How is your flock today?

[Parront]

Hi! I have some ducks, breeds that I have not kept before, 1 Anacona, 1 Rouen, 1Buff, 1 Runner. So far the eggs still fit in an up-cycled store egg carton. I had Pekin ducks in the past, the eggs were huge! I was interested in the egg carton sale, but not if they would not fit~ I guess I will just wait and see. One of my neighbors has asked me several times if I have duck eggs to sell yet. She can't eat chicken eggs. So far, I am leaning towards putting them in a cute basket.

 

[416bigbore]

Hello @Parront Welcome to our little group and thanks for posting. How many Duck eggs do you get a day?

We have no problem finding a home for the extra duck eggs the girls lay. We also know of one person who can't eat chicken eggs either and just loves the duck eggs as an alternative.

I personally can't tell the difference in the taste between the two.

 

[Parront]

Hello @Parront Welcome to our little group and thanks for posting. How many Duck eggs do you get a day?

We have no problem finding a home for the extra duck eggs the girls lay. We also know of one person who can't eat chicken eggs either and just loves the duck eggs as an alternative.

I personally can't tell the difference in the taste between the two.

I have had as many as 3 in one day, 1 or 2 is what we usually get. I think the Buff duck is not laying yet, they just started laying about 2 weeks ago. My husband has decided he likes the duck eggs better than chicken. They make a better omlet, I think.

 

[KingD]

Hey this is a cool thread!
My flock has grown tremendously today

 

[416bigbore]

I don't see getting any ducks in my future. I think the eggs taste kind of strong and gamey. And then later, they make me rather odiferous.

I do plant to get 3-4 more chicks this spring! Can't wait. Hoping for one of my girls to go broody and do the work for me.

Even though my girls are still pullets, they all went through a partial molt this fall/winter. I'm thinking of making some changes to their run too. I have heavy duty tarps as the roof, and even though it's silver, the run is dark. I put a rope of LED lights in there, but I don't know if that helped.

So I'm talking to hubby about putting polycarbonate sheets on the top of the run as the roof. In the summer, I can put the tarps on for shade.

I agree, Ducks and duck eggs are not for everyone, my sweetheart of a mother is one who can't imagine the thought of eating any egg other then a chicken egg, baked goods or not! LOL

Are you going to stay with the same breeds you have or try something different? I am not sure either what type of lighting poultry would need as a supplement for longer daylight hours?

I would like to have a covered run also and might have to do same thing with that type of sheeting if it's not to crazy in price.

 

[416bigbore]

Hey this is a cool thread!
My flock has grown tremendously today

Thank you @KingB and Welcome to our little group and thanks for posting.

Your flock has grown in numbers or physical size? I think I seen a thread post of yours that your were incubating some eggs?

 

[416bigbore]

I have had as many as 3 in one day, 1 or 2 is what we usually get. I think the Buff duck is not laying yet, they just started laying about 2 weeks ago. My husband has decided he likes the duck eggs better than chicken. They make a better omlet, I think.

Some eggs are still better then no eggs, that's great! I guess when we started our small flock of ducklings, we were thinking of them more as pets then being the awesome egg producers that they have turned out to be, so that is why we added four sexed Isa Brown chicks for the purpose of fresh chicken eggs.

I have noticed that our duck eggs are much harder to crack open then our chicken eggs. Are yours like that also?

 

[Sally PB]

Are you going to stay with the same breeds you have or try something different?

Right now, I am ga-ga in love with Blue Australorps! Absolutely adore the coloring. I have three Black Aussie pullets, and a Buff Orpington cockerel. He is often a jerk. I've held him down (I tell him I'll make him kiss the dirt) a few times, but he's getting full of himself again. I was thinking of hatching out some crosses, but I don't know what I'd do with more cockerels.

I started with three BO cockerels; never buying straight run again unless I want a boy! Three out of three! I had to cull two of them last July when hormones hit at 4 months. Hubby doesn't mind me getting more chickens, but he's very against having to cull cockerels. (No, we didn't eat the two last summer; killing them was hard enough and I buried them in the garden. I thank them for their contribution to the soil. It wasn't their fault they were born male.)

So, yeah, I plan to get more chicks, but might possibly hatch one egg of my own, just for the experience and to see what the cross would look like. And pray for a pullet. That would be a trick of timing. Hoping a girl goes broody and TSC gets Blue Aussies after she proves she wants to brood for 3 weeks. Stranger things have happened...

I would like to have a covered run also and might have to do same thing with that type of sheeting if it's not to crazy in price.

Yeah, I'm not sure what it would cost, but hubby was agreeable. He might be able to order it through work cheaper...? I really need to do something, as the coop is to the south of the run, so it blocks the low winter rays.

My coop is built on a trailer, so it is movable, and we put it down by the garden in the summer. That would be a nice protected spot for year round, but it's down our very steep driveway, which can be pretty slippery in the winter. It's also downwind of our neighbors, who burn a lot of wood. So do we, but the prevailing wind usually blows the smoke away.

 

[KingD]

Thank you @KingB and Welcome to our little group and thanks for posting.

Your flock has grown in numbers or physical size? I think I seen a thread post of yours that your were incubating some eggs?

Yep sorry.
It has gone from 5 to 35.
If all the eggs hatch, it will bring it up to 45

 

[416bigbore]

Yep sorry.
It has gone from 5 to 35.
If all the eggs hatch, it will bring it up to 45

That's awesome, is this your first time Hatching? I too would like to learn the whole process so when we find a bigger place I will be able to raise our own that way also.