Ok, Who else watches 50 ducks in a Hot tub on Youtube?

[subhanalah]

I'm just going off of what the vet said. And Metzer farms. It is nothing at all like rheumatoid arthritis. 

I don't think anyone asked the duck, lol

 

[Quailsong]

Yeah...now his geese have angel wing because geese shouldn't have 24/7 access to pellets like ducks can, and he's giving them cheaper feed which has resulted in egg production dropping to practically 0. I understand being busy, but there's just no excuse, it's not that hard to give proper feed and catch a goose to wrap their wings with. I'm kinda upset at him right now. And just think what would have happened if ALL his eggs had hatched instead of the fraction that did!

I agree about the egg issue, too - that incubator was pretty shoddy, but I know for a fact that he feeds his ducks chicken feed. He claims that the iams people assure him that there's just as much niacin in it as duck feed, but I don't trust them for a second, and a little extra won't hurt them. But he doesn't add it. Brewer's yeast is cheap, but he still just won't do it.

I want to thank you for your honesty & courage to voice your thoughts.

I've seen on his channel many users who've never raised ducks or even birds, so they can't see the issues that are there. If I didn't raise ducks myself, I'm sure I'd miss many of the subtle signs that the ducks are in pain (from swelling & so on).

That said, I want to stress to anyone who reads this that I truly wish that farmer can find ways to improve the life/quality of his flock, and get help for his farm where needed. This is not an attack on the guy, but rather expressing concern for his birds & his own health. I think in a thread like this it's fair to look at both sides of the situation, so long as it doesn't go to either extreme (fanboy vs trolling). (Not that it has or will, just saying my peace.)

 

[Amykins]

I want to thank you for your honesty & courage to voice your thoughts.

I've seen on his channel many users who've never raised ducks or even birds, so they can't see the issues that are there. If I didn't raise ducks myself, I'm sure I'd miss many of the subtle signs that the ducks are in pain (from swelling & so on).

That said, I want to stress to anyone who reads this that I truly wish that farmer can find ways to improve the life/quality of his flock, and get help for his farm where needed. This is not an attack on the guy, but rather expressing concern for his birds & his own health. I think in a thread like this it's fair to look at both sides of the situation, so long as it doesn't go to either extreme (fanboy vs trolling). (Not that it has or will, just saying my peace.)

I don't know if he reads this. I doubt it, but ya never know. I've spoken to him via youtube messages and he's really overwhelmed and burnt out - not even his wife helps him with the ducks, she thinks he's crazy for even attempting to raise this many. How horrible is that? But it's clear that the birds are suffering, and when I told him to add niacin and that poor nutrition could potentially have been partially responsible for his disastrous hatch he was adamant that I was wrong! I remember a video a few weeks back where he showed several 2-week old ducklings unable to flip themselves over when they got on their backs and was giggling about it like it was normal, even cute. But it isn't. That's a really bad sign.


I'm a vet assistant. I don't know much about ducks (yet) but I do know about common duck maladies, and easy ways to prevent them. I don't know if it's his ego or what that prevents him from taking those simple steps, but I just don't understand why he won't take advice from people who have way more experience and firsthand knowledge when it comes to raising ducks. I don't want his birds to suffer. Obviously he doesn't either, but he just won't listen!

 

[Quailsong]

Oh Amykins, I didn't know it was that bad.

I took a moment & looked at his recent vid today on his garden.

He's been complaining about the cold & the weather (constant rain). I live very close by to him, maybe 2 hours drive at most. It's been consistently in the 20's-25'sC during the days, with it cooling a bit at night (17C). Plenty warm for growing.

It has also been raining here a LOT as well but my own garden is so overgrown I don't know what to do with all the produce. And I kept it to a minimum for my first year. And I've barely done anything with the garden save for planting, tying/staking & harvesting. Even my birds can't keep up with eating it all. I'm already hanging & freezing produce and it's only mid-summer. (I'll seriously e-mail you a pic of my garden if you Note me your e-mail)

He also has the lake nearby for the 'lake effect' & that I imagine would keep temps stable as well. I dunno, unless he's living in a cold vortex or has immensely bad luck.. :/

I do agree he's burned out & needs to refocus. I'm worried his farm is starting to look like a bird version of a 'puppy mill'. He says they free range but then says the weeds & bugs are all gone, so there's fewer nutrient options. I'm just really hoping something will 'click' with him & he'll get things back in order soon. Not just for the bird's health, but for him as well - and his dear wife!

That said, I think I'm going to unsub from this thread. I'm finding it's too heartbreaking. I'm sure I'll peek back at his channel in a few months to see if things have improved, but for now I'm going to go hug my ducks & call it an evening.

Thank you Amykins.

 

[Amykins]

I never meant to make you upset, I'm sorry Quail. :/ I hope Mat gets his act together too, for the sake of the duckies!

 

[Quailsong]

I never meant to make you upset, I'm sorry Quail. :/ I hope Mat gets his act together too, for the sake of the duckies!

Definitely not you or anyone else who posted in this thread. It was just a reminder here why I unsubbed his channel to begin with; it's too heart-wrenching to sit there & watch ducks suffering. So here it's a reminder it's still going on & I'm not able to do much about it.

So yeah, I shouldn't hop into a thread when I know it's gonna stress me! Eek.

 

[Amykins]

Definitely not you or anyone else who posted in this thread. It was just a reminder here why I unsubbed his channel to begin with; it's too heart-wrenching to sit there & watch ducks suffering. So here it's a reminder it's still going on & I'm not able to do much about it.

So yeah, I shouldn't hop into a thread when I know it's gonna stress me! Eek.

I see. Give your feathered family lots of peas for me!

 

[Amykins]

*sigh* And now Midget Duck has a crooked neck. Yet as far as I know, he still hasn't added niacin to their diet. I mean, I know she's kind of derped already, but extra niacin can and has helped these issues clear up, and prevention is better than being sorry. I asked him if the food he's got is legit layer pellets or cheaper, less nutritious scratch. Waiting on the answer. If it IS scratch as I suspect, that would explain a lot.

I'm also suspicious of that Purina rep he spoke to who told him that feeding chick starter was A-OK for his ducklings and that there was no difference on niacin content between their chick feed and duck feed. Purina (aka Nesle) seems like the company who would say stuff like that just to make a sale.

 

[Amykins]

Now several members from his channel are harassing me on youtube. I finally told him everything about this thread, and how several of us experienced folk have had to unsubscribe because we can't watch his animals suffer anymore. I removed myself from his circle so I can only imagine that he's told them to do this much like he told his followers to harass that Chinese incubator company.

 

[subhanalah]

Now several members from his channel are harassing me on youtube. I finally told him everything about this thread, and how several of us experienced folk have had to unsubscribe because we can't watch his animals suffer anymore. I removed myself from his circle so I can only imagine that he's told them to do this much like he told his followers to harass that Chinese incubator company.

can you report them to youtube?