Busy....some updates and pics....

[eKo_birdies]

jeff - where did you get these ducks from?

 

[Red Maple Farms]

Quote:
Jeff, when I bought a pekin duck from Maple Leaf Farms at WalMart, the weight of the dressed carcass without the neck and giblets was roughly 4 1/2 pounds. The neck and giblets add another half pound to the package. That would equate to about a 6 1/2 pound live weight.

From our experience, given a choice the pekins prefer free ranging along the inside edges of a pond and not in a field. The muscovies are not as particular.

We free range on a three acre shallow wooded pond filled with minnows, mosquito larve, frogs, turtles, duckweed, snails, etc. More that once I've seen muscovy ducks fight over a frog.

Picture of pekin layers resting on a log:

 

[eKo_birdies]

Quote:
Jeff, when I bought a pekin duck from Maple Leaf Farms at WalMart, the weight of the dressed carcass without the neck and giblets was roughly 4 1/2 pounds. The neck and giblets add another half pound to the package. That would equate to about a 6 1/2 pound live weight.

From our experience, given a choice the pekins prefer free ranging along the inside edges of a pond and not in a field. The muscovies are not as particular.

We free range on a three acre shallow wooded pond filled with minnows, mosquito larve, frogs, turtles, duckweed, snails, etc. More that once I've seen muscovy ducks fight over a frog.

Picture of pekin layers resting on a log:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/49746_pond.jpg

wow, that is beautiful!!! those are some lucky ducks..

 

[Brunty_Farms]

Well, I may have had my weights and missed them. Urgg.... They just looked a little skinny when I processed them at 7 weeks. The ones at seven weeks tasted fine but the ones at 12 didn't taste so good. The ducks did get access to a pond until about the end of May and then it completely greened over and there is this slim that is on it. The ducks won't go anywhere near it and not to mention I think I have a four foot wide snapper in there that killed half my ducks when they were younger. I never did get to see him but I have a trap set for him and we will see if I catch him.

The ducks came from Ideal I didn't like the fact that half of them had "poofs" on their head. They looked like designer foo foo ducks.... I need a really duck that gains weight I have a feeling these were inbred too much. I'm going to go with JM and Metzer farms they seem to have better stock.

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

Jeff, I am just tired listening to you....where do you get that stamina from? It's like wow...I work 2 jobs(one being at the winery so it's not hard work...lol) and take care of my animals...not 1/2 as many as yours and I am burnt out. I grew up on a farm so I know how it is...I love it, but it's work. I applaud you for being the person that you are....Your farm looks Great also.

 

[Red Maple Farms]

Quote:
I too know full well about the hazards of free ranging on an open pond. One mallard hen started with 16 ducklings, and only one made it to maturity. Sometimes when I look around the pond during the day I see bald eagles and hawks roosting in the trees.

Sounds like you are going in the right direction with pekin/muscovy crosses for meat birds. My muscovy drakes won't naturally cross with my pekin hens due to lack of interest and sufficient availability of their own kind.

What are you getting for a dozen duck eggs? I sell through natural and organic grocery stores and get $1.50 per half dozen, and then they add a 30% gross margin to make the package $2.15.

 

[Brunty_Farms]

I was thinking of asking $2.50 / half dozen as I don't know that people would buy a whole dozen. I get $4.00 at the markets for regular dozen eggs so I would assume that I could get more for duck eggs. I've built up a really good customer base over the last two years so I'm hoping that people will trust me that duck eggs are really good!! I guess we will see.... I'm just now getting eggs from them and they are no bigger than a chicken egg. Do these get bigger? I'm assuming ducks lay pullet size eggs as well? I'm not too sure...

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

when I had ducks..one big selling point was how good the eggs were for baking...along with the goose eggs. they made the best ever cakes..omelets also.

 

[Red Maple Farms]

Quote:
The eggs I sell are mostly from pekins and muscovies. The pekins lay rather large eggs that easily weigh more than 17.5 oz per half dozen. The muscovy eggs are slightly smaller but most are still greater in size than a jumbo chicken egg. I do the sell smaller eggs but they are still greater than 14.5 oz per half dozen on average.

I use the Sodesa pakages for the larger eggs, and the ones for McMurray for the smaller ones.

Sodesa™ Twin 6-Egg Carton, Jumbo, #PLEG-6J

Clear Plastic Egg Cartons