Call Ducks Finally Hatched

[duckmeister]

Whoa, he's the spitting image of Wobbles! His bill is exactly 1 inch, maybe a millimeter over, but the cutoff is 1 1/4 inch for SQ birds so I'm happy with it. Too bad I can't show Wobs though, since his wings are clipped it's an automatic disqualification. But maybe his babies could be...HMMMMMMMMM.

He's also a little terror. They're like the ultimate in napoleon's complex, aren't they? So tiny, but so stubborn, mean and hedonistic!

Wobbles sounds like quite the character too! I would never have guessed the ornryness of these little guys. My drake doesn't have clipped wings, but he does have some condition that the flight feathers of his wings don't grow out properly, they keep blood in the quill for to long and then they just shrivel and the feathers stay short and stubby, so he can't be a show bird. Feed them all 16% protein layer pellets all year, thinking next molt i'll feed them a 19 or 20% protein, maybe that will help his feather growing.

 

[Julie Birb]

I know she had Really came a long way, she had a rough start and then nice long restful ending.  At least I got one last pic of her alive..  She turned out sooooo beautiful but I doubt it if I could have breed her.  I don't think she had the ability to lay eggs would have been nice to get some of her kids. 

She got triple whammie with the slipped tendon and then her beak being sliced, bottom jaw cracked into three.and me having to super glue it all together.  OH man, the poor thing,

oh poor baby. And you had helped her so much.

 

[duckmeister]

Of the 4 Holderread's drakes i had shipped this spring, this is the show breeder quality, $60.00 though not suitable for show, has the genetics to produce show quality. He's a nice little bird, larger than the show quality, i like the rise from bill to crown, i prefer the rise to a flat slope like a wild mallard. This is the first time i've ever caught all 4 of them and really tried to see why Dave rated them the way he did, the show quality and pet quality are easy to figure, but the in-betweens not so much.

 

[duckmeister]

This guy is Holderread's utility quality drake, $40.00, can't tell a lot of difference between him and the $60.00 bird, Holderreads's said he had a wing that slightly drooped, i noticed the droop when he first arrived, but can't notice it now, maybe it was an injury that is ok now.

 

[duckmeister]

Last but not least the Holderread's pet quality white call drake $25.00. I was kind of peeved to get sent a angel winged bird, if i had know he was angel winged would not have bought him, but he has grown on me, wouldn't you know it, the least expensive pet quality bird is my favorite one of the bunch. He is a wonderful little gentleman who considers himself the protector of all the other birds, he's always trying to protect the other ducks from getting 'that which cannot be mentioned' to them, i can't say it, but it's really bad!

He does have his quirks, there are certain hens he takes a dislike to and spends 1/2 his time running them away from the group, but he's overall a very nice little fellow who lacks that 'run them down and breed' them mentality the other white call drakes have. I am concerned that this angel wing might have a hereditay angle to it, because I've had to fix 2 ducklings with angel wing this year, and i'm pretty sure it wasn't from to much protein because the ducklings were raised on 16% protein layer crumbles/pellets. Despite the angel wing he has real good call duck confirmation overall. Don't know that i want him fathering anymore ducklings just in case the angel wing is hereditary.

 

[duckmeister]

It's sad that she is gone but I'm also happy it happened while she was sleeping.. 

Sorry you lost such a nice hen.

 

[Lacrystol]

Mr. Loner hang out with me.
I think I got a new best friend

 

[Lacrystol]

Angel wing is fixable and should not be an automatic pet quality. If that was the reason why it was then it sounds like more people need some education skills and should stop breeding if they have no knowledge pertaining to the care of ducks.

 

[Julie Birb]

Mr. Loner hang out with me.
I think I got a new best friend

You are lucky lucky lucky. He is cute.

 

[Lacrystol]

In that pic he looks Huge and yet he barely weighs a half a pound yet. Lol

I'm wondering what is with all the flakes? Never noticed it before is this something they due when there big boy feathers come in??