G300/WH Question

[LLCoyote]

Ok so I'm thinking of buying some golden three hundreds for egg production, if my father won't have a heart attack over three more ducks. I have three WH and I love the breed but I want to take some pressure off of my girls to lay so often. My questions are as follows;

1. Does anyone know what this breed is LIKE. I've read about coloring ect. but I want temperment wise.

2. I have a male WH will they breed?

3. If they can breed will females grow up and be furtile or mules?

4. Totally unrelated but, does anyone else use pine chip bedding? Is it better than straw? The people at the co-op swear by straw, but I want my ducks to be comfortable.

5. I've seen brooders online and I'm not impressed in the slightest, what is it like to build your own? Anyone have pics they can post or know of a guide that I can follow to building and afforable brooder?

6. Do brooders have to be kept inside the house or can they be placed in the barn?

7. I bought all of my ducks as adults and I'm nervous to buy ducklings. Is it hard to keep them alive? I think I would about die if I lost my ducks. Even if they were new. My first trio of ducks was sadly trampled by my horses as ducklings, so you can see why I'm nervous to get more, even with a secure pen away from the equines.

8. At what age can they be moved in with, 'the big boys' aka my three other ducks (one is a drake)

9. How do I keep them from imprinting on me. I want them to be friendly, don't get me wrong, but I do have other things to do than muck about the duck pen. I spend a few hours a day with them but I have to work, do school, take care of and ride my horses, and I train dogs from my home, so I don't have all the time in the world to give up. Just a few hours a day, I heard if they imprint on you they will freak out if you leave, and I can't do that.

10. Finally, is Golden 300 a calm duck? Like I said, I train dogs and horses and I use my ducks as assets. Teaching dogs not to attack small animals and horses not to spook at randomly flapping birds is what my current ducks do, besides just bringing smiles all around XD, and it doesn't seem to stress them out in the slightest. Stressed ducks don't lay so well, so I need to know this breed is calm.


Any information provided is appritiated. My two books I have on ducks didn't answer these questions.

 

[mommyofthreewithchicks]

1 have only read up on the breed so not sure!

2 yes they will breed if put together!

3 unsure

4 I have used the wood shavings but for the ducks it is not worth it for me the straw is the correct price ( almost free)! Plus I use deep litter over the winter so I put another layer of straw. In the summer I muck out every two weeks but I have a huge barn for them to waddle with the chickens.

5. I have used a kiddie swimming pool and for the ducks this is the best, actually the best way to brood was with Mamma duck! I also have used a tub that was oversized they just out grew that in short order.

6 they can be in the barn.... But you need to make sure they are secure. I always worry about heat lamps anywhere but I really worry about them with straw so make sure the light is really secure. I house the babies in the barn but I have a separate room for them, as I also worry about curious bigger birds!

7 they are more work as babies but worth the effort. Water is key, fresh water and they need to not get to wet and a place they can dry off. Feed is just grower feed ( at least that is what I do) and niacin for those fast growers.

8 I have been know to move youngsters with adults by 2 months but I play it by what I see. Two questions I check by are. Are they feathered out? And how big are they in comparison to the bigger birds? And then I also look at my bigger birds to see what they are about.

9 I don't think I would worry too much about that as long as you are raising more than two babies at one time.

10 unsure