Kentucky people

[shelleyd2008]

Mojo Chick'n :

with quail it is best to incubate their eggs, right? I don't imagine the caged ones will sit on eggs.

I really need to get that other incubator, maybe when I go to TSC I'll grab one. (at TSC I can get it tax free, rather than at Day & Day I have to pay tax - not much difference in cost, but every little bit helps.)

Do you think the ducklings would be ok in the play pen? or should I put them into something with more solid sides to it?

Yeah with domesticated quail you almost have to incubate, they very rarely will set the eggs.

Oh, and that's why a lot of people like the coturnix quail better, they are no where near as spazzy as the buttons are! Though I can reach into my buttons cage without too much drama, it's when I start moving things around and changing the bedding that they start freaking out!​

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Quote:
Yeah with domesticated quail you almost have to incubate, they very rarely will set the eggs.

Oh, and that's why a lot of people like the coturnix quail better, they are no where near as spazzy as the buttons are! Though I can reach into my buttons cage without too much drama, it's when I start moving things around and changing the bedding that they start freaking out!

yeah, it's a good thing that tank has a screen roof, or they'd all be dead by now - they are freaks.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Mojo Chick'n :

with quail it is best to incubate their eggs, right? I don't imagine the caged ones will sit on eggs.

I really need to get that other incubator, maybe when I go to TSC I'll grab one. (at TSC I can get it tax free, rather than at Day & Day I have to pay tax - not much difference in cost, but every little bit helps.)

Do you think the ducklings would be ok in the play pen? or should I put them into something with more solid sides to it?

You could keep them in the playpen, but it would probably be better for you if they had something with solid sides. They shake their heads when they are eating, and the goop just flies everywhere! I need to go to walmart and get me another tote, the cayuga and rouens are in a cooler, it was too small for the cayugas, and now there are more in there!​

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Quote:
You could keep them in the playpen, but it would probably be better for you if they had something with solid sides. They shake their heads when they are eating, and the goop just flies everywhere! I need to go to walmart and get me another tote, the cayuga and rouens are in a cooler, it was too small for the cayugas, and now there are more in there!

That big tote I had last night, would that be big enough do you think? or should I look into a larger tote for them?

eta - can ya tell I'm a noob at ducklings?

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

the bathtub in the master bathroom would be excellent for ducks to brood in - I doubt, however, that hubby would agree to that

it's one of those garden tubs, so it isn't narrow like most tubs, it is roundish and BIG.

hmmm.... I have the 40 gallon rubber tank for donkey water I'm not using, that could hold some of them, I suppose.

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

I am wondering how hard it is going to be to tell the dif between male and female ducklings. I'm hoping feet size will be different or something.

Has anyone had any experience with sexing ducklings at an early age? (besides vent sexing).

 

[shelleyd2008]

Sorry, I got busy with something. I have my 2 pekins in a 48 quart tote, and they are cramped. I think the donkey waterer might work for a while. My female pekin started quacking at 2 weeks. Other than that there is no way that I know of. That tote you had yesterday would probably not work for 20+ ducklings, not for very long anyway. If you are going to TSC check and see if they have any waterfowl starter. The ducklings need higher levels of niacin, which can be supplemented by giving brewer's yeast, but I'm sure they probably need different levels of protein and such. If you give them too much protein when they are growing it can mess up their wings.

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Quote:
I was looking at the TSC website, and they have either the Gamebird starter (which is 24%) or the regular chick starter (which is 20% and which I have already).

Oh, they also have those Equine Fresh pine bedding pellets for about $6.50 a 40 lb. bag. Is that the brand that you got?

I was thinking I might have to split them up into two groups, to brood them in the house. Have some in the one bin and some in the water trough. Since I'm only keeping 4 (or 5) of them, I don't mind them being seperated, they'll mostly go to auction, anyway. When they play in the bathtub for swimming I'll put them all together, to make it easier on me and so they can mingle a little.

So, would the regular 20% chick starter be ok with added brewers yeast (it has a pic of a duck and a chick on the front of the bag - says it is for both.) I still need some gamebird starter, anyway, but I have nearly 2/3 of a bag of the 20% in the coop.

I'm thinking once they get grown, I may just switch to Flock Raiser to make it really easy on myself and feed that to everyone. The call ducks eat whatever they please, anyway - the chickens eat some of their food, the ducks eat some of the chicken food.

The Flock Raiser at Day & Day is crumbles, right? (not pellets)

I had a thin shelled egg today (used one with dinner) so I have to throw out some oyster shells for the hens. I have some, just don't toss it out all the time or it just gets lost in the bedding when they knock it all over the place.

TSC also has a grower finisher that is 15% protein - the chicken feed I am giving the chickens now is 14% but I have been throwing in some soybean meal, too.

I will look for a book on waterfowl there, too.

meri

 

[shelleyd2008]

The chick starter would be fine, just make sure whatever you give them is not medicated. They can overdose on the meds and die.

The equine fresh is the brand i got, though it wasn't that cheap at Day&Day!!

Yes the flock raiser is crumbles. You can just put a feeder of some kind out with oyster shell in it for the girls, that's what a lot of people do.

Right now my ducklings are getting a mix of flock raiser and chick starter. The chick starter doesn't have enough protein, and the flock raiser doesn't have enough of the right vitamins and stuff. I just crush some brewer's yeast tablets and sprinkle it on their food.

What are the dimensions of the donkey waterer? You could probably put all of them into it at first. It would make it easier to clean out, though with the pellets, all I have had to do so far is fluff them up. The pekins are going to need theirs changed in another day or so, they are getting pretty wet. But the little babies still have a lot of it that is dry. But it is such a difference from the puppy pads! I was changing those twice a day, and the only time it would 'smell' clean in that room was when I took the tote and washed it out. As soon as I would put them back in there it would be stinky. They have very stinky poo!!

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Quote:
I did a search on here for what to feed ducklings - and everyone has a different opinion

- and none of their feeding regimes are simple.

chick starter, flock raiser and brewers yeast sounds simple to me, I can do that. Some of these people must have 15 bins to hold all the different ingredients they use to mix their daily duck food!! sheesh, it's a duck - does it really need that much pampering?

I don't know for sure the dimensions of the water trough, I'll have to check on it tomorrow - I know it has higher sides than the tote bin.

Yeah, you said you paid like 8 bucks for it, I figured to buy a couple of bags, so I'd have it handy. Since I'll be there, anyway, I may as well stock up on it. Although, if you were just going to TSC for the bedding, that 1.50 difference would be eaten up in gas. Can't wait til the TSC comes to town. Options are always good (I love Day & Day, but some stuff is cheaper at TSC).

I may buy a bag of the dumor chick starter for the ducks, since it probably has less chance of being medicated. (the dumor gamebird I had wasn't medicated). Day & Day had the flock raiser on sale last time I was in there, hope it still is, I'll buy a few bags of that, too.

You know what?

I just realized I take Niacin every single day!! I have niacin pills here - I am wondering how much they need, though, will have to look that up again, I think I read at least 25% but not over 65% .

I will have to check the price difference between niacin pills and brewers yeast though, it might be cheaper to just get them brewers yeast.