Maine

[CoopChick719]

I agree...Etta looks very stylish in her sweater & boots.

 

[lazy gardener]

?s of the day: Any ME folks familiar with Kakhi Campell Ducks? They are reported to rival chickens at laying, especially in the winter months. I'm thinking that my coop set up with a loft for the hens to roost, and the 8 x 8 lower level might be a perfect setting for a couple of ducks. I've had ducks in the way long ago past, and know how messy they can be, but I've never wintered them over. How hard would it be to keep them in the lower level and put a bird bath heater out in the winter chicken run for them? Would they be content to stay in the lower level if I made them a "dog house"? How well do ducks and chickens get along? How much extra work would be added to "chicken" chores? I'll be brooding chicks this spring. Could a couple of ducks be added without too much difficulty? I have a couple of kiddie pools that my 7 y.o. no longer uses that would be useful in the non-frozen months. Do ducks usually return to the coop at night, or are they more apt to want to stay out and do their own thing? Do they seem to be more or less predator proof than chickens?? And lastly, I know that chickens have successfully hatched ducks. Are ducks successful hatching chickens?

 

[Widget]

You might also consider Indian Runners. Yes ducks are messy. Mine do great with the chickens. And they do go back into the pen at night on their own with no problems. I have eight of different breeds and seven of them have been around for a couple years. Whether that means they are less likely to be targets of predators I can't say since I have had other ducks taken in the past.

 

[lazy gardener]

Tanks.

 

[MEMama3]

I am on the hunt for fertile eggs to get in a couple of weeks (I plan to encourage my silkie to go broody after Christmas - a fairly easy task lol). Anyways, my ideal would be a variety of three or four of the following breeds located within an hour of fryeburg:

* welsummer
* black copper or other maran
* salmon faverolle
* olive egger
* light brahma
* wyandotte - any
* frizzle - any
* speckled sussex

If you have fertile eggs for any of these (the more breeds the better) I would love to know.

 

[IZZYBELLA]

I got an early present from my husband... a coop cam! (He can never keep presents a secret.) It has already provided hours of hilarious entertainment.

 

[quailtrail]

I got an early present from my husband... a coop cam! (He can never keep presents a secret.) It has already provided hours of hilarious entertainment.

Cool!!! I would love to see what they do in the coop lol!

 

[Mainechick168]

I am on the hunt for fertile eggs to get in a couple of weeks (I plan to encourage my silkie to go broody after Christmas - a fairly easy task lol). Anyways, my ideal would be a variety of three or four of the following breeds located within an hour of fryeburg:

* welsummer
* black copper or other maran
* salmon faverolle
* olive egger
* light brahma
* wyandotte - any
* frizzle - any
* speckled sussex

If you have fertile eggs for any of these (the more breeds the better) I would love to know.

MEmama- I could potentially have some fertile welsummer and welsummer/marans eggs at that point. Problem is- fertility seems a little low right now, and I've only got 2 birds laying currently- a maran, a chantecler and occasionally one of the wellies. My rooster is a welsummer.

Also, I live near Augusta, so I might be a bit out of the way for you! I can let you know how the egg situation is after Christmas if you'd like!

 

[MEMama3]

 MEmama- I could potentially have some fertile welsummer and welsummer/marans eggs at that point. Problem is- fertility seems a little low right now, and I've only got 2 birds laying currently- a maran, a chantecler and occasionally one of the wellies.  My rooster is a welsummer.

Also, I live near Augusta, so I might be a bit out of the way for you! I can let you know how the egg situation is after Christmas if you'd like!

that would be awesome. Thanks!

 

[buckabucka]

I can't offer fertile hatching eggs this time of year, either.

The only "breed" on that list that I have is olive egger, but mine are not guaranteed olive eggers, because they would be F2's.

I could eventually offer fertile lavender Ameraucanas or Basques, but I don't have show-quality kinds of birds.

Mainechick, where did you get your Welsummers? Do they have a dark egg? I have two Welsummers here from Meyer hatchery. Both had very pretty dark eggs, but they are older now and eggs from them are rare. Someday, I'd like to get more, but I'm still on the fence about hatching this spring.