~Magpie club~

[Jellybean05]

When my husband checked on them this morning there was an egg!
View attachment 1430958

Oh wow awesome!!

 

[TSOWOATNKC]

Oh wow awesome!!

Completely unexpected! I really didn’t expect to have an egg less than 18 hours after they were moved. I kept them isolated in a meet and greet pen inside our larger pen overnight and by morning they seemed okay with the situation and our regular flock wasn’t acting so aggressively curious anymore. Our 3 month African goose is the only one bugging them off and on now, but the “alpha” of the yard Cheddar our Toulouse suspected gander is okay with them.

 

[Jellybean05]

Completely unexpected! I really didn’t expect to have an egg less than 18 hours after they were moved. I kept them isolated in a meet and greet pen inside our larger pen overnight and by morning they seemed okay with the situation and our regular flock wasn’t acting so aggressively curious anymore. Our 3 month African goose is the only one bugging them off and on now, but the “alpha” of the yard Cheddar our Toulouse suspected gander is okay with them.

I'm glad everything worked out swell!

 

[TSOWOATNKC]

So far one of the Magpie have laid an egg almost every day since we got them. I'm picking up another pair that are about 3.5 months old Sunday. Apparently these two blue Magpie are from the Holderread line? I don't entirely know what that means to be honest. That means I'll have 3 blue (2F/1M), 2 black (1F/1M) and 1 solid white male (which is called something else I think?). They're all from the same guy, so they might all be from that line? I'm not sure to be honest. I'm very impressed with the 4 I have already.

 

[TSOWOATNKC]

Now that I'm going to have 3M and 3F Magpie, I'm thinking about next breeding season a lot. Because this is a heritage breed, if I allow them to go broody and hatch I would like to ensure that the resulting offspring are Magpie-Magpie and not combined with my other duck breeds. Yet, I don't want my 3 females to be beaten to a pulp. I'm thinking about picking up another 3 females minimum from a local farm that sells sexed magpie ducklings. They wouldn't be from the same H line at least some of mine are, but I figure that is of less importance than making sure I have good ratios.

Or, could I make do by segregating the m/f from one another during the day during mating season?

 

[Jellybean05]

I'm in the same pickle lau)
I don't know what to do about mine I have two females and two males
I'm not going to get rid of them I love all of them
I have thought about separating them
But idk.

 

[TSOWOATNKC]

Hmmm. I really don't entirely know what to do. Duck math is hard, and I could easily end up adding more and more to have perfect ratios ending up with far too many ducks. My daughters adore one of our runners, otherwise I'd re-home the three runners and get six more Magpie for better ratios. I only have a little over 5 acres, which is not enough space to take on a ton of waterfowl. Most of the property is cedar, fern, and indigenous forest. The rest is our house and wetland.

 

[MagpieDucks]

Pictures! WE need Pictures!!

 

[TSOWOATNKC]

New Magpie

 

[TSOWOATNKC]

The Magpie broke out of the meet and greet pen sometime this morning or last night before we could integrate them. It took me a minute to realize it because they just fit in with everyone so well. They immediately gravitated towards the other Magpie.