First time duck owner

[Chaneys Ranch]

Thanks! I actually did put the vinyl tiles in top yesterday and i couldn't find a ceramic egg but i went down to our creek bed and found a white rock that looks very similar to an egg an put it in there! All of my feather babies were actually in the coop at around 4:30 tonight so i went ahead and locked em up for the night...that's only 30 min early since the banties will go up in the tree at 5:30 if i don't get em b4 then! The duck and big hen will stay out til dark if i let em but ive been making them live by the bantam time since theyre my early birds! Anyways...i went bk down about an hr later just to check on em and the duck was in the new box!

Awesome, I bet she lays there tomorrow. Mine will pile eggs once they start maturing, young hens seem to drop them randomly. My older pekin will actually try to brood, none of the other Pekin girls do. My rouen are still pretty young, so I cant say for sure. My swedish hen definitely wants to brood.

 

[season1223]

Awesome, I bet she lays there tomorrow. Mine will pile eggs once they start maturing, young hens seem to drop them randomly. My older pekin will actually try to brood, none of the other Pekin girls do. My rouen are still pretty young, so I cant say for sure. My swedish hen definitely wants to brood.

Well she doesn't have a boyfriend to fertilize any of her eggs so she can't hatch any! Im thinking about maybe trying to find her a hook-up in the spring so she can! She would make a great mama the way she watches over the chickens! I don't want to do it now cuz i don't want babies when it gets cold! I think it would be better to wait!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Quote: I agree. They are able to brood well in winter but no point in adding the stress. And if its below freezing, there's the concern of eggs freezing. Have you thought about what to do with the ducklings if you add a drake? I keep several species of birds, but we not only have pet birds but rely on eggs, and meat from them. I raise all of our own food here and try not to buy from a grocery if possible. I want to know how an animal was treated most importantly, and raised, what it ate if it will feed my family later.
I do have pet birds too that are just that, pets. My tiny mallards are a good example. My oldest Muscovy hen Huey is a pure treasure and I adore her. She will live her life out without worry here. This is my favorite duck, Huey while she was brooding. Normally her caruncles are much redder. Look close for a surprise!

 

[Lynn Manes]

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Here's a pic of the bed/nest i made for them! I put it where they usually sleep inside the coop! I put a roof on it because its under the roosting poles and even tho i only have 2 bantams that actually roost on them right now i didnt want them getting pooped on in their sleep, especially if i wind up getting more chickens! It's movable too...that's just the spot they like right now!

If you can get some vinyl flooring you can cover the top so when These great ideas are why I love BYC and all the helpful people here

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thanks! I actually did put the vinyl tiles in top yesterday and i couldn't find a ceramic egg but i went down to our creek bed and found a white rock that looks very similar to an egg an put it in there! All of my feather babies were actually in the coop at around 4:30 tonight so i went ahead and locked em up for the night...that's only 30 min early since the banties will go up in the tree at 5:30 if i don't get em b4 then! The duck and big hen will stay out til dark if i let em but ive been making them live by the bantam time since theyre my early birds! Anyways...i went bk down about an hr later just to check on em and the duck was in the new box!

they are fast learners.

 

[season1223]

I agree. They are able to brood well in winter but no point in adding the stress. And if its below freezing, there's the concern of eggs freezing. Have you thought about what to do with the ducklings if you add a drake? I keep several species of birds, but we not only have pet birds but rely on eggs, and meat from them. I raise all of our own food here and try not to buy from a grocery if possible. I want to know how an animal was treated most importantly, and raised, what it ate if it will feed my family later. I do have pet birds too that are just that, pets. My tiny mallards are a good example. My oldest Muscovy hen Huey is a pure treasure and I adore her. She will live her life out without worry here. This is my favorite duck, Huey while she was brooding. Normally her caruncles are much redder. Look close for a surprise!

Awww! How cute! Shes beautiful too! I was thinking i might just borrow a drake for a week or 2 in the spring! Would that work!? Ive heard its not good to have the males around my chickens...cant they boink my hens to death? Lol! She gets along so well with the chickens I'd hate to have to seperate them! I know my CX chicken will have to be processed for her meat at some point! Shes giving me eggs right now tho and doing good and i love her sooo much...she's my favorite chicken! I only have one rooster right now too and its a bantam...he's an absolute sweetheart too! I got lucky with this batch of birds! I don't have any mean ones! I had a flock of chickens a few yrs bk with 2 big roosters and both were mean...dont get me wrong...i loved them too but they would attack people that would come over to visit me and my son was the only one that could go collect eggs without getting attacked! Foghorn leghorn was huge tho and could do some real damage when he attacked! He got my thigh one time thru 2 layers of sweats and left a bruise the size of a cantelope! And my smaller rooster would run at u sideways and attack ur head! Lol! It was kinda funny when it was happening to someone else! Lol!

 

[season1223]

Just went out to clean up the coop a little and show my neighbor kid the birds and found this egg in their new box...it's my CX chicken's (chick pea) gigantic egg! The duck egg i found earlier this morning was at the bottom of the ramp so i think she tried to lay in there and it just rolled out! I guess the rock is workin! Yah! Thats the first time chick pea has laid an egg in the coop and she got it in her box in the first try! Usually i find them in my flower bed! Lol!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Just went out to clean up the coop a little and show my neighbor kid the birds and found this egg in their new box...it's my CX chicken's (chick pea) gigantic egg! The duck egg i found earlier this morning was at the bottom of the ramp so i think she tried to lay in there and it just rolled out! I guess the rock is workin! Yah! Thats the first time chick pea has laid an egg in the coop and she got it in her box in the first try! Usually i find them in my flower bed! Lol!

Nice size egg looking at it I would have said duck egg. If you leave a few real eggs that will give them even more of a hint.

 

[season1223]

Nice size egg looking at it I would have said duck egg.  If you leave a few real eggs that will give them even more of a hint. 

Yeah! I just found out shes a meat bird! but with her puttin out eggs like that i gotta keep her around as long as i can! Shes my fave! Shes so fat and lovable and i love the way she loves me! Her eggs swallow the ducks eggs...when theyre like this one! On a normal day theyre about the same size tho! This is her 3rd giant egg out of the 7 shes laid so far and i have 8 duck eggs so far too! Woohoo! This is sooo exciting!

Haha! I took the pic upside down but i think u can still see em! White r my ducks and brown r chick peas! I actually have to keep the 3 in the front (or top of this pic) in a bowl cuz the carton won't close with em in there! It's a grade A large egg container too!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yeah! I just found out shes a meat bird!

but with her puttin out eggs like that i gotta keep her around as long as i can! Shes my fave! Shes so fat and lovable and i love the way she loves me! Her eggs swallow the ducks eggs...when theyre like this one! On a normal day theyre about the same size tho! This is her 3rd giant egg out of the 7 shes laid so far and i have 8 duck eggs so far too! Woohoo! This is sooo exciting!

Haha! I took the pic upside down but i think u can still see em! White r my ducks and brown r chick peas

And being an X she won't have leg problems right? Look at those eggs they are huge.