I bought some Timothy grass hay thinking it would be a soft/warm bedding for my ducks. I was thinking of adding it on top of my wood flakes I get from TSC. I just read that hay can cause crop impaction? Is that true? Should I not use the hay? Should I use straw instead? I thought straw was too...
Good morning all! I woke up to ice in the water buckets. Brrrr! Its so funny to watch the ducks charge into the pool and not care whatsoever about the ice floating around them. Hope everyone has a fantastic Friday!
Completely understand that. Where in the country are you? We have a woman who runs a rescue to rehome ducks. There may be something like that near you? Just an idea.
Oh that is very frustrating and nerve wracking. I'm so sorry to hear that. You will do great integrating him. Just take your time and go at the pace which is most comfortable for everyone. I don't think there is a magic recipe. There will be some pecking order squabbling, its normal. It's hard...
I agree with @sourland he will need to be big enough to hold his own against the mature drakes. I would have him safely exposed to them every day until he is big enough to be set loose with them. The longer he is exposed to them, and them exposed to him, the easier the actual transition will be...
Beautiful flock! I have an affinity for black ducks. You should make certain the male to female ratio is correct as others have stated. Otherwise the males will injure or even kill the females.
Welcome to the forum! There are many knowledgeable helpful members here.
If possible set up a small fenced area where the little one can be around the big ducks but still safe from bullying. This has worked well for me. I then put up a plastic fence in the coop to section off an area when they are ready to spend the night in the coop. That way everyone can get use to...
That can be a really tough decision for sure to make. I can tell you that all sounds like normal duck behavior when blending ducks from different flocks, at least in my limited experience. There are very experienced duck owners here that will have opinions as well. I can just about guarantee...
It looks like primary flight feathers coming in. They will have blood in them and as they get longer they will begin to blend in better. If you are not use to it that can be a bit odd looking. Unless it looks like it is broken or actively bleeding which is hard to tell from your pics, it should...
I have a male and female Appleyard for sale. I am focusing my flock on a smaller number of breeds. I really hate to sell them because they are very enjoyable ducks, but I really need to. They were hatched July 3rd this year. They are very healthy and happy. Abe the drake is still molting in this...
Ill add another one to keep this thread going. These are my Appleyards, Fiona and Abe. They are for sale BTW if anyone is interested. I hate to part with them but I am narrowing my flock a bit. They were hatched July 3rd 2020.