Haven't been on this thread in a few months. Thought I was finished with incubating eggs until next Feb...BUT, a predator broke thru the door (the only weak link) of our coop/run and killed 5 of my chickens and my male Runner duck! We are pretty sure it was a bear. We have since fortified the door and added an electric wire system around the whole thing! My DH who had bought us the runner duck eggs as a surprise this past spring was so upset that we only have a single duck left, she ordered more eggs! She said the only place she could find them had a 20 egg minimum! She didn't know she could have mixed and matched them with some chicken eggs, so I am receiving 20 Runner Duck eggs today!!!! Here we go again! OMG! What will I do with even 10 Runner Ducks!
Besides the 5 chickens that were killed by the bear, we lost 1 Faverolle to a hawk and 1 young EE died on the nest?! So, I am down to 18 pullets/hens and 6 babies! (Donna, those babies are getting really big! I guess I will keep Roo Guy as my back up roo. Since he carries the blue egg gene, it will be fun making babies next spring!)