Da' Cute and Cuddly Call Duck thread!

Pics
Date sort Score sort
iluvsedward said:
I want to get into show quality but i have some questions. In order to keep the colors true to the breed, i have to keep the pairs separate, correct? If so, how do you guys do it economically ? Also, with show quality, are hens better at hatching or is incubating with assistance during hatching more effective ?
Click to expand...
I just started showing and raising calls last year. I keep my trios and quads in raised pens. This year I incubated all of my eggs and plan to continue to do that as it seemed to work well. Where are you located? What helped me the most was meeting someone fairly local who really encouraged me to start showing and has been an excellent mentor.
 
Doc McCluckins said:
I just started showing and raising calls last year. I keep my trios and quads in raised pens. This year I incubated all of my eggs and plan to continue to do that as it seemed to work well. Where are you located? What helped me the most was meeting someone fairly local who really encouraged me to start showing and has been an excellent mentor.
Click to expand...

I am in Chesapeake Beach, MD. I am more interested in breeding SQ and selling than actual showing, but i would be more interested if i knew anything about showing, i know next to nothing. I sold a bunch of PQ off and only have one BQ pair at the moment so in the spring at the poultry swap im going to buy some more better quality pairs and possibly try to get NPIP certified. Are you NPIP certified? Do you know much about it? Is it difficult to keep up with the paperwork?
 
Showing is easy. Really easy. You fill out your entry paperwork and send it in. About two weeks out from the show you start to cage train your birds and get them used to handling. Then you get the get the birds prepped, drive to the show, find your cages, do last minute prep on the birds, put the birds in the cages. Done. The judges handle it from there. The tricky part is breeding birds good enough to win, lol. The actual showing part is easy.

I'm NPIP. You may or may not be able to become NPIP in your state with only ducks. My state doesn't require pullorum testing for waterfowl, because they just don't get, and most shows won't require that they be pullorum tested to enter either, unlike chickens.

So, in my state, they don't test your waterfowl when they do NPIP testing. If your other birds test clean, then your waterfowl are considered clean too. If I just had waterfowl, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't test or certify my flock, because they just don't test waterfowl.

The paperwork is minimal. You fill out a form when you sell to someone, and if you ask, you can get access to the online database and do it all on online. And, of course, you can only buy from people who are NPIP certified, so you need to get paperwork from them when you buy birds to show that they are NPIP certified. But that's it as far as paperwork goes.
 
Pyxis said:
Showing is easy. Really easy. You fill out your entry paperwork and send it in. About two weeks out from the show you start to cage train your birds and get them used to handling. Then you get the get the birds prepped, drive to the show, find your cages, do last minute prep on the birds, put the birds in the cages. Done. The judges handle it from there. The tricky part is breeding birds good enough to win, lol. The actual showing part is easy.

I'm NPIP. You may or may not be able to become NPIP in your state with only ducks. My state doesn't require pullorum testing for waterfowl, because they just don't get, and most shows won't require that they be pullorum tested to enter either, unlike chickens.

So, in my state, they don't test your waterfowl when they do NPIP testing. If your other birds test clean, then your waterfowl are considered clean too. If I just had waterfowl, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't test or certify my flock, because they just don't test waterfowl.

The paperwork is minimal. You fill out a form when you sell to someone, and if you ask, you can get access to the online database and do it all on online. And, of course, you can only buy from people who are NPIP certified, so you need to get paperwork from them when you buy birds to show that they are NPIP certified. But that's it as far as paperwork goes.
Click to expand...

Thats so helpful thank you!!

I spoke with Maryland Dept of Agriculture yesterday. I do have three chickens as well but i think they do test waterfowl in my state cause she never said anything about not testing. I would test for pullorum if they require it for waterfowl also and avian influenza since its no cost to test for it. She said that once i bring the birds home even if they're NPIP it doesnt matter once i bring them home, i think she meant since im not NPIP right now..?

Are most people at swaps NPIP? I do see signs for it here and there but i never pay too much attention to it since i always kept my birds as hobby pets. I guess people selling better quality will most likely be NPIP which is what I want.

I think i would really like to get into showing eventually. When i go to my county fair i always only see just a couple call ducks, not many at all, so i think if i showed there i might have a good shot just because the competition is so small
 
iluvsedward said:
Thats so helpful thank you!!

I spoke with Maryland Dept of Agriculture yesterday. I do have three chickens as well but i think they do test waterfowl in my state cause she never said anything about not testing. I would test for pullorum if they require it for waterfowl also and avian influenza since its no cost to test for it. She said that once i bring the birds home even if they're NPIP it doesnt matter once i bring them home, i think she meant since im not NPIP right now..?

Are most people at swaps NPIP? I do see signs for it here and there but i never pay too much attention to it since i always kept my birds as hobby pets. I guess people selling better quality will most likely be NPIP which is what I want.

I think i would really like to get into showing eventually. When i go to my county fair i always only see just a couple call ducks, not many at all, so i think if i showed there i might have a good shot just because the competition is so small
Click to expand...


Yes, she must have meant it doesn't matter right now while you're not certified, because once you are NPIP certified, if you bring home a bird that isn't NPIP certified, you've just voided your certification. If you bring home a bird that's not certified pullorum free, well, it might have pullurom. And then your whole flock would have pullorum. So you can see why that doesn't work, lol. AI is good to get tested for, some shows do require it. I'll be asking my state if they offer the testing for it this time when I renew.

Most people at swaps are probably not NPIP certified. You will need to ask before buying anything. Some swaps require that people be NPIP or have their birds tested before they can sell, so there are some swaps where all the birds would be fine to buy.

Just make sure that if you're wanting to really breed and sell show quality stock that you're entering your birds in APA/ABA sanctioned shows that have APA/ABA sanctioned and trained judges. APA/ABA judges go through training to be able to properly assess and judge the birds.

Meanwhile, at a lot of county fairs, they'll just pick a parent of a 4H kid who has no idea what they're doing and ask them to judge. I've seen a bird that wasn't even the correct variety (and the variety that it was wasn't even accepted) take best of variety at a county fair. In this example, it was a silver appleyard Call duck erroneously entered as a snowy Call duck, and the giveaway is quite obvious - this duck had eye stripes, and a snowy can never have eye stripes. And yet the judge gave it best of variety in snowy.
 
Pyxis said:
Yes, she must have meant it doesn't matter right now while you're not certified, because once you are NPIP certified, if you bring home a bird that isn't NPIP certified, you've just voided your certification. If you bring home a bird that's not certified pullorum free, well, it might have pullurom. And then your whole flock would have pullorum. So you can see why that doesn't work, lol. AI is good to get tested for, some shows do require it. I'll be asking my state if they offer the testing for it this time when I renew.

Most people at swaps are probably not NPIP certified. You will need to ask before buying anything. Some swaps require that people be NPIP or have their birds tested before they can sell, so there are some swaps where all the birds would be fine to buy.

Just make sure that if you're wanting to really breed and sell show quality stock that you're entering your birds in APA/ABA sanctioned shows that have APA/ABA sanctioned and trained judges. APA/ABA judges go through training to be able to properly assess and judge the birds.

Meanwhile, at a lot of county fairs, they'll just pick a parent of a 4H kid who has no idea what they're doing and ask them to judge. I've seen a bird that wasn't even the correct variety (and the variety that it was wasn't even accepted) take best of variety at a county fair. In this example, it was a silver appleyard Call duck erroneously entered as a snowy Call duck, and the giveaway is quite obvious - this duck had eye stripes, and a snowy can never have eye stripes. And yet the judge gave it best of variety in snowy.
Click to expand...

thank you so much this is all so interesting!!

So when you have to get your yearly testing do you have to organize it yourself? Like call someone out or will they remind you your certification will expire? Sorry if these are silly questions i just wanna make sure i know what im getting myself into. It sounds fairly easy! I also have to get a permit to sell in the state of maryland but i have to ask the lady if i need both if im NPIP.

If its so easy why dont more people do it? Also, my birds look healthy but what are the chances they actually have pullorum?

Do i have to record the birds i hatch or just what i sell & buy?
 
IMG_8809.JPG

@shawluvsbirds heres a picture!
 

Similar threads

M
    • Love
Call ducks
2 3 4
Replies
32
Views
1K
Nero70002
Nero70002
Blue is my chicken
    • Like
What is the difference between blue appleyard calls and regular appleyard calls???
Replies
3
Views
416
Blue is my chicken
Blue is my chicken
ChickenQuailMom
Incubating Call Ducks
Replies
1
Views
124
Miss Lydia
Miss Lydia
W
    • Love
Call duck coloring
Replies
3
Views
320
KathiQuacks
KathiQuacks
Blue is my chicken
    • Like
What is you favorite colour of call duck
2
Replies
10
Views
766
Blue is my chicken
Blue is my chicken

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom