Best pet breeds?

[kikidee]

Quote:
But I don't want eggs

and they need a special diet that I'm not sure my feed store has. I don't know.. is it just male muscovies that fight?

Hens dont need a special diet. My hens and drakes eat the same food. Hens just need oyster shell

Pekins are my vote!

Pekins seemed like a good pet too, I heard they're the most sociable, but also the most loud?

 

[lovesduckies]

Quote:
Hens dont need a special diet. My hens and drakes eat the same food. Hens just need oyster shell

Pekins are my vote!

Pekins seemed like a good pet too, I heard they're the most sociable, but also the most loud?

uhh my drake talks a lot. i can't ever sneak up on my scovy drake because aflac is always quacking his face off

 

[kikidee]

Quote:
Pekins seemed like a good pet too, I heard they're the most sociable, but also the most loud?

uhh my drake talks a lot. i can't ever sneak up on my scovy drake because aflac is always quacking his face off

haha yeahh that's what I figured..

 

[m.kitchengirl]

hey, are anconas good pets if you hand raise them?

I really love my Anconas. They are as "friendly" as ducks should be. They know where their peas come from. They are not that loud, though they have their moments. (My chocolate duck loves to let me know when the school bus is coming & my black duck always announces when she is ready to come out for the day.)
I think they are absolutely gorgeous & love the equal opportunity markings - they are all pretty, not just the drakes or only the ducks. They are WONDERFUL foragers, even with the ground frozen they have beeb finding forage & roam all over the yard. They are wonderful at eradicating my garden pests, and fertilizing their pool water (which made my tomatoes come back to life after I was SURE they were dead).
They are a wonderful dual purpose duck, and I have no regrets about choosing them for my first foray into duck husbandry.
As I said in my earlier post, I am still tempted by the Welsh Harlequins. The thing I like about the critically endangered birds is - which may appeal to you since you like to rescue - is the idea that I am helping to save a breed that may be lost otherwise. I don't know why, and it may be silly, but I like heirloom veggies in the garden & endangered birds in my yard. (I also play bluegrass music. I guess I am into preserving traditions.)

Google might have a free design page?

Yes, Google Sketch Up. Easy to download & pretty easy to use.

Ft Knox isn't too expensive to build,

X2

Trust me, if I can do it from design to finished product - ANYONE can. I am just a flustered mess when it comes to power tools & building things. I was asked to NOT help with drama club sets in HS, and to please just help sew costumes.

But, my duck house has been successful for 2 seasons now. I will be incorporating it into my expansion project this spring.​

 

[Miss Lydia]

I have a pet Muscovy drake his name is Opie, he was raised in the house and is now inside outside boy, but right now he is laying at my feet nibbling on my shoe. He is very sweet and loves attention. He does talk alot but it's not a loud quack just soft rasping.

 

[kikidee]

m.kitchengirl :

hey, are anconas good pets if you hand raise them?

I really love my Anconas. They are as "friendly" as ducks should be. They know where their peas come from. They are not that loud, though they have their moments. (My chocolate duck loves to let me know when the school bus is coming & my black duck always announces when she is ready to come out for the day.)
I think they are absolutely gorgeous & love the equal opportunity markings - they are all pretty, not just the drakes or only the ducks. They are WONDERFUL foragers, even with the ground frozen they have beeb finding forage & roam all over the yard. They are wonderful at eradicating my garden pests, and fertilizing their pool water (which made my tomatoes come back to life after I was SURE they were dead).
They are a wonderful dual purpose duck, and I have no regrets about choosing them for my first foray into duck husbandry.
As I said in my earlier post, I am still tempted by the Welsh Harlequins. The thing I like about the critically endangered birds is - which may appeal to you since you like to rescue - is the idea that I am helping to save a breed that may be lost otherwise. I don't know why, and it may be silly, but I like heirloom veggies in the garden & endangered birds in my yard. (I also play bluegrass music. I guess I am into preserving traditions.)​

Where did you get them because I have only shopped on Metzer Farms and have been looking at California Hatchery since I'm in CA and they're reliable sorces. I'd rather not search on craigs list but when I did they only had Mallard and Pekin ducklings and such.​

 

[m.kitchengirl]

I got mine from Craigslist - the first three. Then I got 2 from a woman here on BYC who is in my area (sort of - I drove 2 & 1/2 hours to meet her & she had quite a drive as well. About an hour.
There may be someone near you who has them, and I think someone on the Ancona thread mentioned a place to order just a few ducklings from, but I am not sure where that was. You could check that thread, there are also a lot of breeders there and someone may be able to point you in the right direction.

 

[kikidee]

m.kitchengirl :

I got mine from Craigslist - the first three. Then I got 2 from a woman here on BYC who is in my area (sort of - I drove 2 & 1/2 hours to meet her & she had quite a drive as well. About an hour.
There may be someone near you who has them, and I think someone on the Ancona thread mentioned a place to order just a few ducklings from, but I am not sure where that was. You could check that thread, there are also a lot of breeders there and someone may be able to point you in the right direction.

I see! Hopefully they'll be sexed if I choose to do that xD​

 

[lovesduckies]

Quote:
same story with my drake only he charges.. he's only outside and he loves shoes!! he has a shoe chew toy in his pen.he lived inside for 7 months. i miss him being inside he was such a cuddler. he used to fall asleep on my tummy

and he wouldn't sleep in his pen after his mate went broody he slept on the floor by me lol

 

[kikidee]

I'm actually thinking of getting anconas or muscovies, but I'd really like to get anconas...but everywhere that sells them has a minimum shipment of 10 ducklings