Calls and Cayugas 2020

[Conan]

Running around quackn like the nutter she is. She was stuck tight to those dead eggs.
She even bit me.

Broodies are crazy creatures. Mad with the desire to hatch... I'm sure I don't know how they feel.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

I have 3 sitting. Yoshimi (grey), Bambi (blue fawn), and Princess Buttercup (butterscotch mix).
7 more Buttercup eggs in the incubator due to hatch next weekend.

Do you ever have problems with other female duck bullying babies that are not theirs?
I have only had trouble with Drakes in the past and so I pulled all of the Drakes out in hopes it would be a safe maternity ward with only females.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

Broodies are crazy creatures. Mad with the desire to hatch... I'm sure I don't know how they feel.

Yeah. ---- a bunch of that ---- huh.

 

[Conan]

Do you ever have problems with other female duck bullying babies that are not theirs?
I have only had trouble with Drakes in the past and so I pulled all of the Drake's out in hopes it would be a safe maternity ward with only females.

I have never had more than one hen. This is my first year with multiple mamas. I'm thinking i should take them from the mama birds shortly after fluffing? Dunno exactly what I'll do yet.

My gander tried to steal my little imprinted call duckling for himself so I'm curious to see how he acts.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

I have never had more than one hen. This is my first year with multiple mamas. I'm thinking i should take them from the mama birds shortly after fluffing? Dunno exactly what I'll do yet.

My gander tried to steal my little imprinted call duckling for himself so I'm curious to see how he acts.

Well... I just hate to take them from their mama's when I let mamas hatch them. They know their mama's voice they can hear her from inside their shell and they are somewhat imprinted on her already at hatch.
And I'll bet you won't want to do it either once you hear your mama burd screaming at you to give her babies back. It's heartbreaking.

 

[Conan]

Well... I just hate to take them from their mama's when I let mamas hatch them. They know their mama's voice they can hear her from inside their shell and they are somewhat imprinted on her already at hatch.
And I'll bet you won't want to do it either once you hear your mama burd screaming at you to give her babies back. It's heartbreaking.

I don't doubt it, but they're all being sold. I'm thinking I'll let the mamas keep 2 babies each, depending on how many sell.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

In the past I only let one hen sit at a time and so I closed them up inside the house and blocked everyone outside for the first several days. but only because the drakes were out there. After a few days I let them out and the moms done a good job protecting the babies. I did not ever see much bullying behavior from the other girls.
That gets to be such a hassle having to have so many separation panels rigged up.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

I don't doubt it, but they're all being sold. I'm thinking I'll let the mamas keep 2 babies each, depending on how many sell.

Yeah.. It gets to be costly growing them all out before you sell.

 

[Conan]

In the past I only let one hen sit at a time and so I closed them up inside the house and blocked everyone outside for the first several days. but only because the drakes were out there. After a few days I let them out and the moms done a good job protecting the babies. I did not ever see much bullying behavior from the other girls.
That gets to be such a hassle having to have so many separation panels rigged up.

This will be a new thing for me! Each girl has her boy, no extras, so I don't know how they'll all act. They're housed with standard ducks, and geese. I'll have to figure out if this will work with babies in the mix.

 

[Conan]

Yeah.. It gets to be costly growing them all out before you sell.

I have a waiting list for them, plus I can't get attached to 30 ducklings! Imagine the chaos!