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Fertile eggs
We can’t have a cockerel due to neighbours but I really want to get fertile eggs from our gals. Any suggestions. Is there a way to get around not being able to have a cockerel or is it buy hatching eggs forever?- Myrkk
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- Replies: 2
- Forum: Managing Your Flock
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Cracking sound
I was trying to check the vent of one of my chooks by myself, normally hubbie holds while I check. Luna, the crook, struggled, ended up upside down with me holding her by her legs and there was an audible crack. She’s walking fine, and apart from some lost dignity and dirty looks I can’t see...- Myrkk
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- Replies: 5
- Forum: Emergencies / Diseases / Injuries and Cures
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First egg or something else?
My ducks are active and seem ok, eating fine until this am when they got out of their coop and ran straight to the house (my house). I put a bowl of warm water down and they lay one either side drinking then one wrapped its neck over the other and they lay there like that. One kept raising her... -
Chicken with a limp
Our Plymouth Rock had a bit of an intermittent limp a wee while back but it seemed to have resolved itself and given it was just after we brought her home I thought it could be either the journey or growing pains, she was only 14wks. I was watching her over the holidays and she seems to have it...- Myrkk
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- Replies: 2
- Forum: Emergencies / Diseases / Injuries and Cures
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Is midwinter normal?
So excited. I was sure one of them was laying but was a little surprised as it’s down to -8 here at times and we’ve just had the shorted day at around 6hrs daylight. But hubbie came in the other day with a huge smile and an egg. Then a proper search of the garden found another 4 eggs. We know...- Myrkk
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- Replies: 2
- Forum: Chicken Behaviors and Egglaying
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Duck treats
I did a search for this but all I got was threads on ailments. What treats do your ducks love? I currently have two ducks stomping loudly up and down the garden as I’ve given the chickens their daily treat (this is either sweetcorn or a proprietary chicken treat block) and the ducks are... -
10 days
I didn’t expect this and I’m finding it very hard to deal with, I feel kinda numb at the moment. But 10 days after we lost our dog, my kittie passed over the rainbow bridge. He went into acute renal failure and the IV fluids to help him flush his kidneys caused a pleural effusion which with...- Myrkk
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- Replies: 4
- Forum: Other Pets & Livestock
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My Gorgeous Gargoyle
My gorgeous little gargoyle passed over the rainbow bridge on Saturday and life seems less without him by my side. The garden was our place and it’s difficult to spend time there just now. It was the kindest thing for him but as always, hard on this side. Sleep tight my gorgeous boy, you were...- Myrkk
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- Replies: 4
- Forum: Other Pets & Livestock
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Drake or no drake
The plan was always to have a breeding set of silver appleyards as I would like to breed and show them. However, we’ve been lucky enough to end up with two hens and they are very bonded and we have 3 pullets they get on very well with. I’m now wondering about getting a drake. Is it a good... -
Housing ducks and chickens together.
What’s the thought on housing ducks and chooks together? I have a shed for my 3 chooks and am making it so they can roost high up if they like but with floor space if they prefer. I also have 2 ducks and a dog house for them to sleep in but was wondering with winter coming in if they’d all be... -
Young POL pullets
We have two Scots Greys around 22wks old and Plymouth Rock around 20wks old so all coming into laying age. However, it is getting cold here and the clocks go back soon so much shorter days. Is there any likelihood of us getting eggs this year or will it be next spring before they start laying...- Myrkk
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- Replies: 10
- Forum: Chicken Behaviors and Egglaying
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Absolute floozy
We have a joiner doing work in our garden at the moment and he came back to fix something late one night just as it was getting to bedtime for the chooks. One of our Scots Greys took a real shine to him and pushed herself between his legs, neck stretched up so she could look at him and wouldn’t...- Myrkk
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- Replies: 2
- Forum: Chicken Behaviors and Egglaying
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Ideas for duck containment please.
I have two silver apple yards, 3wks old today so starting to think about how to keep them in the garden. I was going to wing clip them and let them free range with the chickens BUT, I would like the option to show them and seemingly they get marked down for that. A few people have said that... -
Duckling washing excessively
Our 2wk old silver appleyard are being allowed supervised bath swimming. However, one of them spends its entire time dunking its head and washing. The other swims around and darts under the water. Is there an issue or is just something the duckling will grow out of. I saw it doing the same... -
To bind or not to bind…
Jeez ducks are diva’s to raise! Niacin being taken in at dose in table, actually probably a little more than on the table as they get niacin tablets crushed in separate food bowl for each duck with nutritional yeast. One duckling, legs look fine. The other one is struggling a little and it... -
At what age can I allow my ducklings to swim? And protein question.
My ducklings are 13 days old now and had the start of a niacin deficiency so have been giving them niacin, nutritional yeast and vitamin booster in their water. Their legs are looking ok now, one is still slightly pigeon toed. I’d like to help them strengthen their legs by swimming them in the... -
Growing pains?
Hi, My ducklings are one week old today. Fed on a mix of duck crumb, grit, mealworms, nutritional yeast, occasional green stuff i.e. peas. Water has a multi-Vit supplement in it which has niacin and B vitamins. Brooder floor is a towel which gets changed twice daily, mucky little things that... -
Weak ducklin
I have 2 day old chicks, one is boisterous, all over the place and the other is just sitting there, it’s half the size of the other one and barely lifts its head. Is there anything I can do to strengthen it? -
Ducks pipped early…
Hi, and thanks for any advice. I’m stressing. I bought 6 LF silver appleyards and popped them in the incubator expecting to lock them down yesterday for hatching Thursday/Friday. Imagine my surprise to find two externally pipped yesterday am when I got up. They had broken the shell but the...- Myrkk
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- Replies: 10
- Forum: Incubating & Hatching Eggs
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Noob to incubating - Questions
I’ve never manually incubated eggs before, our bantams used to take care of the hard graft for me. However, needs must and we currently have 6 silver appleyard duck eggs in a forced air incubator. They’re at 35 degrees, humidity is a bit high but with no water in it is 60 (and I have some of...- Myrkk
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- Replies: 1
- Forum: Incubating & Hatching Eggs