Pekin Duck Club!

[goosiemama]

So exciting on first eggs

I let my girl lay about 7 before I incubatated only 2 was fertile she still misses days of laying and has layed 2 soft shell ones. Got 2 going strong in my incubator from her can't wait to meet the little buggers lol

Congratulations on the eggs! Let us know if you get a little ducky.

 

[wildsam]

Gosh, time flies when ur busy and have too much heat and fun! Luckily the weather is FINALLY starting to cool down and becoming bearable here in northeast WI.

All my duckies, which are about 3 1/2 months old now, are doing really good, are happy and sooo funny in character!
My pekin drake Gunter is the most gentle one but also really tame, while my talkative pekin Susie is still in flight whenever she sees me coming, even when I got treats, but that's oki.
She's a sweety besides waking everyone up at exactly 6am every single morning! And when ur not coming to open the duck mansion, she is throwing a racket til someone does! lol. And in the evenings they all go by themselves into their mansion to get locked up for the night (due to coyotes, foxes, racoons and bears), peaking their heads out when I come around to close their ramp door saying good nite to me!

My 2 Rouen girls Lola and Tina are the same size now, Tina is doing so much better after giving her nutritional yeast for about a month, using her foot with barely anything noticeable anymore from her not wanting to put any weight on. But I still went ahead and got some Niacin and keep putting that in all of their food. Better safe than sorry! And Tina is my little cuddle bug. When she hears me coming in the yard she is the first one come running to the front, dipping her cute beak at my hand or feet when I don't give her the treats fast enough and is the first one to eat out of my hands.
And my Khaki Brownie is a little naughty girl! She is the littlest of the bunch in size, but she likes to run after one of my little doggies and chase him a good distance away! Yet she is still kinda skiddish when it comes to eating out of my hand. Yet they all like frozen veggies (I usually give them a veggie mix of beans, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots and peas), and go nutty when I give it to them in a cube of frozen water, so they actually have to wait til the hot sun melts it slowly to free the goodies... hehehe.

Other than that I just modified their mansion a bit, connected the side panels so they open up as one big door for I can actually clean out their bedding. I usually just fluff it and spray white vinegar over it twice a week to keep the ammonia level down and it won't smell that way either! This way I can keep their bedding for about 2-3 months, which is pretty good in a mansion with 5 piggies! I love them to pieces and enjoy them running and waddling after me in the evenings when I open their enclosure so they can explore the rest of the yard and eat some more of them pesky bugs. So funny watching them try to jump in the air, running after flies while trying to catch them!

But I really hope they stop molting soon. Feathers are EVERYWHERE!!!

Now I can't wait to see when Gunters tail feather is gonna start to curl and see if and when I'll get my first eggs from them! Sorry for the lengthy post... just wanted to share since I haven't been on in a LOOONG time...

 

[Strawberryswyrl]

My little Billie-Beak left 13 eggs behind in her nest before her and her mate were killed a few days ago. I have them in a home-made incubator and I hope it works out. A few of the eggs are double-yolks. These eggs have very, very thick shells on them and I wonder if that's normal and if a chick would be able to pip through if any were to even develop. I have eaten some of her eggs before and had to whack them HARD with a butter knife to crack them open.. they were like stones. I will candle the eggs in a week and see if any are fertile. I have attempted this before with no success. My little girl layed 31 eggs in her nearly 6-month lifetime.

Billie-Beak and Raptor as ducklings. First bath after I got them at 3 weeks old.

First day as my babies, day before Easter 2013.

 

[Amiga]

My little Billie-Beak left 13 eggs behind in her nest before her and her mate were killed a few days ago. I have them in a home-made incubator and I hope it works out. A few of the eggs are double-yolks. These eggs have very, very thick shells on them and I wonder if that's normal and if a chick would be able to pip through if any were to even develop. I have eaten some of her eggs before and had to whack them HARD with a butter knife to crack them open.. they were like stones. I will candle the eggs in a week and see if any are fertile. I have attempted this before with no success. My little girl layed 31 eggs in her nearly 6-month lifetime.

Billie-Beak and Raptor as ducklings. First bath after I got them at 3 weeks old.

First day as my babies, day before Easter 2013.

There is a Thread Formerly Known as Hatch Day is Today, where experienced hatchers check in. I would ask them. Ducklings do have to work mighty hard to get out of that shell, but many, many of them get it done. I am told they need a rest afterward.

 

[ladyeccowolf]

My husband and I have several different birds along with 4 Jumbo Peking ducks. 3 ducks and 1 drake. We use to have 4 but some unknown predator got him. He was my favorite. He had a pale pink bill. I've never seen another with a bill like his before. Are they rare? Do you know where I could get one that had that pale pink color? His name was Pale Ale and he was the sweetest little guy. I worked with him since he was 1 day old and he was the most tame of them all. Since he was taken, the others don't come up to us much unless we have food, water, or treats. They won't let us pet them anymore either unless we catch them and then they may lay in our lap for a minute, then they run back to the others. Any suggestions as to gain their trust again? They were about 1 month old when he was taken. They are 3 months old now.

 

[pekinpairsmama]

One of my two ducks has very stinky poo. Can't tell which one. It's kind of sweet smelling sometimes and rancid others. Color's normal but sometimes runny. Is this normal? I have cut out treats and they are free range but also get crumbled alfalfa cubes and pellets. What would cause this? It is not every single poop and she's happy and acting normal.

 

[chicken pickin]

Sounds normal

 

[Bosvelder 1]

I have recently rescued 4 pekins from a township in durban,south africa. We have put them in a coop alone and one seems to have laid an egg today,how can I see which are males and females?thanks

 

[chicken pickin]

Females quack. Males have a low raspy sort of sound/whisper.

 

[pekinpairsmama]

I have another question. I have two females, which I am sure of because I separated them within their house and both of them lay eggs. But now the bigger, louder female is holding the smaller one under the water on top of her and biting her neck. Is this a dominance issue like dogs? you think if I got a Drake that this behavior would stop? its not that often and it doesn't last that long so I'm not too worried, just makes me curious