2019 Spring Ducklings are here!

[WannaBeHillBilly]

@WannaBeHillBilly how much longer for your hatch ?

Day 28 will be June 1st.

 

[Texag87]

Hatching/brooding is fun and stressful. One of these days I want to let a duck brood and watch her with the little ones following. Right now I get to watch the zoomies every time I go to the bathroom. One of the Pekin Runners is growing so fast you would think the parents are jumbo Pekin. We need video/pictures from the duck cam when they hatch.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Fun? - All those fake broodies here are not funny! Some ducks turn into fire spitting dragons:

And the an hour later she sits in the pool with the other ducks and doesn't even know what a nest is...

 

[SailorNoMore]

WannaBeHillBilly = Fun? - All those fake broodies here are not funny! Some ducks turn into fire spitting dragons: And the an hour later she sits in the pool with the other ducks and doesn't even know what a nest is...

One of my Ancona hens has been odd from day one. She was the only one that ignored the matriarch and her second to run over to the new drake brought in 4 months later and socialize and never attack him during the pecking order establishment. She is in the long drawn out process of learning how to be broody. During the day she screeches when I approach the duck house to do AM/PM chores. I have a radio link between the duck house and my bedroom, and she will screech when one of the other four residents do something during the night to upset her. At times I am convinced to shut it down but leave it on for its purpose of alerting to a predator assault. Hopefully she will become my one broody and provide me with a supply ducklings as she matures. I like the idea of your private birthing boxes!

 

[Texag87]

My fake broody was the one bit by a copperhead last weekend. She layed her first egg since today. Because my parents sometimes wind up with the eggs and they are on blood thinners, I tossed it. No need chancing hemotoxin . Btw, Quackers was sounding the alarm earlier. It was just a cat. She is now my alarm Duck.

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

Somebody in the brooder just quacked! Hope I don't have 4 boys and a girl.

 

[SailorNoMore]

Magnolia Ducks = Somebody in the brooder just quacked! Hope I don't have 4 boys and a girl.

I have a three boy/1 girl hatch. And right from the start they seem to know there is a difference. Once in awhile their will be some antics between them.

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

In this batch I have one little ducklings that stays by itself..The yellow ones are trouble.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

WannaBeHillBilly = Fun? - All those fake broodies here are not funny! Some ducks turn into fire spitting dragons: And the an hour later she sits in the pool with the other ducks and doesn't even know what a nest is...

One of my Ancona hens has been odd from day one. She was the only one that ignored the matriarch and her second to run over to the new drake brought in 4 months later and socialize and never attack him during the pecking order establishment. She is in the long drawn out process of learning how to be broody. During the day she screeches when I approach the duck house to do AM/PM chores. I have a radio link between the duck house and my bedroom, and she will screech when one of the other four residents do something during the night to upset her. At times I am convinced to shut it down but leave it on for its purpose of alerting to a predator assault. Hopefully she will become my one broody and provide me with a supply ducklings as she matures. I like the idea of your private birthing boxes!

Those nest boxes are the most primitive you can think of: Two pieces of scrap-wood nailed to the wall and the floor each, a scrap piece of plywood or osb locked in between, a piece of scrap-wood nailed to the side-wall(s) and a scrap-board just lid flat on top. Done.
I'm in the process of tearing town that hot-tub platform - the one i fell down and broke my foot - so there's a lot of scrap available and i'm thinking of adding a covered run to the duck-house, so that whoever wants to sleep outside can sleep outside and i will move food and water from the duck-house to the run and turn the living room into another bedroom so i can have another 20+ ducks… - Don't tell anobody! Especially not thy wife!!!

 

[Texag87]

Those nest boxes are the most primitive you can think of: Two pieces of scrap-wood nailed to the wall and the floor each, a scrap piece of plywood or osb locked in between, a piece of scrap-wood nailed to the side-wall(s) and a scrap-board just lid flat on top. Done.
I'm in the process of tearing town that hot-tub platform - the one i fell down and broke my foot - so there's a lot of scrap available and i'm thinking of adding a covered run to the duck-house, so that whoever wants to sleep outside can sleep outside and i will move food and water from the duck-house to the run and turn the living room into another bedroom so i can have another 20+ ducks… - Don't tell anobody! Especially not thy wife!!!

The Wife will have you committed . After your next batch of ducks come in, your idea will be for you and your wife to move to the Duck house and the ducks move to the Humon house.