So once again I haven't gotten notifications of posts for a while. Sorry for lack of response.
@CayugaJana I can't tell you exactly when the ducks get start getting white spots but I'm going to guess at about 3 years. Brings up my activity for yesterday. Years ago I made a laying coop for the ducks out of 55 gallon barrels laid on their side. I had a wood frame I built around them to hold them secure and keep the bedding in. And I added a metal roof to keep the weather out. But with age it was getting harder and harder for me to gather the eggs they laid. Of course they made their nest in the very back of the barrel. So finally yesterday I took it apart, removed the barrels and cut them down to about 24 inches , then rebuilt the frame around them. Of course every thing had to be moved multiple times and with 3 barrels, a roof and a heavy wood frame that was a lot of work. I was glad to see eggs in the barrels this morning. I guess I didn't disturb the girls too much.
My back however is killing me today and it's been a chore just moving. I did go out and move my backup roosters into a cage. Then I pulled out the three of the same breed from the breeding pens. I mixed up a bucket of dip to assure no one had any bugs on them. I dipped the ones coming out of the breeding pen and put them in the rooster pen. Then dipped the other three and put them in the breeding pens. Quite a chore. Two of those pens weren't producing fertile eggs and the third was throwing too many light colored chicks, so I switched him out as well.
Then I went to the main brooder house and pulled out about 16 of the birds in there that were getting older. I moved them to an outside pen and rigged up a pecko matic feeder and a waterer with heat, plus a couple of lights to give them a little warmth since they were used to being warm. I hope it's enough it doesn't stress them. At least they located the feeder and were using it. They hadn't ventured out in the pen far enough to find the waterer yet but they will if they get thirsty enough.
I was helping DH who was trying to move a trailer but I found out quickly the trailer weighed over a ton because the Bobcat tipped forward. So we came up with a plan to move it with the farm truck and jacks. He's still working on it. I had to come in and rest my back cause it was hurting too much to do much more.
Good to see you back, @sharol . Hope you got that boys beak clipped.
I'm with all of you on winter. I don't ever remember one as awful as this. With a few warmer days then down to sub zero for days then up, then down, etc. It has effected the health of my birds as well as my own. I just can't see to get warm enough in the cold and when I put on layers and layers it wears me out to move around. I honestly have seriously thought of selling all the birds except some layers ... but that won't happen. I need them as much as they need me.
@CayugaJana I can't tell you exactly when the ducks get start getting white spots but I'm going to guess at about 3 years. Brings up my activity for yesterday. Years ago I made a laying coop for the ducks out of 55 gallon barrels laid on their side. I had a wood frame I built around them to hold them secure and keep the bedding in. And I added a metal roof to keep the weather out. But with age it was getting harder and harder for me to gather the eggs they laid. Of course they made their nest in the very back of the barrel. So finally yesterday I took it apart, removed the barrels and cut them down to about 24 inches , then rebuilt the frame around them. Of course every thing had to be moved multiple times and with 3 barrels, a roof and a heavy wood frame that was a lot of work. I was glad to see eggs in the barrels this morning. I guess I didn't disturb the girls too much.
My back however is killing me today and it's been a chore just moving. I did go out and move my backup roosters into a cage. Then I pulled out the three of the same breed from the breeding pens. I mixed up a bucket of dip to assure no one had any bugs on them. I dipped the ones coming out of the breeding pen and put them in the rooster pen. Then dipped the other three and put them in the breeding pens. Quite a chore. Two of those pens weren't producing fertile eggs and the third was throwing too many light colored chicks, so I switched him out as well.
Then I went to the main brooder house and pulled out about 16 of the birds in there that were getting older. I moved them to an outside pen and rigged up a pecko matic feeder and a waterer with heat, plus a couple of lights to give them a little warmth since they were used to being warm. I hope it's enough it doesn't stress them. At least they located the feeder and were using it. They hadn't ventured out in the pen far enough to find the waterer yet but they will if they get thirsty enough.
I was helping DH who was trying to move a trailer but I found out quickly the trailer weighed over a ton because the Bobcat tipped forward. So we came up with a plan to move it with the farm truck and jacks. He's still working on it. I had to come in and rest my back cause it was hurting too much to do much more.
Good to see you back, @sharol . Hope you got that boys beak clipped.
I'm with all of you on winter. I don't ever remember one as awful as this. With a few warmer days then down to sub zero for days then up, then down, etc. It has effected the health of my birds as well as my own. I just can't see to get warm enough in the cold and when I put on layers and layers it wears me out to move around. I honestly have seriously thought of selling all the birds except some layers ... but that won't happen. I need them as much as they need me.
