Recently, one of my hens hatched a little mallard duckling. He is turning 3 days old tomorrow, any advice on how to clip off the back toe for marking is appreciated, thanks! My other mallards were bought from Metzer Farms and already had their toes clipped when I bought them.
I would make it bigger. You should start by adding more support to the outside, then build solid walls on that part so they have an open air area and closer one. I would also, taking into account the fact that it's off the ground, add a run that's big enough with wheels so you can move it. I've...
Typically, you are right, twins don't survive well. But, if you are dedicated enough, and are there for the hatch, I've seen it done.IF you help them along just enough to make sure the make it out, they should survive. They'll need extra special care. However, if you are having a large hatch or...
Sorry I said that wrong! LOL! What I meant was this. Metal alone is too slippery, but if you put hardware cloth or cheesecloth or something on top it will be fine.
I'll take your advice and have them outside the run as much as possible. Then once we move the ducks to the other building the pea's can have all the room they want. Also, will they be okay in Winter. How do I care for them in Winter. I live in the middle of Wisconsin right near lake Michigan.
Wow, I don't really have that much space. I'll see if I can figure something out. Maybe expand a bit outwards. I was considering moving the ducks, as we get more this summer, to another building. Maybe I can move the pea's there after the ducks move. That'll end up being 216 square feet if I...
I don't know any specifics on quail but here are the general ups and downs
Metal-
Pros
-reflects heat to keep warm
-metal can't catch on fire
-is easy to clean and water repellent
Cons-
-metal can overheat
-can be slippery
Plastic-
Pros-
-easy to clean
-light weight
Cons-
Plastic has been known...
The ducks are doing really good now. I cleaned them off and took some of them home and gave them warm baths. They are all doing really good, eating and drinking and running around and swimming. Nothing looks infected and I discovered that antibiotic skin cream is save and effective for ducks.
Sorry to keep bothering you... I just have one more question: How much room do they need? We have this area between the end of the duck run and another building that is about 9x5 feet. Is that big enough for 2 pea's? They would be outside maybe one-two hours per day- free range I mean.
Thanks so much! I'll take that into consideration. Also, we were planning on having the pea's in a pen directly next to our ducks, will that be okay? They aren't going to live with the ducks just next door. I was wondering...
1) Will they get along?
2) Will the ducks affect the pea's health at all?