ALABAMA!!

[Tomtommom]

I didn't get muscovy because they're fliers so I heard. We have a creek border out property. Plus they're not prolific layers. I had Swedish but traded them for C.Rocks. I was not prepared for them. Ducks are very busy birds. Need a lot to keep them busy.

I clipped one wing, they can get up about 4-5 feet now.

They seem happy, just strolling around, bathing, mating and nibbling on things (like my tree

) And if it was just them I would be fine, but I got them to raise offspring for the dinner table.... and that just wont work I don't think. The four of them make more mess than my 28(!) chickens combined. I don't want to see what happens when I add a dozen or two ducklings.

I may keep them, because they ARE fun, and not let them raise ducklings.. Like I said, I've not fully decided.

 

[Tomtommom]

Uh... no.

I have a Blue/Black Splash Ameracauna rooster and hen, as well as two Blue Wheaten Ameraucana hens. If I hatch the Splash girl's eggs, the chicks will all be B/B Splash. If I hatch the BW hens' eggs, the chicks will be full Ameraucana, but not a recognized variety (mixed B/B/S an BW.) I have NO IDEA what color they would be, but they would be blue egg layers.

Now, the question........ I have over a dozen pretty blue eggs that I have gotten this past week and it is all I can do not to stick them in the incubator. If I DID, would any of you be interested in the chicks?

I went by TSC yesterday to get dog and cat food.. they were setting up the bins for next week. I'm so glad I got food for the animals for 2 months.. I can avoid going to TSC and get chicks. I've got 28 darn birds in my coop (oh and so lovely they are. Your chicks are DOLLS. I've never had juveniles that aren't deathly afraid of me. These guys love swarming me and actually enjoy contact)

To get to the point, I am trying my darndest to avoid more math.

As you already know, we only have SIX cockerels in our batch of 15, so more pullets than expected. I banded 4 that I wanted to keep (but magically 6 have a yellow band... I couldn't narrow it down far enough... It's American idol for chickens, I will decide soon who loses their band and gets booted

) Blasted math.

I've got 13 hens laying and I'm drowning in eggs. I have 4-5 dozen of eggs in constant rotation. It's February. WHAT THE HECK? So by summer I will have about 18 birds a laying

And I already can't keep up with their eggs. Oh lawd what do I do to myself?


... I need help.

 

[BexB]

I saw that here also Tomtommom.
Is it time for chicks already? I was thinking it is still too cold. I'm ready for babies! But what do I know?
A quick question for you wiser chicken people. I've read on inbreeding. I don't have purebreds, so all that stuff was useless reading.
I lost my 'head' roo and need to replace him, but is it ok to keep one of the offspring to be Mr. Roo?
The second in command has stepped up nicely, but its a big job for one lil man.

 

[Mister B]

I wish I had know you needed a roo. I had a nice Rhode Island Red Rooster that is a year old, plus or minus a month. Nice big heavy guy. He started worrying my Delaware rooster. I think there are a couple red sex link roosters in there too, but I couldn't tell them apart (the sex link thing didn't help me, lol). I met a guy that had a nice Buff mix rooster and a Barred Rock rooster at the Spruce Pine flea market Saturday. I don't know if he sold them or not, but he probably will be back next Saturday.

 

[BexB]

Thanks Mister B, but I have a couple to choose from. They are not fully mature yet, but close. I was just wondering about the inbreeding thing. I have 2 that are offspring, and I don't want to keep one of them if it is not good for them.

 

[Wisher1000]

Bexb, don't worry about the inbreeding, it has to be done over several generations and brother/sister crosses are less desirable than parent/child. Actually, that is called "line breeding" and is used to fix characteristics in a line. I also suggest that you keep two that get along and work the flock, together.

 

[Mister B]

Question about ducks. A friend gave me some Khaki Campbell eggs to put in my incubator. They seem to be coming along fine. I have only had chickens in the past, so I have some questions about them. Can they get along with my chickens? I thought they needed a pond, but I have read that they don't. Will they be happy without? Anybody have plans for a duck pond? Is it something I can dig by hand? Any help will be appreciated.

 

[dan26552]

Question about ducks.  A friend gave me some Khaki Campbell eggs to put in my incubator.  They seem to be coming along fine.  I have only had chickens in the past, so I have some questions about them.  Can they get along with my chickens? I thought they needed a pond, but I have read that they don't.  Will they be happy without?  Anybody have plans for a duck pond?  Is it something I can dig by hand?  Any help will be appreciated.

We had chickens and ducks and they did just fine together.
A kiddie pool works pretty well.

 

[Kim's Chix]

my ducks don't have a pond, and they seem happy enough. They have a wash pan that they splash in, and I'm planning on getting them a kiddie pool soon. That should make them really happy!

 

[Tomtommom]

Ducks and chickens get along pretty well, ducks are just messy. Anything with water in it can and will become a swimming pool

and they like to take a mouth full of food and hold it under water to eat, so you get stinky food in the bottom

Best advice I can give you is to have a large dish of water near their food, and a kiddie pool further away. That way you dont have to clean out the kiddie pool every day.