hooded merganser

[muscovy man14]

the lady I bought my wood ducks from has a pair and she knows people that can get me some for a cheaper price

 

[muscovy man14]

how many pairs should I buy?

 

[BYC-user-174785]

Have you ever raised ornamental waterfowl? Or are you tackling them all at once? I waited before getting into divers. You can always have more than just one hen with each drake. It is up to you how many you get. You can get one pair for now and see how you do. It is better losing a pair than buying many and having them all die.

 

[lobo]

 

[BYC-user-174785]

Very nice pictures lobo! I was thinking it would be nice having a whole bunch of smew and hooded mergansers, and your pictures make me want to have that even more! Do you have any tips to successfully raise ducklings from smew and mergansers?

 

[lobo]

I have no problems with the rearing. I think that smew is even easier to breed than hooded - quicker learns to eat. I use a floating feed for rearing - It is highly convenient, both under artificial rearing, and the rearing by the mother. At the artificial rearing to a hooded ducklings I add a few peaceful older ducklings other species (smaller or the same size, such as teal versicolor). Young mergansers quickly learn from them how to retrieve food.
At the rearing is the most important: hygiene and good quality food.
If you can not get a floating feed, you can use in the first few days a dried gammarus. Dried gammarus on the water plus good quality, high-protein pellets for poultry mixed with gammarus in a bowl. Later gammarus can be replaced with dried shrimp for animals.
I use this feed:
http://shop.strato.de/epages/61807441.sf/de_DE/?ObjectPath=/Shops/61807441/Products/100308

 

[muscovy man14]

Yes these will be my first divers but in all honesty I think I can raise them like I said the pond will be stocked with crawfish to eat so I know that will help a lot and I'm going to let the mothers raise their chicks all the way

 

[JJRS]

Hoodies prefer small fish such as mosquito fish and feeder goldfish (approx 1 inch long max.) as well as assorted invertebrates. I do not recommend crawfish. I feed floating game fish food, dry cat food, assorted grain, game bird crumble, and supplement with live fish/meal worms. I prefer feed containing at or above 30% protein.

 

[muscovy man14]

I think your right ill put perch and brim in the pond most likely. Can I put goldfish in the pond? Will they live and have babies?

 

[muscovy man14]

The fish that is