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I have had a variety of Mallard Derived breeds over the years. Rouens, Pekins, both Swedish, Buff, and cross breeds. I love them all but Muscovy ducks were completely different.

I got my firsts as ducklings. They were skittish, but after a while of working with them all were comfortable coming up to me for attention. They're so much fun to watch and entertaining. Even my few who don't appreciate my presence will tolerate me hanging out versus running away.

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They do Fly. An experienced friend told me the males get too big eventually and just the girls do, but my boys all still fly.

They are Frostbite Prone. They're very hardy birds but those caruncles are exposed flesh and that makes them a big frostbite risk.

They have the longest and sharpest claws I've ever seen on a domestic animal! I got so many deep scratches raising them. Which makes them difficult to handle them, especially when they're full grown.

I had mine going into the coop regularly once they were grown, however after a week they realized they could go back out the door even if it was late. So mine stopped cooping. Now mine free-range entirely amd sleep in barns, down at the pond during the summer, or in the yard.

I've seen it said that they don't need a lot of water, which I think isn't wrong. However... mine seem to love it more than my Pekin! They visit the pond for hours daily and swim, splash, and enjoy themselves. They might not mind having a whole pond's worth of water but they do love it as waterfowl do!

The biggest reason I love them is that they are hatching monsters. I had a hen hatch in the dead of winter. Mine have laid nests of 20 eggs with full intentions of sitting. They want to nest and hatch eggs. So much so that they need to. If you don't want/aren't able to handle babies these are probably not the best pick. They're really great with ducklings though, very maternal.

I love how great at foraging they are. Mine have access to feed but they never eat it unless they want a little treat. They'd much rather be out in the pond sifting or in the mud. But this only works the best if you have the space. Mine have a very large barnyard to explore as well as multiple pastures and they have explored all of it.

They don't quack, just huffing and whistling from boys and girls respectively. They are so much fun to watch and they have very strong flock bonds and dynamics. They need to be with their flock and don't like to be quarantined alone.

Overall they're great birds. I've loved having them every second! Personally, if you have the space, a place for them to keep out of the weather, don't mind lots of babies, and can give them food and water sufficiently I think they make a good starting duck breed. Mine are very hands off, versus my Mallard Derived breeds that always need a little help and care. Mostly, they're wonderful birds and the easiest I've ever taken care of!

King Quail are a small bird, they have the potential to make great indoor pets or, if the climate agrees, an outdoor pet.

It was hard to tame my Quail and I found that working with them as chicks helped significantly with their friendliness. One of mine loved to sit in my palm, puff up, and go to sleep. However, the Quail that I owned that were not tame would flush when startled and I lost count of the times I had to go after a Quail that had spooked and flown away, finding a tiny little nook to hide in. They fly and fly well.

They can also injure themselves or even snap their neck when flushing so they require proper housing. They also need dust for bathing and that can get messy without proper set up. They grow fast. So fast that I was unprepared for it. They come in a very large variety of colors and patterns which I found beautiful.

I hatched my own and I had been warned that they were hard to hatch. For starters, I didn't realize how small they are compared to other Quail. I accidentally broke an egg prior to setting, they're just so small and thin! Once they were set it wasn't long before they were hatching at day 16 (I'd been told 18 days so it was a surprise to hear their little noises.) Almost all hatched on their own, but I did lose a few, more than I would with chickens. Personally I felt they weren't a bad hatch, but they certainly wouldn't be good for a first time. The chicks also stayed in my incubator turned brooder for over a week as the second I tried to move them, like I would with chicken chicks, they wilted and got cold so so fast.

Overall I enjoyed having King Quail, they were a lot of fun and the pros outweighed the cons for me as I didn't mind giving them a little extra attention. Still, due to time constraints I was going to be unable to keep them so I sold them. They did much better than I was expecting so I can say that there is a potential for profit, though not without a lot of work first.

For anyone experienced I think they're a great thing. They're very sweet when tame, but for those who haven't been raising birds very long they're high maintenance and a lot more complicated than chickens in my opinion. Still a lovely species which I loved having!

I have four OEGB, two roosters, and two hens both in my large flock. The roosters are still top in the pecking order, despite me having chickens twice their size, and the hens will sometimes fly into the loft and will sit on eggs so I can’t get them. They make great crossbreeds with other bantams too!

Great breed to have! they are consistent layers when they are not broody, but if one doesn't have to means to break the broodiness, I wouldn't recommend them. Beautiful feathering and coloring. Very unique chickens!

Just raised my first batch of australorps. Had 5 black and 5 splash. They are now 7 weeks old. I know there is a time to go but they are very friendly ended up with 2 roosters and 3 hens of each type. I also know they are a great egg laying breed from past experience.

I use this in their water every other day for any chick or chicken that seems weak or is struggling.

I got two Houdan pullets from a local farm. They are gorgeous and sweet tempered birds, but I won’t add more of them to my flock. Easy to handle and chilled (submissive, really) with flock members, these birds forage surprisingly well considering their limited field of vision. Unfortunately, their egg production is terrible. I have two 9 month old pullets: one laid 17 pearly white eggs late last summer and then stopped. The other has yet to produce an egg. With the days getting longer in 2026, other birds are starting to lay, but not the Houdans. I’m glad I gave them a try, the add lovely visual variety to my bird yard, but I’ll focus on breeds with a more robust gene pool.

Turner motor stopped working after the first time using it.Cheaply made.

I moved recently and didn't have a lot of time to set up a coop and run. I have 10 silkies. I did research (not enough) and found the snaplock coops. First, they are far far far too expensive for what they are. A glorified little tykes chicken coop. Regardless, I bought it because I was in such a crunch before snow flew. If you live in a climate where you don't get cold winters these may be ok, however not for snowy winters.

At first before it got super cold the chickens seemed very comfy and happy in it. I've done a bit of deep litter based on the size with shavings and straw. I have both vents fully open and there is still frost buildup. At first I only had one vent open and once I opened the other I figured it was good. Nope....the past two mornings, some of the girls crests are wet. No way that I want frost bite on my girls. They are mostly 8 years old. So I decided I was going to open the biggest flap and install some hardware cloth in it and then pull it down as much as needed to allow airflow but not too much. Tonight will be the test. In the spring they'll be moving to a shed, but it wasn't ready and would have taken too much time to get it there. ANYWAYS, long story short, these snaplock coops are not worth the money they are asking and not worth the aggravation for your flocks. You're better off buying something else that will have better airflow and not need rigging