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Breaking broodiness without discouraging later use of nest
And leave the original nest intact so that she and the others can continue to lay (but hopefully not brood) in it after? -
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Breaking broodiness without discouraging later use of nest
Hi all, I have a young Muscovy hen who hatched this spring, and she's shaping out to be the broodiest duck I've ever had! She and her broodmate started laying in November (which I expect to taper off for winter). I'm super happy they're using the shelves I installed in the duck house, which are... -
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What is this duck behavior?
It does sound like a grunt(-burp?)-honk. Maybe that's it, thank you. -
What is this duck behavior?
I'm not sure I understand what you mean, I don't think they are doing anything "to" each other. In the video you can see they're just floating and hanging out in the pond. No vocalizing/body language leading up to it. They'll do it when they're off by themselves as well to be clear. Edit: The... -
What is this duck behavior?
Hi all! I have two young blue runner males, four months old. They both have been doing this randomly for a couple weeks now. See video: sometimes they will be chilling in the pond and quite suddenly and randomly will "buck" while letting out one big squeaky honk like a donkey. My daughter is... -
Ducklings - Water Station Tips?
I'm partial to the cut milk jug, just need to make sure they can't squeeze inside. When they're itty bitty I use a tupperware with holes cut out of the lid, up till a few days old -
Ducklings unfortunately seem to have imprinted on humans
I see. That is reassuring, thank you. I did give the babies a lot of attention before and after hatching (hard hatch) so I was worried I overdid it. And I'm glad your ducks have you! -
Ducklings unfortunately seem to have imprinted on humans
Unfortunately I think these ducklings may have imprinted on people a little too much, would appreciate any advice. My first batch of brooder ducklings wasn't like this. Six days ago, three Muscovy ducklings hatched in the incubator. They have lived with each other from day 1. Two days after... -
Question about egg position during incubation
Update as promised: out of four eggs that made it past three weeks, three peepers successfully hatched!! The fourth egg was horribly malpositioned. I tried to help but I think I fumbled it. Couldn't find his beak to make a safety hole, no bruise on the shell to give me any hints, decided to put... -
Question about egg position during incubation
Gotcha. Thank you! Day 31 on these eggs, I'm excited. -
Question about egg position during incubation
Hi all, I have a question regarding incubation which I can't seem to find a solid answer on. These are Muscovy eggs if it matters. When lockdown begins and autoturner is turned off, do I need to ensure the air cells are facing up, like so: Or does it not matter? Follow-on question: Do it... -
My first ducklings
I swear my ducks grew perceptibly overnight when they were ducklings, those first few days. -
Do ducks need fresh water if they live near a pond?
I have a backyard pond and am still able to get ducks to their secure duck house every night. My trick? A cheap remote-control motorboat. I rarely need to use it nowadays but when they don't feel like leaving the pond to go to bed, pop that sucker out and chase ducks. (To be clear I haven't... -
Advice needed please--egg in the process of hatching outside, but getting down to the teens tonight
Question: Should I leave the nearly-hatched egg with momma duck in this cold snap, or put it in a yogurt incubator inside? Details: I have a muscovy hen sitting in the duck house with one egg in the process of hatching. It externally pipped almost 48 hours ago and peeping inside. The thing is... -
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Muscovy wet feather
Thank you for your response. If this is truly mild then I don't want to see a serious case. I've watched him try to swim several times (e.g. to go mate one of the girls) and he becomes waterlogged and starts sinking. He panic-swims back to shore before he can fully sink. Whenever he gets wet... -
Muscovy wet feather
Hello all, My male muscovy has a bad case of wet feather and I can't figure out why. He's otherwise perfectly healthy. His preen gland looks normal and secretes oil which I can feel on my fingers. All my ducks are 8 months old. His feathers were fine for his first few months of life, and he... -
Why does my silver appleyard duckling have a brown stripe instead of black?
Definitely a hen. This whole thread prompted me to look again at the Metzer page for appleyards, which is where I got them from. "We do not recommend our Silver Appleyard for show purposes as we are starting to get females developing dark bills. We are selecting for breed standard and aim to...