Recent content by mosseater

  1. M

    Is the sex ratio always 50/50?

    Can factors like incubation environment or parent genetics affect the sex ratio of a brood? Or is it always theoretically more or less 50/50? Sorry for the super basic question
  2. M

    My 2 months old duckling won't stop screaming and having problem in walking

    Niacin is also known as B3. Many B vitamins are not readily provided by plant based sources. Most people feed waterfowl feed that has niacin added, or they add niacin to the water with niacin pills (available at drugstores as a vitamin). Another common method of providing Niacin to poultry is to...
  3. M

    My 2 months old duckling won't stop screaming and having problem in walking

    you're trying to do a very simple "natural" diet but I don't think you are giving the ducks the nutrition they need. Growing ducks need 20% protein as well as sufficient niacin. In the wild they would get this from bugs. If you are unable to switch to a commercial feed then you should feed them...
  4. M

    How to increase hen to drake ratio during a hatch.

    Isn't it just 50/50? I think you're due for a duck heavy hatch
  5. M

    High-end colored egg breeder/supplier

    https://willowcroftfarm.weebly.com/poultry.html maybe check out these guys. They do welsummers, legbars, and their own line of sexlink easter eggers.
  6. M

    Help me ID the killer

    It was all stiff with rigormortis but bent at 90 degrees at one point only on the neck, where it felt like there was no bone connection.It also made a weird clicking sound. I kill chickens with the neck dislocation method so I'm familiar with the feeling of a broken neck. I could be convinced...
  7. M

    Help me ID the killer

    That's a good guide. From that list it looks like fox/coyote because one bird was gone and the other dead bird had a broken neck. Could it really be a coyote that was bounding over a six foot fence and never disturbing a spiderweb of nylon strings on multiple occasions and never leaving a...
  8. M

    Help me ID the killer

    It's a bummer because the old setup worked for 1.5 years with no losses at all, and it gave them lots of fresh air and a good sized water tub. Now I've got to shrink it down to protect them. I'd just love to know who the culprit is, even if it was just to satisfy my own curiosity.
  9. M

    Help me ID the killer

    they're ducks, so they don't like to go in to a coop at night. They have a protected run with a little shelter for crazy weather. It is a 12' diameter circle of chainlink with electric wires and strings to discourage aerial predators. I let them out into a paddock with a pond during the day, but...
  10. M

    Help me ID the killer

    I've lost a few ducks over the past few weeks. I'd love some help with the detective work. Region: Western Washington State Coop Security: 6' chain link fence, with 1/2" hardware cloth buried 8" deep and going 14" up from the ground. Powerful electric fence with a single band at 10" and...
  11. M

    Suddenly duck (also what breed? Lol)

    It looks like a swedish duck, but it could easily be a mixed breed. that feather pattern is very common in ducks. those genes are dominant over other common color patterns like all white and the splotchy colors of anconas and magpies. skinning is easier, but you do lose a lot of value in the...
  12. M

    Suddenly duck (also what breed? Lol)

    either skin it or use a wax dip to pluck it. ducks have so many feathers
  13. M

    Drake to hen ratio

    I had 6 hens to 2 drakes and it was too much. Bald spots, ducks always being chased etc. Both of the drakes were looking mean. I removed one of them and immediately it all changed. No more bald spots or chasing, everyone happy. Now I have 4 hens that are going in to their second winter, and...
  14. M

    molting problems?

    I have four laying ducks (~1 year old) and all spring and into the summer I was getting four eggs a day. Then production dropped to two a day and two of the ducks molted. Now I have two beautiful ducks, two raggedy ducks, and still only get two eggs a day. What do I do? Will the other two molt...
  15. M

    Show me your WINTER duck waterers!

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0746BKXZ6/?tag=backy-20 It worked for a few weeks and then it broke. I'm not really sure why. Usually I would have taken it apart and worked on it more but I was too busy for it. Most of last winter I was back to keeping a hammer by the water tub and breaking...
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