting their feathers in. If they are, they may just be scratching at their down while the new feathers come in.

Did a quick Google search, the only thing I found for baldness at the back of the head and baldness at the rump is from excessive mating. Your ducks seem a bit young for that, but you never know...I would supervise their behavior closely over the next week or so and see if the drake is mounting...

GREAT suggestion Amiga, I forgot about those links. Those systems do require more space... I can't come up with a way to make that same thing work inside my duck sleeping house outside. Some say the ducks don't need water overnight, but I fill their waterer up full every night and find it nearly...

That's why I told you it's best to keep ducks and chickens separate, they are completely different kinds of birds and require different things. Your ducks want to be wet, they are water fowl, and they want water constantly. I never remove their water at night, and I change the bedding every...

Wet-ness is just something you have to live with and maintain with ducks, their instinct is to splash and dabble water with their bills, and things are just going to get wet. Don't take water away from them, even at night...they are water fowl, remember, they need water. You're just going to...

I'm curious, did you raise them outside from the start? What kind of living set-up do you have (house? pool? types of food?) I'm surprised that they are so affectionate, in my experience (and everywhere I've read about them) they are typically more skittish/neurotic

This has worked for me as well, my Indian Runner ducks did not take kindly to my Cayugas when I introduced them, so I separated them in their 16x8 pen with some dog fencing so they could see each other, and when I finally moved them together outside, there was very little harrassment. It can...

Are you familiar with craigslist at all? You may be able to find someone who would be willing to give you a free chick to help you replace the one you lost, or they might only ask for one or two dollars