So, I work at TSC, and we got some "Zen Coop" by Manna Pro in. It's a dust, I saw "lemongrass" and "eucalyptus" and thought "hooray, some nice aromatherapy for the ducks and myself" and then realized it had diatomaceous earth in it. :hmm Is that okay for my little bantams?
So, my babies were all hatched together back in Feb/March, 4 drakes and 5 ladies.
(Dad is an Australian Spotted, mum is a snowy call, dad and mum have a separate enclosure). The youngest lady is still in a little cage adjacent to the others' enclosure since she is 2 weeks younger and they...
So, Loki is my little snowy call that has been a prolific little egg layer since age 6 months, including 9 healthy hatched babies.
I started a new job this week, so I haven't been home with them nearly as much (my schedule will be adjusted next week so that I'll have plenty of time with them)...
I can't believe these babies are around 5 months old already! They are half Australian Spotted half snowy calls. There are 5 girls (one is 2 weeks younger than the others, though). Out of the four older girls, 1 of them has been laying an egg every day, and they're consistently getting bigger...
I noticed this evening the tip (nail, I believe it's called?) of Loki's bill is getting lighter! Is this because she's laying? She's almost a year old, is a mother of 9 babies that hatched in February-March. She usually lays one egg a day in the early afternoon, is on 22% Dumor duck All Stages...
Wooow. I didn't expect this from the girls, but Loki (my mama duck, who isn't even a year yet) is very much not a fan of the babies (4 and 5 weeks ish) that I know are girls, and vice versa. I can't tell any of the boys yet, but I had Loki and Downey (my drake) outside the little pen and the...
I have zero clue how I'm supposed to keep a brooder clean without water, the babies somehow splash more than they drink (no matter what apparatus I use) and the water will be gross when it comes back on. Lightning hit a tree out front and the current blew the transformer and the water line...
I was given some chicken cages, and would love to use them for inside cages for my ducklings until they are old enough to live outside, and also for inside use in case of thunderstorms and such (this is Alabama and its spring, that's very often). After scrubbing, pressure washing, etc, there is...
Cap and Downey took a quick flight loop this afternoon, as usual, but Cap didn't fly back around, like he always does. It was daylight, there weren't any hawks, I didn't hear any commotion, but he still hasn't come back. There were a lot of local wild ducks out this afternoon, and he does like...
I put it in a homemade incubator, since I don't have a nice one nor can I AFFORD one, nor was I expecting this issue until SPRING. *flails* It's her first, so it might not even be fertile. She definitely wasn't interested in sitting on it, so I didn't leave it in there. AHH!
Cap decided to be a boy! We weren't sure until the mini end of summer molt revealed a bright BLUE head! Now I've got 2 drakes and one lady... there goes my sanity!
I'm inventing scenarios in my head about her swallowing a feather when she was little and it's stuck in her vocal chords or something. She doesn't have the same whisper as my drake.
We're inside today because of thunderstorms PLUS heat AND humidity advisories, all at the same time, but Capsicle sounds like she swallowed a boat horn. She is a snowy call, but doesn't have the textbook short beak and little body. Just curious if she needs the duck equivalent of a lozenge or...
I'd swear these are both girls (5 weeks, they grow SO FAST). They're very vocal and have loud "meeps", but 50% of the time they're chasing my poor little spotted drake and 50% of the time it's the other way around. There's lots of running in circles, some minor head bobbing, some of that "I'm so...
Over concerned hover duck mom strikes again :frowMy little snowy calls are at that adorable scruffy phase where they look like they've got "the mange", as my grandmother would have said. I can't tell if this is just uneven feather growing or the beginning of angel wing. When they stretch and...
So sorry I haven't been posting all my pics right away, I forgot how busy new chicks make everything! Here are Loki and Cap! Loki was a day old and Cap was 2 days old when I got them, and we're just past week 1. They're very vocal, hungry, thirsty, and poop all the time. Definitely not...
My neighbor gave me this. I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to make it a duck pond that won't be a biohazard. No way can I afford to fill and drain it every day. We have a pump, but it's not a filter. I've seen what happens with the little plug in fountain in our garden with just a pump...
Downey somehow broke the toenail (the long claw-like one) on the back of his foot! It looked like it was getting long, I was going to check on clipping it, and of course he beat me to it. I've been keeping an eye on his feet because he has been getting dry skin- I wouldn't have known about the...