NY chicken lover!!!!

[payner59]

Say what ?

I lost 2 to falcons and 1 to a hawk. The only reason I got guinea hens were to protect my flock. I don't like losing them but would rather lose one if them instead of a chicken.

 

[marquisella]

I *loved* my guineas.. until they decided the best place in the world to be was standing on my front lawn and buckwheating at my neighbors. All.Day.Long. I wanted them back in the woods eating ticks, but nooooooooooooooooo..

The trick is to keep them until the 2nd year, then they are not so loud....only if a strange vechicle comes into your driveway and they can see themselves in the hubcaps...then look out!

So here is my "new" Farm Master redwood incubator....lots of work ahead for me...holds 360 eggs...

 

[marquisella]

Quote: Did you raise your guineas from keets, or just get them? Every time I bought adult guineas, they walked down the road never to be seen again. Only the keets I raised here stayed around.

 

[marquisella]

I found 3 Sebastapol eggs today! I separated my saddle back goose with the male just a few days ago, just in time! Hopefully I'll get some colored goslings...These eggs are huge! You can see the egg holders underneath the plastic container. About 4 times larger than an extra large chicken egg. Saw my Cayuga ducks "mating" today, but no eggs yet.

 

[Pyxis]

I found 3 Sebastapol eggs today! I separated my saddle back goose with the male just a few days ago, just in time! Hopefully I'll get some colored goslings...These eggs are huge! You can see the egg holders underneath the plastic container. About 4 times larger than an extra large chicken egg. Saw my Cayuga ducks "mating" today, but no eggs yet.

Congrats! My roman tufted is broody, and I just bought some sebbie eggs for her. However since she's a first year I will be incubating them myself, and I will slip them under her if she is still sitting when they go into lockdown. Taking no chances of losing them! I'm not getting duck eggs yet either, but I've seen mating behavior so I'm hoping soon.

 

[rancher hicks]

Ok, folks. . I have planned my duck house and it won't hold more than 10 ducks. I have 3 already.

Someone tell me how long it takes for Muscovy ducks to lay. And how do I tell if they are fertile? Just like chicken eggs? And how smart does a drake have to be to "do the deed"? Cuz mine is mounting the hens, staying on their back for a Loooooooooooong time (5 minutes at a time) but doesn't seem to be doing like the chickens do. Do Ducks mate differently? By that, I mean, do they just lay there and it happen or do they need to actually move their hips like the Roosters do?

I am puzzled. I want at least 3 more of the Muscovies. But if my drake is clueless then how am I to get fertile eggs. (paying 5 bucks an egg like I did last year is not an option this year. I need my money for chicks to increase my laying flock) (I knew I should have stayed in school....so I could make more money...)

I had thought about Muscovy's but since they are fliers, gave that idea up. You do know they are fliers? I like them because they roost. The only domesticated duck that I know does.

Watch "Duckumentary" It's very good. Only about wild ducks but good just the same.

 

[rancher hicks]

You sound like me. I gave them a bin to swim in daily and then toweled them dry and put them under the heat lamp. Crackin' up. The things we do for our birds. However the last one out of the bin didn't do so well....he was the hardest to catch daily and after a couple of days he was really sick. He pulled through, but I think he would have done better if I had not put him in water at such a young age. THEN someone told me how ducks away from their Momma shouldn't swim until they have feathers. Ooopppsss. LOL

I did know they don't/can't swim right away. I think wild ducklings get "oiled" by the mother duck. Since they little guys have no mom to do it they have to grow a bit.

 

[Cass]

I had thought about Muscovy's but since they are fliers, gave that idea up. You do know they are fliers? I like them because they roost. The only domesticated duck that I know does.

Watch "Duckumentary" It's very good. Only about wild ducks but good just the same.

Yes, they fly. But not very far and no very high. At least at this moment. One of my hens hates cold feet so she will fly from the coop to the deck on the house. It's about 50 yards. She is never more than 3 feet from the ground. The Gander flaps his wings while running and ONCE got almost 3 inches off the ground when the was flapping his wings on the end of the board walk and stepped off, by mistake.

He was shocked at being "airborne". However my ducks have it good here....they probably don't want to fly anywhere but from the food and water at the coop to the food and water at the house. Maybe this summer they will fly to the pond....time will tell.

 

[rancher hicks]

Who here knows Swedish Ducks? I'm seeing them on Ebay, Crested and non. I haven't read anything about a Crested variety.

 

[marquisella]

Quote: I bought a magazine about ducks today, and I was surprized that Muscoveys are mostly meat birds. I thought they were good layers, but it says no.

I want to get some silver Appleyards. but the best egg layers are the Kacki Cambells, up to 320 a year. wow