Mandarin Duck thread ( for posting pictures and discussing)

[chickenlisa]

well, my 2 Mandarin females have both been sitting on eggs now- the 1st for 4 weeks (about) and the 2nd one for a bit over a week. I keep checking to see if any ducklings have hatched out of the first nest box, but none yet. I want to make sure if they do hatch- that no one hurts them or I'll gather them up as soon as possible to brood indoors....I wish she had a little red flag on her nestbox like a mailbox does to 1) let me know when day 1 started officially and 2) to let me know when any hatch and are about to hop out....

I'm so anxious about them hatching...our weather has been crazy- hot and sunny all last week, cool and rainy, windy, thundering, etc all this week....If they do hatch, they'll be miracle babies.

Lisa

 

[destinduck]

Hope you get some babies Lisa . They are usually great moms even with nutty weather. Keep us posted.

. This is my best year ever on them. Over 80 babies so far !!! I had one hen triple clutch.

 

[Dr. Todd]

AHOY Captain Destin!

Congratulations on what sounds like an awesome hatching season. 80 MANDARINS, holy cow! Don't flood the market!!!!!

That deserves two

DT

 

[lcw1995]

Great thread every1.! Lovin it!!
Lcw1995

 

[destinduck]

Thanks Dr. Couldnt believe my luck. A guy from Alabama bought my first 31. Been selling my breeders off too. Only gonna keep 1 pair. This week my cans,silver bahamas laid eggs and hatched out 4 baby cape teal. Still hoping my Baikals lay yet. Hope you have a good year as well.

 

[Mike L.]

Oh wowzers!!! You are really cranking them out!!!

Any of the rare white ones? You have a full crew now. You must be swabbing the deck all day long!! Keep it up mate!!

 

[destinduck]

No whites Mike, they turned out to be apricots. My first one died. Had two more from another split hen a friend gave me. But gave those babies away. My white woodies didnt have none this year cause I lost my original hen and by the time I got my new hen I think its too late for this year,but you never know. I just found a big beige egg in a open ground box. I dont know what that could be from. Cubans maybe? I also have magellan geese in there but dont know what color eggs they have and would think they would still be bigger than this one being a goose and all. Finally running a few trips since the spill so havent had time to watch em closer. My Am widgeons are frisky as are the cans so hopefully some more there. All I plan on keeping are a few of the rarer adults and selling out most everything else. I am happy to say alot of my BYC friends have been stopping by and buying most of these. Yeah!!! I just want to give TLC to about 30 birds (15 prs) of the waterfowl and ornamental pheasants.

 

[southern oaks]

Quote:
my mandarins are not laying yet. I have a weird hen who gets in a box. stays for a day and half. can't seen to get back out. So I was told to open the box and let her out and see what happens. well she goes back in the next day. lays nothing and the same thing over and over..

I am still hoping. have had one clutch of woodies hatch, and another 9 in the box. and my hottentots are doing nothing, we have had same weird weather. Hope I get some more going soon... good luck to you

 

[chickenlisa]

southernoaks, where are you located? I looked in the 1st nest box when she was out of it last night- eating and swimming in their pool- and tossed 1 black rotten egg, saw the others that all look good I think (in that quick minute) and even think 1 looked like it was possibly pipped. I don't know what to think...if she doesn't hatch any of these, it'll be her third year setting but not hatching any. She may just not be doing something right....I don't know. I've added cover for them, more every time it gets dried out or wet and old looking, more nest boxes and dry hay, clean swimming water, etc....I've found dead ducklings in her eggs in past years. I do not want to find that this year...I hope something happy happens in there soon!
I hope your's start laying too!
Lisa

 

[southern oaks]

I am in southern Il. I got an incubator and started out hatching domestic ducks so i could practice and learn before I tried ornamental. my first time, 2 died after I could hear them peeping in the egg. when i opened the egg they were fully developed, but dead. I ended up getting only one successful duckling out of those. so I read and talked to some people and they said to make humidity higher. I have 5 more in there now and they all seem to be doing well then i will try the woodies that are on the nest now. I hate to hear such back luck. I am hoping my year starts looking better. Maybe yours will too.. I am a newbie to ornamentals so I figured there would be some learning to do.