chicks1234
In the Brooder
My father-in-law rebuilt his old coop for my chickens. ...
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I miss my ducks! I'm going to try buff next year, I've never had them before.
!
My father-in-law rebuilt his old coop for my chickens. ...and they love it!
I have a question. I have been trying to find people that live around me that have ducks so that I can make some new friends and have someone close by to talk to about ducks and maybe even find another female. At any rate I found an add for a farm that seemed decent that said they had some ducks to sell seemed like a good place to try and meet people. When we got there he took us into a sort of back stall in a barn with pens with rabbits and I don't know what all and there were some ducks running around the floor. It was pretty dark and very very dirty. I wanted to look at the ducks and so to catch one he grabs a fishing net off a hook to catch the duck with then grabs it and pulls it out by its wings very roughly and pushes it at me and the poor thing was freaking out. I get a hold of it gently and calm it down and it is disgustingly greasy and dirty. He says to me that it is a mallard then says you know a Rouen then tells me it's a female. I look at the poor thing and it has the dark head and drake feather and tell him it's a drake and he says no you can't go by that the male ruffles the feathers of the females when they breed. This is a female and I look down again at this perfectly curled unruffled drake feather and feel horrible for all of the animals this guy has. I put the drake down and the guy grabs up another drake and tries to tell me it's a female. This drake is equally dirty. I look around and this pen that is supposed to have ducks in it they are selling is full of drakes except one duck that has a terribly deformed bill. The whole visit left me feeling sick to my stomach. I realize though that I am new to having ducks and so my question is... Are my instincts right about this guy being mean and neglectful or do I just super spoil my ducks?
I have a question. I have been trying to find people that live around me that have ducks so that I can make some new friends and have someone close by to talk to about ducks and maybe even find another female. At any rate I found an add for a farm that seemed decent that said they had some ducks to sell seemed like a good place to try and meet people. When we got there he took us into a sort of back stall in a barn with pens with rabbits and I don't know what all and there were some ducks running around the floor. It was pretty dark and very very dirty. I wanted to look at the ducks and so to catch one he grabs a fishing net off a hook to catch the duck with then grabs it and pulls it out by its wings very roughly and pushes it at me and the poor thing was freaking out. I get a hold of it gently and calm it down and it is disgustingly greasy and dirty. He says to me that it is a mallard then says you know a Rouen then tells me it's a female. I look at the poor thing and it has the dark head and drake feather and tell him it's a drake and he says no you can't go by that the male ruffles the feathers of the females when they breed. This is a female and I look down again at this perfectly curled unruffled drake feather and feel horrible for all of the animals this guy has. I put the drake down and the guy grabs up another drake and tries to tell me it's a female. This drake is equally dirty. I look around and this pen that is supposed to have ducks in it they are selling is full of drakes except one duck that has a terribly deformed bill. The whole visit left me feeling sick to my stomach. I realize though that I am new to having ducks and so my question is... Are my instincts right about this guy being mean and neglectful or do I just super spoil my ducks?
I'm form Hershey. Not sure where you are located. I'm currently down to only 4 ducks. 2 males and 2 females. I need to invest in some more. I've been putting all the eggs I find in the incubator but I don't know if they will do anything, because my ducks are getting up there in age and my one female is starting to get health issues due to her old age.
The place you went sounds terrible. I keep my ducks in an outside pen with a chicken house they can go in for shelter. Sure I have issues with mud around their water bin, but with all the splashing they do hopping in and out of it, I don't think there is anyway to get rid of all the mud.
I agree that it was likely a failure to thrive, especially if no others are showing signs of trouble. ..some are just weak and don't make it, sad but true.
Culling older hens is usually based on production of eggs or general condition exams. These were hatchery sex links and they were rarely laying, their body condition/weight still looked good, so a more practical time to cull, she will debone the meat and pressure can it (makes even the toughest birds great for use). She will also make broth from the bones and scraps.
I am selling exclusively through Pughtown Agway. They still have to order some hatchery chicks every few weeks to catch up with demand, but the last few weeks they have been selling at least 50 per week of the ones I hatch. They have never sold anywhere close to these numbers in the past. Some of it may be the burgeoning demand for backyard chickens, but I like to think some is the fact that word is out that they have some rare and unusual breeds, a customer might come to buy a cream legbar and get a few hatchery chicks too.
I am hatching more Ameraucanas and Black Sexlinks than I am selling. I am building more brooders at the farm to hold them all. The sexlinks will be fantastic layers if we can get a pastured egg busness going, and the black Ams are the best for free ranging. I love the look of black birds running around the sunlit grass.
My father-in-law rebuilt his old coop for my chickens. ...and they love it!
I have a question. I have been trying to find people that live around me that have ducks so that I can make some new friends and have someone close by to talk to about ducks and maybe even find another female. At any rate I found an add for a farm that seemed decent that said they had some ducks to sell seemed like a good place to try and meet people. When we got there he took us into a sort of back stall in a barn with pens with rabbits and I don't know what all and there were some ducks running around the floor. It was pretty dark and very very dirty. I wanted to look at the ducks and so to catch one he grabs a fishing net off a hook to catch the duck with then grabs it and pulls it out by its wings very roughly and pushes it at me and the poor thing was freaking out. I get a hold of it gently and calm it down and it is disgustingly greasy and dirty. He says to me that it is a mallard then says you know a Rouen then tells me it's a female. I look at the poor thing and it has the dark head and drake feather and tell him it's a drake and he says no you can't go by that the male ruffles the feathers of the females when they breed. This is a female and I look down again at this perfectly curled unruffled drake feather and feel horrible for all of the animals this guy has. I put the drake down and the guy grabs up another drake and tries to tell me it's a female. This drake is equally dirty. I look around and this pen that is supposed to have ducks in it they are selling is full of drakes except one duck that has a terribly deformed bill. The whole visit left me feeling sick to my stomach. I realize though that I am new to having ducks and so my question is... Are my instincts right about this guy being mean and neglectful or do I just super spoil my ducks?