Pekin Duck Club!

[Chickiemommie87]

Sounds like a peacock that you heard.

I have had peacock before. It has a distinct call this was quieter than them... it sounds human with a hint of kitten... if that makes any sense at all. Lol

 

[P-Funk]

Hahaha! The family across the street (about 1/2 mile away) has Macaws. They make a screeching sound that can probably be heard for another 2 miles. It definitely sounds like they're getting hit by a truck.

 

[chickery-do]

Well, today I bought my first bottle of Braggs unfiltered ACV its going on 9pm here and I just barely got home so tomorrow s the day! Thanks to country girl 74! Hopefully they will like it. and to those of u coming in late, she has been teaching me fermenting feed.
The ducks dont eat the pellets that have turn ed to paste. I will start with a small batch, wish me luck!

 

[chicks4fun]

I hope it is okay to ask this here.
Ducky is not acting right. She keeps open and closing her mouth, she reaches her neck out (looks like she is getting sick). She keeps repeating this movement. She quit laying eggs just as this started. I am afraid she has something stuck in her throat. I have seen her eat so that may mean this is something else, not sure.
Ducky is about 3 years old now and has never had any health issues.
She likes to swim in a pond that was built before we had ducks and there are goldfish still in there. I saw one of her daughters pull one out but she didn't eat it. I need to clean to pond soon as having 5 ducks here has made it get cloudy and dirty (when I had two it never got like this). Since the other ducks are okay I assume it is not my water quality.
Well, does anyone in this Pekin club know what is wrong with our girl?
Thanks

 

[chicks4fun]

She keeps open and closing her mouth, she reaches her neck out It is hard to see as she is the one on the far left.

 

[misschickenlittle]

Well, today I bought my first bottle of Braggs unfiltered ACV its going on 9pm here and I just barely got home so tomorrow s the day! Thanks to country girl 74! Hopefully they will like it. and to those of u coming in late, she has been teaching me fermenting feed.
The ducks dont eat the pellets that have turn ed to paste. I will start with a small batch, wish me luck!

Good luck! You can do it!! It's really pretty easy. You just need patience. I've started mine recently and so far my ducks love it...And now that they are in the pen with my older chickens, the chickens love it too. Trying to get nanies to eat it... they seem to like it but they sure are messy!

 

[zzack354]

No, you're not a pain at all! I had tons of questions too when I first started! Once you add the first bit (I added 1/4 cup, but you can add 1/8 cup or just a couple Tablespoons - just something to get it going) of ACV to your 5 gallon bucket, you shouldn't ever need to add anymore as long as you keep adding feed and water to the bucket, it will keep going. The ACV is just a help to get the ferment started. However, you can use the rest of your bottle on yourself! Lots of great uses. And, if you should ever run out with your bucket or something happen where you need to start a brand new batch, then you will have it on hand...
There are lots of different options for feeding. For my ducks, I found that a glass (round bowl) casserole dish worked well. But you can use trough feeders (I use plastic trough feeders for my chickens) or even homemade feeders. I've seen some people come up with some creative stuff out of PVC piping! The important thing is that you don't use metal - use plastic or glass.
As for freezing, in the winter, if they still have ff left in their dish overnight and it's frozen in the morning, I will just add some hot water and stir it up again. Some people will also use heated dog water bowls for their ff in the winter. Or, you can bring the dishes in at night out of the cold and just take out with fresh ff in the morning. It depends on where you are and how cold it gets day and night in the winter and what is easiest for you to handle dealing with.
Sounds like you have 2 males and 1 female... You will need to get some more girls! You should really have 3 females to 1 male. Now you have an excuse to get more ducks.
If you can't get more, then you will have to at least re-home a male and then TRY to get at least one more girl.

My Rouen female did this to one of my Pekin girls too - my JUMBO PEKIN! My regular Pekin wouldn't put up with it and would kind of fight her back and she would back off but my Jumbo would just sit there and let her rip her chest feathers out til she was bald and sometimes bleeding. We noticed it happened mostly in the pool but when they weren't in the pool she didn't really do it. I sprayed her with blu-kote and I don't think the Rouen liked the taste of her new purple bra. It helped for a while. She eventually grew out of doing it and now only does the feather picking once in a while - not enough to cause any damage. If she had been doing it as aggressively as yours sounds like, I think I would have separated them too. Does he/she eat the feathers even with blu-kote on them? While you have the Rouen separated, try upping his/her protein and maybe give some poly-vi-sol. Sometimes it's a nutrient or protein deficiency. Maybe after being separated, he/she will be so happy to be with the others again, he/she will not be such a stinker? Also, if it's indeed one male doing it to the other male, it could be a "male" thing and you will definitely need to get more girls if you end up with only 1 female to the 2 boys. As stated above, ratio should be at least 3 girls to 1 male. Some people have had their girls killed, badly injured, or drowned due to "gang-rape" from the boys. They need enough girls to go around.
It makes the nutrients more absorbable thus causing your flock to not need to eat as much, which can greatly help with feed costs. I've cut my feed by 1/3-1/2 by fermenting. It is also great for their digestive systems and overall immune system - people report less losses, healthier feathers, little to no pasty butt in chicks, etc. It also helps to solidify their poo and is actually less stinky!

 

[zzack354]

Fermenting the feed sounds like a great way to save on expenses and healthy for the flock. I just have one question. How do you store it once it is mixed. Does it go bad? Especially since Kefir is added? I love Kefir but always keep it refrigerated. Sorry for my ignorance! This is so new to me. I don't want to make any mistakes.

 

[BarredRockGirls]

" I'm on top of the world!!" Charlotte prolly thought before she slide .... Silly girl!!

Ok ok ok - we loooove peas! But can I at least get out the door & OFF the porch before we freak out ? Hahaha

almost 7.5 weeks

 

[countrygirl74]

Fermenting the feed sounds like a great way to save on expenses and healthy for the flock. I just have one question. How do you store it once it is mixed. Does it go bad? Especially since Kefir is added? I love Kefir but always keep it refrigerated. Sorry for my ignorance! This is so new to me. I don't want to make any mistakes.

I just store it in my kitchen or laundry room - a lot of people store theirs outside without issues but it's easier for me to maintain inside - I just scoop out a bowlful and take it outside. No, it doesn't go bad. Just give it a stir once a day.