Need help with lock down! :) duck egg

[salsan20]

They are darling!! Looks like they are getting big I love the feathers! Cody is getting a few along the wings I noticed yesterday. I'm excited!

Oh he is growing up!

 

[lissygirl]

I have to tell you guys this Tonight me, my husband, and my son watched a movie in our bedroom, and the whole time Cody stayed on my lap through the whole movie!! He mostly played tug-o-war with the draw strings on my pants, nibbled at things and groomed himself. But I can't believe he never tried to leave my lap. I told my family I guess we have a lap duck. I feel bad that he's all alone but maybe he'll get enough attention from the three of us

 

[salsan20]

Bless him he was probably delighted to be with you, ducks are very sociable! Do you know when he is bigger whether you want a house duck etc? I have seen duck diapers for sale!

 

[lissygirl]

Really? That's amazing! Yes, I'm thinking that's what will happen. But he loves outside so much I want to get him a coop for the yard so he can be out sometimes on his own, but only if he wants to.
How are your babies??

 

[salsan20]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/563787/made-my-own-duck-diaper-directions-added
http://www.flightquarters.com/bird-diapers/category/duck-goose-diapers.html



Growing rapidly, can only safely carry one at a time now. They love their cuddles (flubber and daisy anyway the chicks are more wary unless I have treats and then its a free for all!). Still occasionally try and peck eyes but it seems to be calming down although anything else is fair game. They snuggle with the chicks but seem to be exempt from the squabbles.

The chicks really seem to be sorting out the pecking order, lots of squealing and surprise attacks jumping on each others backs and squaring off at each others. They eat a ton, probably just under 1kg chick crumb a day or just under and they are feathering up more and more each day other than the ducks who have a few feather stubs but no actual feathers! I am trying to decide between the cheaper diy option of building an enclosure around their coups as I think the ducks will be outside in a week or so, or buying a big metal 3m by 3m cage I saw on ebay that would be perfect... except the price tag! Had two more chicks hatch last friday and have three chicks due next friday and 2 runner ducks and 8 chicks due the friday after so all exciting trying to decide who is definately staying. Mirabel (my toddler kept saying Mirabel instead of Miracle and it just stuck) will definately if she is a hen, the ducks will unless they are both drakes in which case when my other ducklings hatch and are big enough one will have to go which will be awful-but I think they are male and female purely as they have such different natures. Other than that I dont know!

How is Cody doing, his face seems to be changing more duck like! Such a cutie! Am quite envious, my khakis are like runner ducks, more funny looking penguins than cute fluff balls like Cody!

 

[lissygirl]

That is a great idea!! Thank you so much, will definitely try something like that!
It sounds like you have got a lot of exciting things going on there! It's great to hear how they all interact with each other since we only have this one. What kind of runners are you expecting? I love baby runners <3 Your ducks are adorable!! I love them so much, they are so cute! Cody is a fluffball, but he is getting more real feathers especially along his wings. He's loving his daily swims and still likes to stick around on my lap. That is so cute about "Mirabel" I'm glad you are keeping him. Love the new chicky! I can't wait for more pics as they hatch. I'm thinking eventually we might get another duck to keep this one company, but we'll see how it goes.

Here's one of his new patch of feathers, don't know if you can make them out

 

[salsan20]

The two runners are eggs from my mums neighbours ducks, all black so I know what to expect from them! I also have some duck eggs in from the local petting zoo as they have a bunch of ducks of various breeds and had fresh eggs in for sale when I went last. Like my mystery chicks they could be anything so I am excited about them if they are fertile (too early to candle so we will see!). I like runners personalities as they seem to be quite clownish as a breed, but the cuteness factor isnt quite the same.

I love hatching way too much, but luckily I havent had a problem finding homes for my birds yet (although to be fair this is the first time hatching things other than quail so we will see). So far hubby is very happy to have birds everywhere...

Flubber and Daisy are very mellow in their interactions, they cuddle together if they are sleeping and will follow the other if possible, but they are also quite happy to have solo lap cuddles (actually its whoever is left in the brooder with the chicks who yells). They sometimes cuddle with the chicks, but quite often they ignore them. Im glad they have each other as I couldnt spend lots of time every day as we also have two guinea pigs (oink pig and fluffy), a cat and a dog (thunder and nutmeg). Technically two cats but one moved out a few months ago, he greets us outside but I think he has fallen out with my other cat. I dont worry too much though as we have two houses on our street that are convinced he is theirs (he doesnt wear a collar as the quick release ones come off the day we put them on and I wont put a normal one on in case he strangles himself!). Our other cat has issues, he was abandonned in a pretty rough state outside my husbands work in a cardboard box in a thunderstorm. We think he was about six weeks old then but he could have been older and just very malnourished as he had heavy investations of worms fleas and mites. He had no trust of people and even 8 months on he is still very wary of feet, a bit stiff on his back legs and very nervous of everyone but me and the rest of the family. I am the only one he completely trusts but he will allow hubby to stroke him and rarely the kids. Bizarrely the dog was always who he was most comfortable with and when indoors those two usually shadow me together!

Between them and the kids I couldnt put that much one on one time in if we had a solo duck!

 

[lissygirl]

Wow your dog is gorgeous!! And it's so cute how the dog and cat play together like that! We have a Labrador (Rusty) who is my second child (other than my son) and he thinks he is my husband! He gets very very possessive of me and he's been pretty jealous of Cody especially when I have Cody in my lap in the bedroom and Russ is stuck in his crate next to my bed My husband has a little Siberian husky named Maya and my son has a tiny cat (Sophie) who's extremely small for her age. I got her from my cousin and the other cats from her litter are twice as big. Then I have 2 mice (Sam and Dean), but Dean is not doing so well as he has 2 tumors. Cody is like the new baby in the family and is getting ALL the attention, which he's fine with!! It's very ironic because I was planning to get some mallard eggs this summer and hatch them which is why I had the incubator. We were going to raise them in the yard. But time flew by and I never got around to it so I put it off for next summer, but then low and behold, Cody landed in our laps!! So I guess it was meant to be
This is my spoiled baby Rusty

 

[salsan20]

He's lovely with that big goofy grin! And yes nutmeg gets a little jealous too. Too easy to spoil dogs Nutmeg is a little doted on and is fairly high maintanence in terms of seperation anxiety, food allergies, but she is very submissive so easy to forgive! She is american bulldog dad and rotty x gsd mum ( accident between some neighbours dogs!) but you couldnt find a bigger wuss if you tried-very glad we didnt get her as a guard dog as she submits to anything and wont bark unless she is by my feet! Have to say I adore siberians, they are charming, I like their size in comparison to mals but both are probably too much excersize for us. The american bulldog in nutmeg affects her breathing so if she runs for longer than forty minutes she ends up throwing up, walking she can go for hours though, but she is equally fine staying in every now and again. I dont feel too bad as she has cut her paw open twice this year and been stuck in as well as having her heat cycle so probably about 8 weeks of not going out in total and I thought she would be manic and chasing her tail desperate to get out, but slobbing round the house seems to suit her as much as going for a mega walk. We are lucky to be about fifteen minutes from the beach and five minutes from two green belts so lots of choice on a day out.

I built my incubator out of curiosity about 6 months ago and then got hooked! I have two home made incubators on the go constantly although this batch were the first that weren't quail. I used to have quail ages ago in the bottom of an avairy so I knew they were pretty low maintanence and then button quail have incubation of 16 days which is nothing so had quail hatching constantly. No one round here seems to hatch so never had any problem selling them on after, in fact I usually ended up selling the ones I planned on keeping as someone would ring wanting more! Then we got the idea of fresh eggs, hubby is a chef so I growraspberries, blackcurrants, gooseberries, passionfruit, strawberries and some veg survives the slugs so being even more natural appeals! So that meant chicks but then he loves duck eggs and the kids were keen on ducklings....

I ordered flubber and daisys eggs online but the post is murder round here so think I will be sticking to the fresh eggs from the local farms as they seem to be doing great!

Mice seem prone to tumours actually, had a bunch as a child and at least half seemed to get some form of cancer. Nice pets though.

Must be fate! And you get the fun of hatching all again to give hima friend.

Todays project, building Flubber and Daisys new home ready for them, the coops I got off ebay for £5 so Im thrilled with them, the kiddie pool is just out of sight behind the composter. I have never seen a bird of prey here and hubby is convinced they will be fine based on the hundreds if extremely fat wood pigeons that seem to go untouched here so we have focussed on cat proofing the top after the picture was taken, but I still have my concerns! Also need to build the gate but then we are done!

 

[Aronia]

Does Anyone Live Near St. Catharines, ON?