Duckling Thread!

[Miss Lydia]

Aww you have babies!! Congrats

 

[HuffleClaw]

View attachment 1721459 View attachment 1721460 View attachment 1721461 View attachment 1721462 View attachment 1721463 View attachment 1721464 First hatches started yesterday in Neighbor Pam’s incubator. Now have 7 hatched with another 35 in-progress. Very exciting. Looks like my Saxony drake , Herman, produced at least 2 of the ducklings so far. My KC mix drake [Clyde] seems to be the the most productive so far. Here’s a few pictures, more to come. Very exciting!

They’re adorable, congratulations!!

 

[Amer]

Mine like to lay in the same spot too. My ducks lay their eggs in the shaving even some of my LF chickens will lay their eggs in too.

Mine hide their eggs. I have to look for them. That's why sometimes when hatching they may be damaged.

 

[Sandiemouse]

Mine hide their eggs. I have to look for them. That's why sometimes when hatching they may be damaged.

So they free range all the time?

 

[Amer]

So they free range all the time?

Yep

 

[Amer]

If they didn't they'd just make a mess of the chicken coop.

 

[Jpajinag]

Mine like to lay in the same spot too. My ducks lay their eggs in the shaving even some of my LF chickens will lay their eggs in too.

All our ducks are still babies so we shall see what happens when they begin laying. We have a variety of chickens and 6 guineas that are laying. Our guineas are 9 months old. We found one nest in the wood pile and collected it since it was a mix of chicken and quinea. We have multiple people looking for guineas so we want to let them hatch them naturally if we can- I don’t have automatic turners and no time to hand turn eggs for 26 days right now. Well we have found them once again moved back to laying in our chickens’ nesting boxes. For now we are trying to grab the chicken eggs and leave the guinea eggs. Up to 20 eggs as of today. One female seems like she might start setting soon as she was protecting the nest today. Apparently EVERYONE now wants to lay in the same bitten left box. We literally have chickens and guineas lining up for their turn. At one point a hen squeezed past the guinea to lay while she spread out over the nest ‍ Hoping for either a broody guinea soon that redirects our hens or hens that pick a new favorite box. Before this they all wanted the top boxes. Ugh. I took a picture- kinda hard to see our black hen back there. Do you think us grabbing chicken eggs out will stop a guinea for setting? I have heard they want a LARGE clutch but not sure if us disturbing it, as little as possible, will prevent setting

 

[Jpajinag]

Yep

Our chickens and guineas used to be locked up when we were not home and at night. Then we moved to just night, now I don’t bother to lock them up at all. Unless they are babies, then we keep them separated until the rest of the flock can be trusted to play nice when unsupervised. Our 5 mo old light brahmas just moved outside, into the goat pen, but only because they are to nice and won’t fight back even though they are bigger than many of our birds.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I’d think as long as she has eggs to sit on that’s all that matters. I think we could have 20 nest boxes and one hen got into the first box the rest would line up waiting their turn at that one box.

 

[Amer]

All our ducks are still babies so we shall see what happens when they begin laying. We have a variety of chickens and 6 guineas that are laying. Our guineas are 9 months old. We found one nest in the wood pile and collected it since it was a mix of chicken and quinea. We have multiple people looking for guineas so we want to let them hatch them naturally if we can- I don’t have automatic turners and no time to hand turn eggs for 26 days right now. Well we have found them once again moved back to laying in our chickens’ nesting boxes. For now we are trying to grab the chicken eggs and leave the guinea eggs. Up to 20 eggs as of today. One female seems like she might start setting soon as she was protecting the nest today. Apparently EVERYONE now wants to lay in the same bitten left box. We literally have chickens and guineas lining up for their turn. At one point a hen squeezed past the guinea to lay while she spread out over the nest ‍ Hoping for either a broody guinea soon that redirects our hens or hens that pick a new favorite box. Before this they all wanted the top boxes. Ugh. I took a picture- kinda hard to see our black hen back there. Do you think us grabbing chicken eggs out will stop a guinea for setting? I have heard they want a LARGE clutch but not sure if us disturbing it, as little as possible, will prevent setting

Heh. I handturn all 54 duck eggs in the incubators because I was told the likely misinformation they do better that way.

Our chickens and guineas used to be locked up when we were not home and at night. Then we moved to just night, now I don’t bother to lock them up at all. Unless they are babies, then we keep them separated until the rest of the flock can be trusted to play nice when unsupervised. Our 5 mo old light brahmas just moved outside, into the goat pen, but only because they are to nice and won’t fight back even though they are bigger than many of our birds.

I lock them up at night and cold/undesirable days though.