Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[walte1fr]

Does anyone have and Silver Laced Cochins chicks? Looking for 1 female chick

 

[gladahmae]

Stopped at tractor supply to see if they had wyandottes and come home with 3 KC ducklings. Oops! Have them set up in an xL plastic dog crate to hopefully contain the inevitable mess. 2 have darker bills and one has a more blue/yellow bill. The duck sexing thread said something about hens sounding more like chicks (high peep) and boys sounding more raspy. With that info, on the way home I think I have one of each. Not sure on the 3rd.

Now for the worried new mom question. Is it normal for them to drink a lot and then shake their head a lot and have what looks like spit (that consistency) come out?

 

[mindylee]

Does anyone have and Silver Laced Cochins chicks? Looking for 1 female chick

My friend Amanda Walker breeds them. Shes from Turner.

 

[taprock]

Glad - I had read not to let them get wet for the first couple weeks because they do not yet have the oil for their feathers. Momma ducks preen the babies. Not sure how accurate it is., you might want to read up. To help with water mess I covered a 9x13 pan with screen and then put their water dish on top so when it spilled it spilled into the pan. I know they fling water everywhere and it needs to be deep enough for them to clean out their nares. Usually for mine it was a bite of food, drink to wash it down and then repeat. Food dish was always soggy and water dish full of food. I call it duck slop.

 

[gladahmae]

Thanks tap! I also checked in the duck forum and got similar advice so I took out the pan last night. Hoping they figured out the food overnight...one looked a little shakey yesterday.

 

[uchytil]

Oh dear. What have I done

I was going to start work, but, now I HAVE to chime in, bawhaha!

You got ducks. Almost messier than my pigs but more fun than a barrel of monkeys. They are wicked messy. They love water so if you dig a small pond, or have a kiddie pool, or a flooded swamp, they will be in seventh heaven (that's for when the are grown past the brooder and outside). They need water but a rubber bowl will do as long as you keep it filled. They have to be able to submerse their bill while eating or they can choke on dry food. That's how they eat, a little food, into the water, and fling it all over the place. The ducklings you just got will not require a swimming area. in fact, they can't have one as their feathers are not ready. They need heat, food, and water like chicks. Once they are feathered out move them to a pen. My favorite starter is a converted doghouse that you can have a door on to lock them in at night. They lay eggs on the ground and don't require much sleeping space. In the morning let them out until well after dark. They probably won't want to go in but it's for their safety. They love to free range so you can decide that. Mine do all day. They love snow, freezing rain, rain, and will stay right out in it. I find them much hardier that chickens, I like the eggs much better, and think they are fun to watch. But, they are messy. As far as sexing them, good luck. I've never been able to tell until they got mature. The males quack, and the females have a raspy, throaty bark quack and are much noisier.

 

[gladahmae]

So glad I can be of entertainment. Hahahhah! This is how it went down: dh texts me yesterday (the plan all week has been for him to work half a day for his regular job and then the rest of the day for another guy he works for periodically) to make sure i don't have a problem with him going to the sports bar to watch the MSU game with his nephew. I said sure....that's fine. Then I went looking for wyandottes and noticed they had KCs in the duck bin. Text dh to see if it's ok if I get those. His respond "well, you're letting me go to the bar so I don't see how I can tell you no." And that was that.

One is really sleepy today still and walks like its drunk. I'm not sure if they have started eating the food yet. The waterer is still really clean and there isn't food all over the bedding.

 

[1muttsfan]

The ducklings need the oil coating their feathers so that they can repel water, like this -

 

[gladahmae]

I posted in the duck forum, but I'm trying to figure out if the 3rd duckling is KC or something else. It looked different from all the other ones in the bin, and according to the employees and the sign, it should be mallard, KC, Rouen, or pekin. Bigger bill than the KCs, black/pink splotchy feet, and bluish down. Anyone have any ideas?? (I know, I know....wait until it grows. Lol)

The one on the left for a color comparison...

 

[bigmrg74]

So glad I can be of entertainment. Hahahhah! This is how it went down: dh texts me yesterday (the plan all week has been for him to work half a day for his regular job and then the rest of the day for another guy he works for periodically) to make sure i don't have a problem with him going to the sports bar to watch the MSU game with his nephew. I said sure....that's fine. Then I went looking for wyandottes and noticed they had KCs in the duck bin. Text dh to see if it's ok if I get those. His respond "well, you're letting me go to the bar so I don't see how I can tell you no." And that was that.

One is really sleepy today still and walks like its drunk. I'm not sure if they have started eating the food yet. The waterer is still really clean and there isn't food all over the bedding.

Its all in the timing isn't it??

Darn Baylor gotta go out and bust part of my bracket.