its cold - this means all new questions!!!

[BarredRockGirls]

ok sooooo my 3 pekin girls are lookin hideous , like super ragged ! is it just because they have stopped taking baths? ( the duck ponds are freezing) they used to be gorgeous pure white beings now they are dirty and their feathers are ragged ! ahhhh and one of them has 2 weepy eyes!

is this just molt? they went from 3 eggs every day to maybe 1 or 2 but the eggs are so big they dont fit in any containers i have anymore ...
so thats another question..... what do ya all put them in when they are that big ?

monster duck eggs!! lol

 

[Speceider]

weepy eyes and ragged feathers are signs that they need a bath....doesn't sound like molt.....they need some water to bathe in. Egg production will drop off with less daylight and as they funnel more energy to maintenance than production....egg size is probably a result of alternate day laying...

Clint

 

[Miss Lydia]

ok sooooo my 3 pekin girls are lookin hideous , like super ragged ! is it just because they have stopped taking baths? ( the duck ponds are freezing) they used to be gorgeous pure white beings now they are dirty and their feathers are ragged ! ahhhh and one of them has 2 weepy eyes!

is this just molt? they went from 3 eggs every day to maybe 1 or 2 but the eggs are so big they dont fit in any containers i have anymore ...
so thats another question..... what do ya all put them in when they are that big ?

monster duck eggs!! lol

They can get pretty natty looking when they don't bath especially white ones I have a couple white Muscovy's. As far as
weepy eyes do they have deep buckets to wash out their eyes and nares in, put 1-2 tab of ACV unpasteurized in 1gallon of water, they will drink it and wash their faces with it and it's good for both. once you notice the eyes cleared up then use the ACV 1-2X a week as a tonic. How old are they? some of mine are finishing up molt so maybe yours are too. As for the eggs I just use Xlarge egg cartons and if they don't close it's not a problem since I keep the duck egg for us, if wanting to sell then you'll probably have to invest in cartons specific for water fowl egg, I think there is a place called egg cartons .com Those are some big eggs, I put my gooses eggs in a reg Xlarge egg carton too.

 

[BarredRockGirls]

Thanks . I have 3 pekins and 2 buff geese and filling the pond tubs seems like a huge ordeal so I just let it freeze but I guess I'll have to truck out water for em .. Is a couple times a week enough to bathe ?
They do have deep buckets for water I'll add the acv
I do sell eggs hence my problems. Thanks for the tip my geese have yet to bless me w their first egg so looking forward to that !

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thanks . I have 3 pekins and 2 buff geese and filling the pond tubs seems like a huge ordeal so I just let it freeze but I guess I'll have to truck out water for em .. Is a couple times a week enough to bathe ?
They do have deep buckets for water

I'll add the acv
I do sell eggs hence my problems. Thanks for the tip

my geese have yet to bless me w their first egg so looking forward to that !

My goose started laying Jan 31 of this year no telling when she'll start in 2014, but you'll have eggs in the next 3 months I bet, I give mine bathing water as often as I can right now it's only been 2X this week, they get a small mixing tub unless we get a warm spell and I don't have to dump the water at the end of the day. As long as they have buckets to wash their heads they will be fine without bathing, they may look a little dirty but it won't hurt them not to be able to bathe. I have to watch the buckets because my younger Scovys like to use them for bathing. Lil stinkers.

and they empty them out.

 

[Going Quackers]

I like those egg flats for duck eggs, but even then they are big so careful packing is a must. As ML 'tis the time of year, i am fortunate we are now in a warm spell so that helps keep the birds tidy. I also heat a 50GAL trough... foamy eye happens i find in heavy debris time, like fall.. leaves, needles(pine etc) dirt/mud all over... generally find it clears up on it's own, all birds have access to deep water.

Best things? these rubber livestock tubs, you can bang the ice out and refill, they will stand up..

 

[Miss Lydia]

I like those egg flats for duck eggs, but even then they are big so careful packing is a must. As ML 'tis the time of year, i am fortunate we are now in a warm spell so that helps keep the birds tidy. I also heat a 50GAL trough... foamy eye happens i find in heavy debris time, like fall.. leaves, needles(pine etc) dirt/mud all over... generally find it clears up on it's own, all birds have access to deep water.

Best things? these rubber livestock tubs, you can bang the ice out and refill, they will stand up..

Whats the largest one you have in these rubber bowls GQ?

 

[Going Quackers]

Whats the largest one you have in these rubber bowls GQ?

I'll have to go read one... it's a good sized.. a female adult fits in one.. the drakes still try, dummies...

 

[BarredRockGirls]

I'll have to go read one... it's a good sized.. a female adult fits in one.. the drakes still try, dummies...

ill have to invest in those ... my geese wont fit they are only 7 months and are 3x the size of my 9 month old pekins haha but my ducks sure would love those.... today warmed up a bit so i filled up a mud hole they like with a hose - its about 4-5 inches deep . they loved it .

 

[Miss Lydia]

actually it's amazing what a goose can get into if desperate for a bath, this is a cat litter pan.