American serama thread!

[clousert]

can the ducks range with chickens? like just around the yard and do the wings need to be clipped? i dont clip chickens

Depends on what type of ducks you get but yes they can free range together. If there is a big size difference then you may want to be cautious. Most layer ducks like the Peking aren't great flyers so you wouldn't have to worry about clipping wings. And even most flyers will stay as long as they have food, shelter and a mate

 

[EZFarms]

i was worried they would hear the geese and ducks fly over. what about the avian flu will it effect domestic ducks?

 

[clousert]

i was worried they would hear the geese and ducks fly over. what about the avian flu will it effect domestic ducks?

Yes and chickens if AI is present. I don't have ducks or geese flying around here so I can't answer that part. I also don't allow my ducks out too often because they're bantams and excellent fliers

 

[EZFarms]

i wonder maybe i should let the ducks and chickens out seperately. the to be duck coop is across my backyard from my main chicken coop then my serama coop and phoenix cage is in a different part of the yard. this is why we dont give me free time xD i built two coops and a cage for my phoenix to keep his tail nice i also fixed my main coop to hold more birds

 

[clousert]

I don't like duck eggs.

I rarely eat eggs but I didn't mind the duck eggs. My mother loves them and her husband didn't even realize they were duck eggs. I only let her have the eggs laid through the winter though. Otherwise I hatch or sell the eggs.

 

[EZFarms]

i was thinking about hatching them. will duck hens go broody?

 

[clousert]

i wonder maybe i should let the ducks and chickens out seperately. the to be duck coop is across my backyard from my main chicken coop then my serama coop and phoenix cage is in a different part of the yard. this is why we dont give me free time xD i built two coops and a cage for my phoenix to keep his tail nice i also fixed my main coop to hold more birds

If they're close in size then they'll be fine. If 1 of them is a lot smaller they may get trampled. If you have enough space then they'll usually be fine either way.

 

[clousert]

i was thinking about hatching them. will duck hens go broody?

Yes. I had several call hens that went broody last year. Broody chickens will also hatch ducks but babies should be taken away pretty quickly after hatching. It isn't long before momma notices that something isn't right with her baby "chicken" lol

 

[EZFarms]

i have built the biggest brooder i have ever had xD its for 35 chicks+ whatever they send as extra and six ducks lol

 

[ladycat]

I've been putting Serama eggs in my Brinsea, which has rails to hold eggs upright.

But I got my hovabator out which has little cups in the turner. I put some Serama eggs in but they are so tiny in the cups I'm afraid they won't turn properly. Any ideas on making it work better? Maybe wrap the bottom half of the eggs in a paper towel to give them bulk?