Duck Addicts Anonymous (DAA)

[HeatherKellyB]

Mine haven't laid a single one!

That's so crazy! I don't think Lylah has started laying either, but Faith is a little machine laying an egg a day! I feel so bad taking them from her and not doing anything with them, but it's getting cooler and I don't know if there's a market for Call's in my area. My Aztec's aren't laying either. The 3 "babies" have laid 2 eggs everyday except for today there's only 1 egg. The babies eggs aren't fertilized though. Faith's are extra fertilized

 

[Painted Calls]

 

[HeatherKellyB]

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Those adorable big fat duck butts

ETA: Off Topic (my apologies) my Dad's best friend had a dog named "Duck Butt"

 

[Daphne_loves_mealworms]

Yay for nice weather in December! I only got home from work in time to enjoy an hour of it, but it’s better than nothing! Everyone got a good bath and a chance to play in the mud.

 

[WVduckchick]

Got some decent comparison pics of my Snowy (or appleyard?) drakes, one with a blue gene, one without.

 

[Isadora]

 

[WVduckchick]

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[KaleIAm]

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Very pretty! I especially like the grey speckled ones!

 

[Daphne_loves_mealworms]

Ok, does anyone have any ideas on how to introduce new treats to old ducks without the new treats going to waste because they are so darn convinced that anything new is poison? I try to supplement their winter diet with extra greens, but they’ll only eat lettuce. They reject every other type of green veggie. They hate kale. They hate peas. They hate water melon. They hate “unnatural” insects (friend at work brought them dubia roaches that were too big for her lizard, and my ungrateful girls rejected them). Is it a case where I sneak a kale leaf in with the lettuce and hope they catch on that it is ok? Or, are they doomed to be picky little brats forever?

 

[KaleIAm]

Ok, does anyone have any ideas on how to introduce new treats to old ducks without the new treats going to waste because they are so darn convinced that anything new is poison? I try to supplement their winter diet with extra greens, but they’ll only eat lettuce. They reject every other type of green veggie. They hate kale. They hate peas. They hate water melon. They hate “unnatural” insects (friend at work brought them dubia roaches that were too big for her lizard, and my ungrateful girls rejected them). Is it a case where I sneak a kale leaf in with the lettuce and hope they catch on that it is ok? Or, are they doomed to be picky little brats forever?

I feel your pain. My girls are total snobs, too. All food that hasn't been eaten regularly is surely poison and they will literally turn their backs on it. They are so picky that tiny bright red grape tomatoes are their favorite. They turn their bills up at other tomatoes, even though they almost bite my hand off eating tomatoes. Brats.

My ducks also rejected dubia roaches. And they don't like black soldier fly larvae. Mealworms only. Thank you.

So, one way I've convinced my ducks that new food is not poison is the way you mentioned. Slip a tiny bit of new food in the food they like. My ducks eat around the new food disdainfully for about 3-6 weeks before starting to eat it and then I increase the new food slowly.

The other way might only work with my ducks. My ducks are obsessed with eating food that I'm eating. So if I want them to try something I get a bowl of it myself, sit on the ground, and start eating it. I ignore them as they come closer, maybe pretend to read a book. They'll make a mad dash at my bowl eventually and get a bite or two. I scoop up my bowl and pretend to be outraged while they beg for more. I give in and hand feed it to them. Ducks.