So here it is. All 13 chicks were fathered by a SLW. Mothers consist of: SLW, BCM, RIR, BO, BR, Silkie/Ameraucana and EE. Three came from blue/green eggs. I've filled in the ones I'm sure of. I also included gender guess based on wing feathers in case that helps at all. Here's what I've...
I fear I know the answer here. My eggs are on day 19. Last night I took them out of their carton, laid them on their sides and added a second water reservoir. I spent the evening watching them wiggle around. This morning I woke up and they were sitting in 3/4" of water, the temp was down to 86°...
I think (hope) I got my first duck egg. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I just thought duck eggs looked different than chicken eggs if only in size. It looks exactly like several of my hens' eggs. So how does one tell them apart? I have a picky customer and I fear I could have given her...
We have thick ice (as in you can't break it up) holding the gate shut. I really want to get the gate functioning again so the birds aren't in the driveway anymore. Is there any way to melt it so I can open it again? No, a blow torch is not a feasible option lol.
I am completely new to ducks (as in today being day 1), so forgive total ignorance. My new female is doing something word with her head. It's not exactly shaking, more like she's checking her foot constantly. I tried to get video, but of course she stopped doing it as soon as I had the camera.
I'm setting some eggs on Friday and was wondering if anyone is interested in hatching along side me. The more the merrier.
I have a dozen eggs that are a frizzled columbian wyandotte roo and various hens (BCM, BO, RIR, EE and australorp). I may have some assorted bantams going in as well. What...
I am getting some eggs this week from someone local. They have a frizzled columbian wyandotte rooster and various hatchery hens. One of the hens is a black copper maran. Despite being a hatchery bird, the hen seems to be laying between a 7 and an 8 on the color scale. How much washout can I...
Can I add niacin (either ground pill or brewers yeast) to my ducks' fermented feed? If so, should I put it in the fermenting mix or add a bit in the daily dish?
I found someone local selling ducks. She had two pictures in the ad. I want to choose a trio (1m,2f) out, but I don't know ducks well enough to know which one is which breed. Can you help me identify some of the breeds from the pictures? I'd love all the help I can get.
I'm drawn to the fawn...
I have four shelters that I need help naming. They are:
* The big 8'x8' coop
* The little 4'x3' coop
* The coturnix quail coop
* The duck house
I want some sort of theme or something so they "go together", but I'm not sure what to name them. Any great ideas out there?
Okay, so for whatever reason my broody just quit on me. She did this weird dance like a rooster mating dance and then started pecking at the eggs. I carefully (with only a little blood shed) removed her from the brooder to see if she'd cool off and go back. She promptly went back to the nest...
I hatched out this mystery chick a few days ago. I know it's still early, but I'm making guesses as to the breed and I'd love everyone else's input. She's a light yellow with bright orange shanks and no leg feathering. Since she's from a small local farm with high production (they bring about 20...
Chicks should be hatching in 16 days. I thought about many different issues of broody hatching in the coop in the dead of winter, but I didn't think of the water. I can keep the big water dishes away from the chicks (one is already mounted at roost height because my buff orp gets bullied and...
I started a blog on non-traditional homesteading/natural self-sufficiency. Anyways, I'm only a week in, but I hope to really grow it.
Anyways, some topics I cover are natural alternatives for the home (diy cleaners, home practices like indoor line drying clothes, etc), organic gardening and...
I have researched, studied and read up on all types of breeding styles for all sorts of birds and I feel I've learned nothing. I'm hoping someone can help me out here using "breeding for dummies" terms. I plan to get two flocks of forensic (1 male; 4 females) from two different sources. I was to...
I am on the hunt for fertile eggs to get in a couple of weeks (I plan to encourage my silkie to go broody after Christmas - a fairly easy task lol). Anyways, my ideal would be a variety of three or four of the following breeds:
* welsummer
* black copper or other maran
* salmon faverolle
*...
I have two hens that are obviously bottom of the pecking order (out of 7). Up until recently, it was no big deal, typical pecking order stuff. As of recently, it's getting into pure bullying. I'm starting to wonder how much they are eating as they are now a bit smaller than the others. I have...
I figured I'd start a new thread so I don't spam the living daylights out of someone else's with all the pictures of my project.
I am super excited today. My father has an 8'x8' retired ice shack that he is bringing by today. As much as I love my Golden Girls coop (lots of love and time has...
In the warmer/sunnier months I keep the chickens' water out of the coop, but winter is proving a whole new ball game. Not only does it freeze almost instantly (I'm in Maine), but the girls are on artificial lighting meaning their light turns on at 2 and I'm not up until 6. That means zero water...
Your honest input is needed. I have sketched, crumpled, measured and sketched again to give my husband a guide for my "ideal coop". I want 12, but I am making sure the coop has room in case there are a few extras that join in at the last moment Since my 7 girls are currently in a coop that...