I am in a situation where I need to put my chickens into a bigger coop with some urgency so someone can care for them as I need to go away for a few days. They can't stay in the smaller, outdoor brooder and their real coop is not ready yet. The other outdoor brooder was all one level and...
We had a devastating weasel attack late last fall when my fall babies were about 2 months old. It got under a 1.5 foot skirt. It got both fall babies and one of my big girls. I rehomed my dear other chicken so she wouldn't have to over winter alone.
I'm thrilled to be starting again.
I have...
Currently doing a parallel run for the chickens.
Old flock Two chickens-- both 1.5yo (RIR and Barred Rock) Penny and Ashes
Newcomers both ~12 weeks Buff orphington and Golden laced wynott. Herby Scrappy do and Hop Hop.
Penny and Ash do not seem to have much of a pecking order and are pretty...
I'm in New England where we've been dealing with zero, near zero and sub-zero temps.
Chickens are fat and happy.
Today, when I went out to feed them I found eggs. I don't mess around with their coop in this cold and realized they've been laying for at least a couple days.
Eggs were frozen...
Henny Penny is my crazy, lovable chick who was escape artist cuddle bug extroidnaire. I was told the dot on the head assured female but a sudden growth spurt makes Henny look a little Roo-like.
Penny 3 days old (above) 3 weeks old (below)
Penny 6.5 weeks (below)
So I have an open-air brooder, it's near a window. We keep the house low 60's. They have a heating pad below and a red light above.
I test using my husband's infrared sensor. It's a cheap tool and it has a fairly cheap laser to point on what you want to know the heat of. The chickens...
So I decided to get only 2 chickens. RI Red is bound and determined to get out. She's pushed open the door, squeezed through tiny bars of the cage and she is currently spending all her time searching on ways to get out. I've shored up every side, but it's still looking and hoping. Mind you...
I've done ducks for years. I LOVED my ducks. But I have had so many predation problems and a theft. One day I will have ducks again--I need my lovely little Welshie back. So cute, so affectionate.
My local feed store is getting
Rhode Island Red and Plymouth Rock
I'm getting 4 total on...
I'm in Mid-new England. About a month ago after some trauma (racoon got into the pen) and I lost 4 of 6 ducks (my fro drake was human stolen which allowed the coon in...its padlocked). My two ducks, who had been really good layers just stopped. One is most definatly molting, the other is hard...
So I will, at that point, have 6 ducks and need to keep a pond that's about 150 gallons (five feet wide and 1 foot deep. I will be out of town but have neighbors to feed and watch them but of course no one wants to muck a pond.
would...
For those of you who have free-range or near-free range ducks, how much do you feed them in dry food? My ducks are ducks and therefore always up for easy food. The more food I get, however, the more I have issues with bugs. I noticed that when they free range suddenly all ants are gone, less...
I moved my ducks up into a nice area in the woods. It's mosquito city. While they've been pretty good about nomming them their are more than they can eat.
Anyone know of safe, effective mosquito control for ducks?
So I have 10 ducks and one was always smaller but is quickly becoming the noticeable runt (welch harlequin). This is the contrast between him and the the buff...the other WH's are troublemakers but the buff is super calm. There are others are closer to the WH with one other noticeably but not...
11 baby ducks from Metzer. They are on Blue Seal multiflock and vitamin water. Regular exercise, clean pen, swimming and otherwise enjoying life. 10 are doing fine.
One duck however took a turn for the worse this morning. Tried to flush his nose, he's squeaked himself horse and seems weak.
So I decided to free range my ducks as soon as I had them, they do have a safe pen that they can come in if they decide.
Two weeks ago they pulled a disapearing act and have been pretty wild since. I have 3 mallards, Webby and Mercy (stil a bit lame) and Charlie.
Last week they decided...
I free range my 3 ducks (I lost one to the wild....I think it joined another ducky family)
However I'm about two feet from a river that's nearly to it's banks...we're expected to get 3 more inches of rain. the coop is attached to the barn which in the worst cases had been flooded out before...
Age-9 week old mallards
3 females, 1 male
---one of the females in good spirits but with gimpy leg
2 males and 1 female were escappeee from their coop this morning, left open as per usual
got home later than usual to find NO ducks. They have cooped themselves up at night for about 4 weeks...
So my non-walking duck is now back up and walking around. Does get tired much faster than the others and is still quite a bit smaller, but all are enjoying the baby pool. She has the funniest waddle.
3 females
1 male
Dizzy Lizzy
Webby "Spaz"
Mercy "Duck Duck" aka Gimpy
And Charlie or...
How many of you "converse" with your ducks. I've just taught my indoor inner duck to respond to me with quacking (to the tune of mealworms in his hydrotherepy bath)
Is this a good thing...is there anything else I can teach him?
(it was fun until 5 am when I was asleep and the duck wasn't...