Call Ducks Finally Hatched

[Julie Birb]

I suppose you sell them before they have a chance to get it?
Look at the bright side, you can help newbies like me if I ever need to tube one!

Any revelations on Chibs' gender?

 

[Julie Birb]

My 2 flying type mallards from Metzer farms with my call ducking this a.m. They are all about the same age within 2 or 3 days, they'r 5 weeks old. The mallards a bit larger than the others with the bill a lot longer.

These are my first white call ducks from my generic white call hens and my show and breeder quality Holderread's drakes. The reason i did this was because my hens lay eggs like crazy, lots of them, and the teenie tiny elite show quality hens lay very few eggs and the teenie tiny eggs they lay are very difficult to hatch. I'll keep breeding the Holderread's drakes back to their daughter from my hens and hopefully produce a few quality birds to show.

Also have 20 call eggs in the incubator from Duckcreekpoultryplace in Indiana, so hopefully enough of them will hatch to have some genetic diversity in my little flock.

Very cute cluster of duckness.

 

[casportpony]

Quote:

-Kathy

Wow, amazing Kathy. I have a weird question to ask out of curiosity. Do the birds gag when you place the tube in their throats? How far down does it go?
They don't gag, but some will try shaking their heads to get the tube out. Properly place, the end of the tube is in the crop. Here are a couple of pictures:




-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Here are some video I found:

These are using a crop needle, not a plastic tube.




This one uses a tube like I use
​

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Tube feeding is also called gavage feeding.

-Kathy

 

[WVduckchick]

Any revelations on Chibs' gender?

No! lol Chibs and Tiggy were much more vocal last night though. I played the sound clips and I think they both still sound like boys, but they are getting louder, so I'm still not sure. Did notice a very slight curl to Chibs' tail feather. Tiggy's is still flat... ugh!

Took this pic just for you Julie.

I wish Tiggy didn't have the mud on his bill, I need to get a better one, but it looks like his nail has been intentionally painted black. Just the nail. Hey, its nail polish lol Juice's is the same way. And you can kinda see the curl on Chibs' tail feather in the background....

 

[Lacrystol]

No! lol Chibs and Tiggy were much more vocal last night though. I played the sound clips and I think they both still sound like boys, but they are getting louder, so I'm still not sure. Did notice a very slight curl to Chibs' tail feather. Tiggy's is still flat... ugh!

Took this pic just for you Julie.

I wish Tiggy didn't have the mud on his bill, I need to get a better one, but it looks like his nail has been intentionally painted black. Just the nail. Hey, its nail polish lol Juice's is the same way. And you can kinda see the curl on Chibs' tail feather in the background....

OMG that's an adorable face.

 

[Lacrystol]

I'm down to 6 EGGs, Odds are NOT looking good, today is hatching day

 

[casportpony]

I'm down to 6 EGGs, Odds are NOT looking good, today is hatching day

So sorry.

-Kathy

 

[WVduckchick]

I'm down to 6 EGGs, Odds are NOT looking good, today is hatching day

Ugh! But 6 is better than 0. Good luck!