Old fashioned Broody thread for ducks 2013 edition

[DawnB]

Are the two you have related?
If not really, it's usually fine for father/daughter, mother/son to mate.
That's what is called line breeding.
It's done to cement "good" traits but can also result in recessive bad things surfacing.
Too tightly related can result in loss of vigor and fertility.
Wouldn't recommend taking daughter/grandaughter back to her own daddy/grandpa tho -
need an outcross at that point really.,
Drakes are hard on girls, horny buggers that they are.
They are best with 3-7 girls each.

Hi EdenCamp...I'm not really sure if they're related. I got them when they were about 2yrs old. The friends who raised them got them as ducklings along with chicks and the goslings. They were all raised together. I'm not sure what breeder the got them from...but I guess there's a chance.

 

[farmer boy]

i don't have any hard wire cloth and i never saw any at the store where i buy my feed and stuff ... i covered a spot where i thought rats were coming in and if its moved then i will know if they are going into her area .. but what i might do is cover the whole wall area with like gravel so they can't dig through it .. it will just cave in on them .. but i can maybe move them to a new spot but if my drake is good with the ducklings i can put him in with the mom and her ducklings would he do anything if a rat came out and started bugging the female and her ducklings ??

 

[DuckyGurl]

I think I'll just leave them, Ms. Lydia. Thanks for answering me! I'm SO EXCITED!

 

[EdenCamp]

i don't have any hard wire cloth and i never saw any at the store where i buy my feed and stuff ... i covered a spot where i thought rats were coming in and if its moved then i will know if they are going into her area .. but what i might do is cover the whole wall area with like gravel so they can't dig through it .. it will just cave in on them .. but i can maybe move them to a new spot but if my drake is good with the ducklings i can put him in with the mom and her ducklings would he do anything if a rat came out and started bugging the female and her ducklings ??

Gravel is not going to help. Basicly you have to figgure out how to keep out the preditors and dangers to your livestock out. You could build individual steel bank vaults to keep them safe but most of us are going to stop far short of that.
YOU have to determine how far, how much and how to adequately protect your animals - from preditors, from each other, from whatever risks there may be. You and they will pay the piper if it's not enough. Even if it should be, things happen. We can only offer suggestions. Your animals, your decisions, your responsibility - we can't give you all the answers for your particulars - they are your particulars.

 

[farmer boy]

.. well its kinda are do get this stuff when im only 16 so ,,, i do as much as i can to help my birds i always figure out ways i can help them i was gonna use gravel to see if they are coming into the box stall if they are it would be moved and i would know where to stop the problem because i don't know where they are coming from i need to find the source first to stop it .. so i hope i can find the source to stop it .. i can't use traps or poison to get rid of them .. they are getting braver and braver they are going into a box stall where my 2 big drakes stay and some hens stay in the day to lay and they go in and eat some eggs there can't be many because the most eggs i saw taken were 2 eggs

 

[duckmomma92]

Did the last ever hatch??

 

[EdenCamp]

There are metal traps like roach motels - and those bars do pretty good just have to make sure to get them tucked away where only the rats can get to them. Maybe in that hole and then nail a board over it?

You might want to peruse the forum section for coops and tractors. Can put together PVC and wire that's easy enough to move around yet should do the trick. Any farm supply should have hardwire cloth in the roll fencing section - ask the clerk.

I figgured you were young. Still, read and research, trial and error. THINK. I don't mean to be harsh but the reality is we can offer suggestions but can't raise your birds for you. We aren't there for one thing and there are so many variables - you need to take responsibility for making choices and decisions for YOUR birds. You keep arguing and asking us what your drakes are going to do - how would we know? We've repeatedly told you they can be a danger to babies and that you need to watch them, best to separate then. Do or don't and take your chances. Consider suggestions and ideas put forth, think and figgure out what or how a concept might be made to work for you.

We all continue to learn - sometimes the hard way with unpleasant surprises. It's part of raising animals.

 

[Skiier47]

so they started to hatch. out of the 9 eggs we had 3 hatch so far, however the drake was still in the pen and he is not a fan and killed one.....

. NOT COOL!

now he is in his own time out pen......

lots of questions now.

She was sitting in the remaining eggs but came outside to get some water with the babies, she wouldnt go back in.

I am letting nature take its course, i have seen them go in and out a couple times today.

How long will she sit on the remaining eggs? How far apart can they hatch? days or hours?

I have there water container and feeder from when my big ducks were babies. is that all I need to set out for them?

Will the drake ever stop with the aggresion?

thanks!



here is the start

 

[quirkybeeper]

i don't have any hard wire cloth and i never saw any at the store where i buy my feed and stuff

I've gotten all of my fencing at the hardware store, Lowes and Home Depot locally. It's in their fencing section outside with all the landscaping supplies. Just make sure the holes in the fence/mesh are small enough that ducklings can't get through.

 

[Miss Lydia]

so they started to hatch. out of the 9 eggs we had 3 hatch so far, however the drake was still in the pen and he is not a fan and killed one.....

. NOT COOL!

now he is in his own time out pen......

lots of questions now.

She was sitting in the remaining eggs but came outside to get some water with the babies, she wouldnt go back in.

I am letting nature take its course, i have seen them go in and out a couple times today.

How long will she sit on the remaining eggs? How far apart can they hatch? days or hours?

I have there water container and feeder from when my big ducks were babies. is that all I need to set out for them?

Will the drake ever stop with the aggresion?

thanks!



here is the start

That is adorable, and another reason why we suggest drakes not be kept with young ducklings. proof right here. All you can do is wait or remove the last eggs and finish incubating yourself, either she is done or she'll continue to sit but if she was off the eggs all day then she is probably done . They food and water containers you had for your adults are fine for these babies. and hatches can take 2-3 days. I'd give duckling at mim. 3 weeks before trying dad with them again, and only when out free ranging, closed up is not good. If he can see them and them him, he'll get use to them eventually. and Congrats.

ps I don't know what part of the world your in but looks like you have a heat lamp on, unless freezing out I really don't think you'd need it. Moms are well equipped to keep ducklings warm.