Your duck's not an idiot- she did everything right. A duck begins incubation when finished laying her clutch, so that they all will hatch roughly the same time. If you allowed other eggs to be added to the clutch after she started incubating or added more yourself, then of course they're going...
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It's illegal to take eggs from the wild of a protected species, whether it was in the road or not. You are not rescuing a bird, you're taking an egg, which may not even be fertilized, from the wild. Even if it were a bird, you have to be a certified wildlife rehabber to have a wild bird in...
There are predators everywhere. If you have a secure run and pen for your birds, no need to try and eliminate all the potential predators around you (impossible anyways and a waste of time).
Here's the link/directions for NY to where to send or bring in your sample to be tested for the bird that died. Avian Flu is still going around as well, but from what I've heard, most birds do not recover and it's highly contagious, so others would have likely gotten that already. Poopy butt...
I live in Iowa and I listen to the Ag news here regularly......lots of talk about growing more soybeans vs corn for a 2nd year in a row, as the prices and demand for beans are better than they are for corn. I've noticed in just the last 6 months that a bag of cracked corn has DOUBLED here! It...
SILKIES! Also my Old English Game Bantams (hens) are the sweetest things! Spitzhaubens are right up there as well, super sweet, curious, like being held....
I'm sure they never felt betrayed, as their deaths were almost instantaneous. Roosters can be real jerks due to their hormones and you can only really have so many around, if any, so you did what needed to be done. Meanwhile, I have 4 cute little male Japanese quail that I really should do the...
Umm, yes, my Sapphire does like to get out and do her own thing, then hustles back to the penned area. I got a new nylon fence with a top that she can't land on first (unstable) and that has done the trick so far.
Why put the chicks out after a few days? They will need supplemental heat, even in FL. Also, a weasel or snake can easily climb in through the wire that's above the hardware cloth and into the dog kennels. I'd keep them inside at least until they're feathered and odd of heat and a bit bigger.
She looks a lot like a Deathlayer for sure, so I'd say BCM (if that has to be one half) x Deathlayer. Eggs rotate as they go through the egg duct, hence the swirl of color. I bet her eggs re not staying in the egg duct long enough at certain points to get a more oval shape or lay the last...
Half of the country gets a pretty decent winter that last 5-6 months of the year, so 100% free-ranging, no additional food or care will absolutely not work for about half the country for about half the year. I live in southern Iowa with maybe 8" of snow on the ground right now and a thick layer...
Chicks are full feathered by 5-6 weeks, so any fluff you're seeing is just normal floofy butt fluff and not chick down, unless they've been malnourished or something, which I doubt. Put them inside for 24 hours with some food and water, then open the door to let them out. They will go back...
I think The Crele and Partridge lay a not as dark brown color, but that's just what I've read online. I think both still lay a pretty nice dark egg regardless.
Do you have any photos of chicks soon after hatching? I was given a bunch of eggs and they've hatched now and trying to figure out which ones are male and female.
Personally, I would keep the chicks inside for a few weeks at least or until feathered out at 5-6 weeks. They can slip through the bars of the dog crates for one, and it's hard to heat adequately a big open, drafty space like that for young chicks who need a draft-free 90 degree environment...
I have heard from a couple people that you should have low roosts because they have injured their legs from jumping down from perches that were too high.
Might be harder to find, but you can order eggs online........Pavlovskayas are gorgeous! Super mellow, cold and heat tolerant, white egg layer. Very nice breed, planning on hatching some more this spring. Crevecoeurs are cool chickens too and would work for where you're going (also a...