I have a gorgeous Silver Swedish duck. She's a bit rare here and I cannot find another soul selling another of her type locally enough to be worth eating her. You see, she eats eggs. Usually only big ones. She is so kind and leave the araucana eggs for my lunches. She's also killed ducklings (five of her own and one other before Lady Duck wouldn't have it no more - now Lady Duck as 3 of her own, 3 adoptees and I am housing Silver [Petunia's] only surviving duckling out of 6 hatchees). She has eaten her own fertile and growing eggs out of her own nest - I've put food in front of her, so it's not that, she DOES get up to eat when she nests. But when she's not nesting, she's still eating chicken eggs. She's clearly violent, a nuisance and quite tasty looking. I am not 100% on the colour of her baby yet (some hatched silver and some hatched pale - this is a pale one which, oddly, I think is a silver and I think the silver 'lings might be blues? She mated with a blue, but the blues are super super dark blue where she's near white). And if it turns out to be a Silver I might give her the chop.... but... Hm. I'm wondering if she's worth breeding again. I can't send her to the big farm because even with the acreage I fear she might ruin a lot of Mother's hard work, as she's a breeder. I really want more silver swedish ducks to sell, since they seem a little harder to find. What's the vote? Keep her in the tiny duck pen she's got now with her drake and take away their eggs? I don't have a brooder OR an incubator at the moment. Other than Natalie, who's an EE and new at it and might not be so great. Should I give Petunia (ugh she has a name...) the chop? Anyone know where to get Silver Swedish hens in Brisbane, Australia? Anyone? Bueller?
Don't kill this duck....Can you please give her more pen space. Also, since she's not a good mother, I would try to use a broody hen to mother the babies. Also, ducks are not usually good mothers when the pens are too small and the drake is present in the same pen. I think if she's rare as you said, I would try to at least get her eggs and raise up the babies as best you can. Best wishes. Nancy
She's only in a tiny pen right now because she eats the eggs. She was in the huge area with everyone until she killed all her ducklings. Then we penned her. Otherwise we get no eggs or have no babies.
