California-Southern

[UrbanFarmOC]

so true , I lost 2

Sorry for your loss.

 

[Sylvester017]

We raise the chickens for fun and utility (eggs, meat) and sell/barter some hatching eggs and chicks to others. We enjoy the chickens a lot and they compliment the homestead life we are trying to lead by living organically and using permaculture here on our small ranch. No, we do not show or breed for show. I have some EE as well as Ameraucanas and are not keeping them separate (about 30 in the flock). I should I written EE not Ameraucana I guess as we are not selecting for show even though some of the stock is/was show stock. We keep about 30 or so SFHs and French Marans also in separate flocks. Muscovies are for bug/pest control along with our flock of guinea fowl and wild turkeys as well as for the table.

Ranch/farm life is so wonderful -- I never truly appreciated it enough as a child!

I was interested in your comments re ducks. Out of all her poultry my Mom's favorites were ducks since that was mostly what HER folks had on the farm and chickens and geese were side projects.

My Mom always wanted Muscovies but they layed way less than Pekins so she only kept a sea of white Babcock Leghorns and Pekin ducks for their prolific eggs and come Fall the roos and drakes headed for the freezer. The half-dozen geese were mainly used as guard dogs.

For myself I was intrigued by the smaller Welsh Harlequins that reportedly are quieter-calmer than other duck breeds and fairly good layers. I was also impressed with the Cotton Patch geese that almost went extinct and currently are being saved by Flip Flop Ranch Preservation Center in SoCalif. I've researched a couple sites that said the Cotton Patch were even better at mowing down the weeds than the more mischievous Goats. Cotton plantations would release large flocks of Cotton Patch Geese because the geese didn't eat the cotton and only the weeds like Bermuda grass, etc etc. I would absolutely love nostalgic ducks and geese again but with a poultry zoning limit we decided our smaller gentler chicken breeds would be best in our little backyard - and for the sake of close neighbors the chickens for all their noise are comparatively quieter than ducks or geese. Our neighbor commented on how quiet our rooster was and I had to chuckle because she was referring to our big floppy-combed White Leghorn hen.

 

[Exotica]

RIP Black Bean ("BB"). Yesterday, I thought she was about to lay her first hopefully-green egg (she was 25 weeks/ 6 months old), but a couple of hours later, I found her dead in a nest box.

She was a Favacauna (SF x Lavender Am) from our first batch of broody-hatched babies (raised by our sweet SFH). I suspect she was eggbound and died from the complications thereof. ::sigh:: However, we want to know for sure in case it's something else that can affect the rest of the flock. So after I found her, I high-tailed to the CAHFS lab in San Bernadino to get her necropsied and made it 15 minutes before the office closed. Whew.

My SO and I accept that things like this are part of life and chicken-keeping, but when it happens, it's still a bit shocking, isn't it? My fear whenever one of ours passes is that she died of something we did or could've prevented...the necropsy report will tell us soon. Either way, I hope she didn't suffer too much.

Oh no.. I'm so sorry Anne ): She was such a beauty!
I know she'll never be replaced, but hopefully the new little one's will ease the pain a bit!

 

[DebbieSkinner]

Sylvester107,

We did have "regular" ducks in the past. They are much noisier and need a water source much more than the Muscovy ducks do. My neighbor who is also on 5 acres has ducks and we hear them from our place. Not that I care about the noise as we have 30+ guinea fowl and a resident peacock

I chose Muscovy ducks because of everything I've read about their love to eat flies and other insects. About 2 years ago, new neighbors moved nearby and they raise and breed domestic hogs in small pens and flies have become a problem so we got the guinea fowl first and then read articles that the World Health Organization mentioned Muscovy ducks for fly control in 3rd World Countries. Also, Muscovy are quiet and they care less about a pond. Ours do have a water trough and also our hog wallow which has grown quite large because of the AGHs engineering and our constant low flow of water. Even though in a sandy riverbed the hogs have made a water-tight wallow/pond. However, the Muscovy forage away from the water area at least 1/2 acre or so and also they roost in the trees. My grandfather had all kinds of ducks including Muscovy as well as geese and chickens. This was my first introduction to poultry.

I am very interested in getting geese for our dog training field which is about 3/4-1ac irrigated mixed grass and legume now. We recently reclaimed it from being used as our sheep pasture. Sold the sheep, re-leveled the field and applied organic top soil and re-seeded. The sheep even though small breeds (Mouflon and Soay) were just too large and too many livestock for that area. Since then I've been in research mode trying to figure out what livestock to put on there. We've had a few geese in the past but they were brown Chinese and let run around our house area. They were noisy and aggressive toward visitors. I am very interested in trying geese again and thanks so much about the info on the Cotton Patch geese and that there is a breeder right here in SoCal. I have also been interested in the Nene geese for a long time but have no leads on them yet. I really would like to be part of a conservation project when selecting a breed.

 

[perchie.girl]

Sylvester107,

We did have "regular" ducks in the past. They are much noisier and need a water source much more than the Muscovy ducks do. My neighbor who is also on 5 acres has ducks and we hear them from our place. Not that I care about the noise as we have 30+ guinea fowl and a resident peacock

I chose Muscovy ducks because of everything I've read about their love to eat flies and other insects. About 2 years ago, new neighbors moved nearby and they raise and breed domestic hogs in small pens and flies have become a problem so we got the guinea fowl first and then read articles that the World Health Organization mentioned Muscovy ducks for fly control in 3rd World Countries. Also, Muscovy are quiet and they care less about a pond. Ours do have a water trough and also our hog wallow which has grown quite large because of the AGHs engineering and our constant low flow of water. Even though in a sandy riverbed the hogs have made a water-tight wallow/pond. However, the Muscovy forage away from the water area at least 1/2 acre or so and also they roost in the trees. My grandfather had all kinds of ducks including Muscovy as well as geese and chickens. This was my first introduction to poultry.

I am very interested in getting geese for our dog training field which is about 3/4-1ac irrigated mixed grass and legume now. We recently reclaimed it from being used as our sheep pasture. Sold the sheep, re-leveled the field and applied organic top soil and re-seeded. The sheep even though small breeds (Mouflon and Soay) were just too large and too many livestock for that area. Since then I've been in research mode trying to figure out what livestock to put on there. We've had a few geese in the past but they were brown Chinese and let run around our house area. They were noisy and aggressive toward visitors. I am very interested in trying geese again and thanks so much about the info on the Cotton Patch geese and that there is a breeder right here in SoCal. I have also been interested in the Nene geese for a long time but have no leads on them yet. I really would like to be part of a conservation project when selecting a breed.

This is very good to know about the flies. I have one horse.... I am considering Muscovies for all the reasons you state... Quite, good foragers, No real requirement for swimming water... I only have 18 acres and no pasture... and want to raise them for meat and eggs enough to replenish the stock. Its only me so having goats or lamb for meat doesnt make any sense.

I am reading though that you can make Prosciutto, Pastrami, and even Corned beef... um er duck out of it. As well as the fact that its a lean meat leaner than regular duck. Muscovy males can weigh 10-15 pounds so as big as a small turkey.

Mucovies are an interesting breed. They arent related to other ducks. So if you cross breed them you get a Mule. Or Mullard.... in france they are the duck of choice for foi gras production.... and no they dont need to be force fed.

http://www.metzerfarms.com/MuleDucks.cfm

I had considered geese but the guineas fulfill all the reasons for me to have geese. Basically walking burglar alarms....

and they are suited to the desert.

So muscovies roost in trees... I do know they are good fliers... can you condition them to come home at night I only have one tree that is roostable but I prefer to get them indoors for the night. I imagine conditioning them the same way as Guineas would work.

deb

 

[Sylvester017]

Sylvester107,

We did have "regular" ducks in the past. They are much noisier and need a water source much more than the Muscovy ducks do. My neighbor who is also on 5 acres has ducks and we hear them from our place. Not that I care about the noise as we have 30+ guinea fowl and a resident peacock

I chose Muscovy ducks because of everything I've read about their love to eat flies and other insects. About 2 years ago, new neighbors moved nearby and they raise and breed domestic hogs in small pens and flies have become a problem so we got the guinea fowl first and then read articles that the World Health Organization mentioned Muscovy ducks for fly control in 3rd World Countries. Also, Muscovy are quiet and they care less about a pond. Ours do have a water trough and also our hog wallow which has grown quite large because of the AGHs engineering and our constant low flow of water. Even though in a sandy riverbed the hogs have made a water-tight wallow/pond. However, the Muscovy forage away from the water area at least 1/2 acre or so and also they roost in the trees. My grandfather had all kinds of ducks including Muscovy as well as geese and chickens. This was my first introduction to poultry.

I am very interested in getting geese for our dog training field which is about 3/4-1ac irrigated mixed grass and legume now. We recently reclaimed it from being used as our sheep pasture. Sold the sheep, re-leveled the field and applied organic top soil and re-seeded. The sheep even though small breeds (Mouflon and Soay) were just too large and too many livestock for that area. Since then I've been in research mode trying to figure out what livestock to put on there. We've had a few geese in the past but they were brown Chinese and let run around our house area. They were noisy and aggressive toward visitors. I am very interested in trying geese again and thanks so much about the info on the Cotton Patch geese and that there is a breeder right here in SoCal. I have also been interested in the Nene geese for a long time but have no leads on them yet. I really would like to be part of a conservation project when selecting a breed.

How wonderful to seek out a rare breed to concentrate on saving -- Nene if you can find them. It's what impressed me about Flip Flop Ranch saving the almost extinct and still rare Cotton Patch. One of their other preservation projects are breeding Dorkings back to their many glorious varieties and increase more rose-comb Dorkings.

My folks' experiment with cattle, horses, sheep, and goats was short-lived and they found poultry much more manageable not wandering off very far, keeping somewhat together in a flock or gaggle, and rustling up much of their own food. They were easier smaller livestock to handle and provided both eggs and meat. The Holstein cow produced so much milk Mom was constantly making butter, cheese, and yogurt and the poor cow HAD to be milked twice a day or she'd moan up a storm - that was a short-lived project.

There were no problems with roosting in our fruit orchards or avocado groves as the Babcocks and the Pekins were homebodies and came home to roost every evening. It was so cute watching the whole flock regularly preening themselves quietly and calmly before meandering back into the pen for the night. It's what I enjoy watching in our little backyard flock as they gravitate toward the coop and stand around it doing their evening preening and chattering and one by one eventually settling for the night.

 

[wwmicasa1]

Sylvester107,

We did have "regular" ducks in the past. They are much noisier and need a water source much more than the Muscovy ducks do. My neighbor who is also on 5 acres has ducks and we hear them from our place. Not that I care about the noise as we have 30+ guinea fowl and a resident peacock

I chose Muscovy ducks because of everything I've read about their love to eat flies and other insects. About 2 years ago, new neighbors moved nearby and they raise and breed domestic hogs in small pens and flies have become a problem so we got the guinea fowl first and then read articles that the World Health Organization mentioned Muscovy ducks for fly control in 3rd World Countries. Also, Muscovy are quiet and they care less about a pond. Ours do have a water trough and also our hog wallow which has grown quite large because of the AGHs engineering and our constant low flow of water. Even though in a sandy riverbed the hogs have made a water-tight wallow/pond. However, the Muscovy forage away from the water area at least 1/2 acre or so and also they roost in the trees. My grandfather had all kinds of ducks including Muscovy as well as geese and chickens. This was my first introduction to poultry.

I am very interested in getting geese for our dog training field which is about 3/4-1ac irrigated mixed grass and legume now. We recently reclaimed it from being used as our sheep pasture. Sold the sheep, re-leveled the field and applied organic top soil and re-seeded. The sheep even though small breeds (Mouflon and Soay) were just too large and too many livestock for that area. Since then I've been in research mode trying to figure out what livestock to put on there. We've had a few geese in the past but they were brown Chinese and let run around our house area. They were noisy and aggressive toward visitors. I am very interested in trying geese again and thanks so much about the info on the Cotton Patch geese and that there is a breeder right here in SoCal. I have also been interested in the Nene geese for a long time but have no leads on them yet. I really would like to be part of a conservation project when selecting a breed.

Debbie,

I have Cotton Patch. I will hatch goslings for you this Spring if you are interested. Let me know.

 

[DebbieSkinner]

That would be great. I didn't know you raised the Cotton Patch and you are so close to me.

One question since you raise geese, if I go ahead with my plan to get 1-2 pair of Nene geese as well, do you think I would have to worry about crossbreeding? Do I just take some precautions like possibly getting bonded pair(s) of Nene?

I'm thinking since I have less than 1 acre grass field then no more than 2-4 pairs so that would be 4-8 total adults but I'm guessing as I'm not sure how many small geese for my situation. We also raise fodder but would like to have the geese on the dog training field and forage for the most part. Our field has just been re-planted and is filling in now. We also need to come up with a water source for them and a lock up pen on one side of the field.

 

[wwmicasa1]

That would be great. I didn't know you raised the Cotton Patch and you are so close to me.

One question since you raise geese, if I go ahead with my plan to get 1-2 pair of Nene geese as well, do you think I would have to worry about crossbreeding? Do I just take some precautions like possibly getting bonded pair(s) of Nene?

I'm thinking since I have less than 1 acre grass field then no more than 2-4 pairs so that would be 4-8 total adults but I'm guessing as I'm not sure how many small geese for my situation. We also raise fodder but would like to have the geese on the dog training field and forage for the most part. Our field has just been re-planted and is filling in now. We also need to come up with a water source for them and a lock up pen on one side of the field.

Debbie, the grass area will be great for the geese but you will have to supplement their feed with some grain especially at breeding time. I feed them the same feed as the chickens & turkeys. Also they must have a water source as they breed in water. Yes, the geese will have to be separate if you don't want mixed breeds. Whether they are bonded or not doesn't make much difference when it is breeding season. I think your idea of 8 adults is right on. They will need a place to be locked up at night. We have Bobcats & Coyotes that would LOVE to have dinner.

 

[DebbieSkinner]

Thanks for the info. We are a distributor for Modesto Organic feed and feed our chickens, muscovy and wild turkeys their pelleted feed and a bit of scratch. I can supplement. I may have to decide between the 2 breeds (Nene and Cotton Patch) then just to make things simple.

Do you have a suggestion for a pond that will be easy to maintain and not get too polluted with goose poo? Easy to drain and clean I'm guessing would be the best?

Yes, I want to make an enclosure that would be secure and rustic "cute" and fits well with the dog training field. I may run flock of Marans on the field too so need to come up with something for both the geese and chickens. Or if that's problematic because of the geese not tolerating the chickens well, I can just rely on my 30 guinea fowl that fly and roam at will wherever they choose. They really took out the grasshoppers, fig beetles and tomato hornworms all over the property this season.

My husband built this rustic coop for our free ranging Swedish Flower Hens that run our riverbed field with the hogs, horses and muscovy ducks.