Virdriux
Chirping
- Apr 6, 2020
- 11
- 35
- 54
Hello!! Got a couple major questions I’ve been sitting on for a while that I’m hoping you guys can help me find answers to!
First off, I’ve got a couple lovely boys I haven’t been able to identify. Whenever I encounter anyone knows anything about ducks, I’ve been pitching the question to no avail.
They were sold as Khaki Campbell and well... They definitely Aren’t That. These two boys are about half the size of my Rouens, and are lacking the white ring around their neck. In addition, I’ve seen one fly miles of laps around the house. At this point, I’m pretty sure they’re only sticking around cause they like the treats and hens.
Next, I have a question about a Muscovy hen! When I first brought a batch of girls home, I figured that they’d just be funky looking ducks. Since then, I’ve gleefully discovered they’re basically Wrong Ducks. I’ve gone out and read all I can find to help make sure I don’t make a major whoops like that again.
Anyways, the specific question comes in in regards to brooding behavior. I figured this would be a good spot to try to pitch it, though seeing as she decided to sit on a batch of chicken eggs, I can see where it may not be appropriate.
First off, this is the best picture I’ve taken in my life. But that’s not the point. The point is that I have no idea how this hen managed to hatch anything. I checked on her during evening chores and was absolutely bewildered to hear cheeping and find a chick up under her.
And this is where I’m going to try to my to articulate why this was such a surprise. This hen has been on and off that nest for almost a month. She’s only been sitting full time for about a week, and I figured if she managed to hatch anything, it’d be a couple weeks out from now. Figured the weeks that she’s been mostly off wouldn’t count. She’s spent days seeming to completely ignore her down filled nest, and has spent nights where we’ve hit freezing off of it.
Is this some sort of fluke? Should I be expecting more chicks? Is this just some weird alternative to sitting on the eggs all day? How Did This Happen??
Finally, to dissuade any potential worries, the chick she managed to hatch has been rehomed under a heat lamp! It took me quite a bit a research to find what I was looking for, but it does seem that duck won’t abide by babies that don’t swim. And if they do by some chance, better safe than sorry!
First off, I’ve got a couple lovely boys I haven’t been able to identify. Whenever I encounter anyone knows anything about ducks, I’ve been pitching the question to no avail.
They were sold as Khaki Campbell and well... They definitely Aren’t That. These two boys are about half the size of my Rouens, and are lacking the white ring around their neck. In addition, I’ve seen one fly miles of laps around the house. At this point, I’m pretty sure they’re only sticking around cause they like the treats and hens.
Next, I have a question about a Muscovy hen! When I first brought a batch of girls home, I figured that they’d just be funky looking ducks. Since then, I’ve gleefully discovered they’re basically Wrong Ducks. I’ve gone out and read all I can find to help make sure I don’t make a major whoops like that again.
Anyways, the specific question comes in in regards to brooding behavior. I figured this would be a good spot to try to pitch it, though seeing as she decided to sit on a batch of chicken eggs, I can see where it may not be appropriate.
First off, this is the best picture I’ve taken in my life. But that’s not the point. The point is that I have no idea how this hen managed to hatch anything. I checked on her during evening chores and was absolutely bewildered to hear cheeping and find a chick up under her.
And this is where I’m going to try to my to articulate why this was such a surprise. This hen has been on and off that nest for almost a month. She’s only been sitting full time for about a week, and I figured if she managed to hatch anything, it’d be a couple weeks out from now. Figured the weeks that she’s been mostly off wouldn’t count. She’s spent days seeming to completely ignore her down filled nest, and has spent nights where we’ve hit freezing off of it.
Is this some sort of fluke? Should I be expecting more chicks? Is this just some weird alternative to sitting on the eggs all day? How Did This Happen??
Finally, to dissuade any potential worries, the chick she managed to hatch has been rehomed under a heat lamp! It took me quite a bit a research to find what I was looking for, but it does seem that duck won’t abide by babies that don’t swim. And if they do by some chance, better safe than sorry!
