Australians - Where are you all????

[duckyfromoz]

I am happily single so I never have to face the issues of where my ducks live. I know the older two girls are able to stay out now...But then my Blind girl will have to live with smaller babies..and I cant have that... Its only a week until the sale- so they may as well be comfortable for their last few nights here. I cant cuddle them if they are outside. They do go outside durring the day though. I am enjoying the two little fat Pekins ducklings too. I had forgotten how cute they can be after having Runners everywhere for so long now.

 

[wooklet]

I'll be in trouble! It was another famous Tassie night last night, the rain was tumbling out of the sky, I couldn't sleep,and came out to the computer. I started thinking about how the chickens that are in the broody box will have to vacate it soon,and go out into the cold,and I thought ,"they need an interim box" long and the short I ended up buying an online coop on ebay. It was only $130 plus $39 postage, holds 6 chicks,has 2 nesting boxes and a slide out t ray for cleaning. Only trouble is I haven't told hubby yet! Have a few days till it arrives though. He'll say"I could have buiilt you one"which is true, but I do need it very shortly with eggs due to go into lockdown tomorrow(not the duck eggs).

All the chickens are locked up today there has been an eagle scouring the skies since early this morning - the Plovers and crows let me know when it is around, but I think the chooks are safer in their coops for the day. I first spotted it right above our paddock, and there I was running across the paddock waving my arms and shouting at it to ---ss off -

neighbours are probably convinced I'm insane by now! Trouble is when it comes to my chickens they're right!

 

[V Comb]

Quote:
Lets swap houeses...

 

[wooklet]

Which?Chicken houses or human houses?
See you are interested in Houdans. Did you find any breeders in Aus? Because I would love to find some?
Welcome to our little forum!

 

[duckyfromoz]

I make it twelve days left on the duck eggs wooklet..I have some hatching now though- and they are so cute...I cant wait for you to have a few of your own. That takes my current total to 35..with 7 more eggs hatching...and 15 more in the incubator...I am in trouble with myself!!! I wont ever be loading the incubator like this in a great hurry ever again....

 

[wooklet]

Quote:
Agreed! But I make it 11 - probably out on my calculations! You are the Eggspert on Ducks!

 

[duckyfromoz]

We are both right!! IN a round about sort of way... If they were put into the incubator on the Thursday- they most likely wont hatch until Friday. Some people actually say Runners take 28.5 days to hatch- and I usually find mine are on the slow side. The ones hatching now were due today- and only two out so far..I think another has pipped and died..as I havent seen any progression for a few hours...

All the others are wobbling around and unzipping - But I dont expect the last one to be out until tomorrow night. I have a few ore eggs to put into the hatcher tonight- but am waiting until just before I go to sleep to do that- as I dont want to interrupt the hatching going on too soon- but will have to remove some other ducklings at the same time.

I heard today the clearance rate at the Auction venue I am going to next weekend wasnt too good last time it was on..I hope I can find homes for most of mine..I will be taking adults as well as a few newly hatched Runners- some Quail...Little silkie Morri the crowing wonder...and the two little Pekin ducklings I picked up last week. I need to make some room - and as I am going back to work- have to reduce numbers- or I will be up at 4.30am - and coming home on my lunch breaks to tend to them all.

 

[duckyfromoz]

Sad day today.. I lost an adult duck- She looked OK this morning when I let her out- but found her lefeless body at lunchtime. She may have been egg bound- as he has laid a few woppers the last few days- but the other thought I had was a spider bite. I had cleaned up an area out behind the shed a few days ago as I was taking a load of rubbish to the tip. I found two big red back spiders while I was cleaning up. There is a big piece of cement there- that I thought would be good to use for putting their water containers on - and thats where I found her.

Wooklet- A few of the eggs you have in your bator may be hers... A little legacy of her life - she may have babies far and wide with the eggs I have sent out over the last two months.

 

[wooklet]

I would have replied last night but something was wrong computer wise, couldn't get onto some websites, including BYC- grrr.....

So sorry about your duckie,, like everything you'll probably never know what it was that did the damage, I would have thought though that ducks would be immune to spider bites? Still,whatever it was I am SO sorry for your loss, and will treasure your little eggs all the more now. Do you have some of her eggs yourself?

Once again sorry for the delay in answering - don't you HATE it when computers play up?

 

[duckyfromoz]

Touch wood...no problems with mine at home...And I usually love it when they go off line at work.. No-one can do a thing without the computers..

It was most likely a red back spider bite. I had a feel of her late last night after my daughter was asleep and I got her ready for burial. I couldnt feel an egg at all- and nothing to indicate she was egg bound. I killed a few red back spiders up the back behind the shed a few days ago when I was clearing rubbish for a trip to the rubbish tip- I couldnt see an actual bite mark- but the area was red and swollen on one side of the vent. I also got a huge egg again this morning- so it must not have been her laying those ones.

I took up 12 ducklings with me for the drive up to my block of land- 2 new ones who had only hatched in the early hours of the morning. It made the trip so much more enjoyable to have a car full of live duckies . She has her own unique headstone- much larger than all the other babies burried up there.

A week til lookdown!!!! I just had 8 hatch...put 5 more eggs into the hatcher...But I am so excited about next weeks hatch..