Recent content by cedarmountain

Thank you! Appreciate your expertise!

We have half a dozen Speckled Sussex hens. And rooster of the same variety. I was wondering if there is a possibility of using a different rooster to have sex link off-spring. (I am not a fan of growing roosters!) Thanks for your help.

Great thread! Where would we look for animal grade whey? Thank you.

Thanks, Frank. Those nasty, vile crows made off with WHOLE EGGS from the ducks this spring. I'm still angry at them. (Talk about non-productive anger, huh?!!!) I will be totally on the lookout for the ducklings' behalf. Got the possible due date on the calendar and will check daily as the time...

Hi Frank, Wow! Tough Ducks! We don't have foxes. Coyotes yes, but the fence is 7 feet tall woven wire and I haven't known coyotes to tunnel here. Plus, they are scared to come this close to our home. Perhaps I will put mama and babies in a safe barn enclosure together upon hatching rather than...

Thanks again, everyone. I found the Muscovy duck setting under a lilac bush inside a fenced area. So she is safe from predators at least until the ducklings hatch (and I plan to fetch them inside and hand raise them at that time). The bush and fence will accommodate a tarp or other rain...

For those of you who have rabbits as well as chickens...is it workable to make a rabbit waterer from a bucket with chicken nipples inserted? Thanks so much.

I sprout in buckets (like frosting buckets from a local bakery--Costco gives them away if asked). Hubby used a table saw to put vertical slits through the portion of the bucket where the bottom and sides meet. Then I put the grain in the bucket, insert it in a bucket without slits and fill with...

Thank you GQ and Holly! Given your info, I'm going to stick extra eggs under the broody chicken, get the ducks to the barn area, and see what happens. Since we want to eat duck, I don't mind if they are great setters! Do appreciate your insights.

Our Muscovy hen disappeared all day today, but finally showed up tonight, wet (it rained today) and preening. Since our other hen laid four eggs off in the bushes, I can only presume that the first hen is setting on eggs. Knowing that the daytime temps will be in the 40's and 50's Fahrenheit by...

Thank you so very much for the pictures. You've given me a lot of ideas and probably will save some duck lives in the future! I stuck the ducklings in an actual chain link dog kennel with a tarp over the top last night. Small, but safe. Hubby said he saw an owl in the vicinity--which would...

Thank you, AnIrishFarmer! Good idea. Forgot about that type of netting. I feel better already just knowing there is a comeback! And thanks for reminding me about the emoticons. They help, too. lol

Two Muscovy Ducklings (6 weeks old) vanished from our nicely fenced (read coyote proof) area last night. The remaining two are fine. Big old crows are hanging around and did spend the spring lunching on Muscovy eggs and chicken eggs from the barn. (We watched them fly off with them in their...