HELP! I am now mama to 17 duck eggs and lost as can be...

[poultrylover12]

I tried to hatch Muscovy's recently it didn't work out to well but around 10 days before the hatch we candled them and they were moving a bit and out of 8 eggs only one hatched but today five of my Muscovy's have hatched so far they seem to do better under a real bird. And during lock down you don't want to handle them to much because they can shrink wrap or if you have to high of humidity become a sticky chicks this thread might explain the stick chick and shrink better than i can.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/491421/shrink-wrap-vs-sticky-chick

 

[momo18clara]

My girls and I are so devastated but the good news is my hubby said we can get us some ducks

WE WON'T BE HATCHING THEM! Well...at least for now lol! We would like to get a couple different kinds though. Is it ok if we get pairs of a few different breeds? I am worried about the drakes fighting. The shiping is so exspensive though

Alot of the ones I seen at the flee market here we mixed breeds. Any ideas on what to get? My plan is to build a large pen for them and place a few bright dog houses around to add some color bc we know the ducks care about that right... I have gotten some WONDERFUL IDEAS FROM THIS SITE! I have downloaded a few pics of others pens to help and found cute dog houses online. It seems to start out that may be the cheapest route to take. I plan on using pine shavings in the houses and not sure if I need anything in the pen or not but I am assuming not. Any thoughts?

Generally you should have about 5 hens per drake or the drakes will fight. You could get a few pairs, but unless you plan on keeping the pairs separate, it wont work well. I personally have pekins, Indian fawn runners, khaki campbells, calls, and a few mixed breeds. They are all great! Also, Miss Lydia mentioned the drakes being kind of bossy. I'm guessing that's more of a Muscovy/goose thing because my drakes have never shown any signs of aggression whatsoever(my goose has tho!). As far as anything else in the pen, they would LOVE a little pool to swim in, but be warned, they are EXTREAMILY MESSY! Just having drinking water is fine too tho, as long as they can get their heads wet.

 

[mtadkins5]

Do you keep your breeds apart? If so how? How many do you have of each?

 

[momo18clara]

Well, right now I have 2 drakes(both runners), 2 Pekin hens, 1 Khaki hen, 1 mixed hen, 3 runner hens, 2 call hens, and 2 young ones (pekin and khaki mix) that all free range together. The only ones I keep caged up are 2 white calls that I got a few months ago(I`m hoping to hatch some of their eggs and then let them free range too). If you're planing on keeping them separate then a drake and a hen or even better, a drake and 2 hens should be just fine.

 

[mtadkins5]

Do you mean I will have to keep all breeds in different pens if I get a male and female of each? I was hoping to keep them all together in a 40*20 run.

 

[heatherscreations1969]

Do you mean I will have to keep all breeds in different pens if I get a male and female of each? I was hoping to keep them all together in a 40*20 run.

You only need to seperate into pens if you are planning on having purebreds to breeds and sell......if like me you only want pets then keep them all together

I have Runners, Campbells and Aylebury's together.....some offspring are runners and some are runner crosses....it makes no nevermind to us....they are our family

H

 

[momo18clara]

You only need to seperate into pens if you are planning on having purebreds to breeds and sell......if like me you only want pets then keep them all together

I have Runners, Campbells and Aylebury's together.....some offspring are runners and some are runner crosses....it makes no nevermind to us....they are our family

H

Yeah, I didn't mean to say that you cant keep different breeds together.

I meant that you cant have the same number of males as females if they are going to be together, because they will fight and the females will get picked on. It doesn't matter what breeds they are, but if they are going to be together you need about 5 females per male.

 

[heatherscreations1969]

Yeah, I didn't mean to say that you cant keep different breeds together.

I meant that you cant have the same number of males as females if they are going to be together, because they will fight and the females will get picked on. It doesn't matter what breeds they are, but if they are going to be together you need about 5 females per male.

yes I agree with you on this......I have only ever kept 2 Drakes to the ratio of 10 Females and even then, sometimes they fight but only during spring, rest of the year they are ok with each other.


H

 

[mtadkins5]

So here is my coop/pen I have come up with! Whatcha think?

 

[Miss Lydia]

So here is my coop/pen I have come up with! Whatcha think?

Looks awesome. Looking forward to seeing it completed and with the flock in it.