question to all who sell hatching eggs?

[aberfitch]

what beauties. do you need a place for them to swim. or can you raise them like chickens?

 

[Calebs Acre]

P.S. I wish my geese were that clean!!!!!

 

[Tailfeathers]

Hi,

I can't speak to waterfowl yet with regard to fertility as I've been so swamped with my chickens that I just ain't gonna get around to breeding my ducks or Pilgrims this year.

However, I thought since nobody mentioned this, I'd mention it. With chickens, I put the cocks over the hens and make sure I see them mate at least 2x. Then I wait two days, crack the egg open and check it for fertility. If you're not familiar with that, there is a great thread on here that shows pics on how to make the determination.

There is some debate on the length of storage but hens will store a rooster's seed for (most say) up to two weeks. Some say longer, some say shorter. So I take my roosters out and then put them back in after a week. So far, I've had no fertility problems doing this.

A search on here or Google would probably tell you in short order if the same holds true for waterfowl.

Hope that helps.

God Bless,

 

[virginbred]

Quote:
we have a 2 acre pond...this is my set up for the babies...

i have to move them in and out every day...2 bamboo poles work wonders...and i always carry my trusty crab net catcher for the escapees...here is the pond...

 

[1lpoock]

Thats a very beautiful pond...and awesome ducks!

 

[PQ]

Tell me the secert to keeping the weeds out of the pond we try like heck but nothing is working. We dont want to use anything that could harm the fish.

 

[virginbred]

we stocked the pond with 20 sterile grass carp and my husband fertilizes the pond every other year...it keeps the water murky which won't allow the weeds to grow...plus the ducks and geese eat weeds which also helps...since it is ground water fed the fountain keeps the water aerated...we have large mouth bass, bream, catfish and hybrid stripers...here is a pic of some of the lunker bream i caught...

 

[aberfitch]

OMG I am so jealous! Beautiful land and fish!

 

[PQ]

Quote:
What are you using for fertilizer? We do have ducks and keep pond stocked with large mouth bass, rainbow trout, and of course cat fish. We to have a type of fountain. Do the grass carp help with the weeds or is that just one of your stocked to catch fish. Also can they make it through winter well?
Oh yes, by the way the fish are beautiful.

 

[virginbred]

we use 10-10-10 fertilizer in the pond...about 4-5 bags in our 2 acre pond...the grass carp are not for catching just to eat grass and algae...they have never bitten anything we've fished with...we originally put 20 in and last i saw had 16...we do have bald eagles, osprey, and herons who fish the pond on a regular basis...the pond has several places that are 20-25 ft deep but for the most part it's 8-15 ft deep...how big is your pond and how is it fed?

oh yes...the carp make it through the winter here with no problems...ours are 5 yrs old now...big too about 3 feet long