Rav's Duckumentary - Call duckling babies (pic heavy)

[WVduckchick]

LOL. The Pond just got way too busy for my poor brain. I always feel lost in there. But I miss everyone!

You are doing such a great job with your calls. They are adorable!

Sure do miss you!

 

[WVduckchick]

Seriously behind updating this thread...

Some of the Snowy's for this years breeding...

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Cuteness and Dex...



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Brooke, Cuteness and a Grey...



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Bella...



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Snap...



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Trinity and Button...



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Currently unnamed pair...



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Another currently unnamed pair...

They are all soooo gorgeous! I can't wait to see some offspring this year. IF mine ever start laying again!

@Ruralhideaway You may also want to visit here - https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/♥-♥-♥-show-off-your-call-ducks-♥-♥-♥.1212693/page-67

More call ducky pics!!

 

[Ravynscroft]

He's wheezing quieter. No sneezy sounds. I'm still worried a bit but no one else is sick. Been down with the flu, got up a bit more today to no hay, no grain, dog has a hot spot, no groceries, uggghhh. All taken care of, I'll spend extra time with him tomorrow.

So call ducks. I've owned maybe a half dozen, all aquired as adults. I adore them. Disclaimer, I was a real idiot about birds, owned everything, knew nothing. Trying to do better!
1. None were ever tame, even after owning long term. Can I expect better if I raise them? I don't need to hug them but come eat from my hand maybe?
2. Some flew away. Either soon after getting them or 6 months or so later. They flew exuberantly often, then just kept going. Is even partial free ranging just not safe with calls? Someone told me they have to be pinioned. I know nothing about that.
3. Will I have to hatch them to get babies or are they commonly shipped? I have limited hatching experience although I was fairly successful, but long ago. No incubator presently. Owning one could be, well, dangerous.
4. I am considering 2-3 geese as well. Opinions on amount of cohabitation or outdoor mingling possible?

I lied, that's 3 compound dumb questions.
Edit, 4 questions but who's counting. Thanks in advance.

Glad he is better, wish he would clear up though... sorry about the flu, I feel your misery, it is absolutely awful...

1. Hand raising ducklings, yes, they will be much, much more social with you... Calls imprint super easy, in fact you have to be careful about raising a singleton imprinted as it is much harder to teach it to be a duck, lol... they'll become teenagers and go through a 'don't touch me' phase, but once they hit maturity/POL, they really get more friendly then... some may just eat out of your hand, some will snuggle... I have the range from ones that would rather not be touched, some that do, and some that asked to be held...

2. I free range mine, no problem... you need to be careful of hawks and other predators, but mine fly but have never *flown away*... personally, I am against pinioning... you can trim flight feathers if needed, those will grow back...

3. No ethical Call breeder will ship Call ducklings, sorry... and only a couple hatcheries offer them... I *do not* recommend getting Call ducklings shipped, they *do not* ship well at all... local ducklings, eggs, started juvies or adults would be best...

4. If the geese and Calls are raised together, yes, they will do fine together... I still recommend separate sleeping houses, but just for safety of the Calls getting stepped on by an adult goose... @Pyxis has a gander with her Calls, I believe, and can tell you more... btw, you *might* be close enough to her for a meetup for ducklings, just fyi...

 

[Pyxis]

@Pyxis has a gander with her Calls, I believe, and can tell you more... btw, you *might* be close enough to her for a meetup for ducklings, just fyi...

Yes I do And Zilla loves his Calls. They grew up together:

He loves his ducks. They live together in the coop and do very well. I've never had issues with my geese and my ducks getting along. Zilla will hopefully get a girlfriend this year and the pair will live with the Calls.

 

[Pyxis]

@Ruralhideaway if you're close enough to make the drive over to me, I could hatch Calls and tufted Roman geese for you at the same time so you could raise them together

 

[Ruralhideaway]

Awful flu! I got Tamiflu and bouncing back quick luckily.

So sounds like normal range of duck friendliness, that's fine for me. The auction purchased adults never really even got calm.

I actually saw these guys fly away more than once, no telling what got them after that sadly. I checked all the local ponds and have a creek here but who knows how far they went. I don't want future ducks nor geese in that creek if possible, there are occasionally mink. They always want to sleep in the creek though. Not sure how to avoid them finding it, its 300ft from the barn. Worth considering.

I'd be thrilled to find ducklings within meeting distance. No desire to ship if it's not safe. Just because an incubator is a bad idea doesn't mean i don't want one! I spent 2 days recently carefully helping a chick that did poorly in shipping, a big sturdy Marans. Easy to imagine the issues in such itty bitty babies.

I'd worry about big gawky goslings trampling then when they are little? Would you try to stagger so the calls are a bit older? Separate houses not a problem, haven't even started planning for this yet, can build to suit. I think they don't need big houses if they have other shelter?

Could they day share a covered run with chickens? Do they even need covered areas in the winter? I used to have to insist on ducks going into the barn at night even in storms.

@Pyxis How cute is that! He's so dignified in that sea of ducklings. I'm closer to Buffalo but hubby is in Albany and Saratoga weekly. Then again any excuse for a road trip!

I'm paranoid because I had a muscovy kill a gosling once. Crushed flat. He was called the rapist after that.

 

[WVduckchick]

Yes I do And Zilla loves his Calls. They grew up together:

He loves his ducks. They live together in the coop and do very well. I've never had issues with my geese and my ducks getting along. Zilla will hopefully get a girlfriend this year and the pair will live with the Calls.

How much bigger is Zilla than them now? Any recent pics?

 

[Pyxis]

I'd worry about big gawky goslings trampling then when they are little? Would you try to stagger so the calls are a bit older? Separate houses not a problem, haven't even started planning for this yet, can build to suit. I think they don't need big houses if they have other shelter?

I was never worried about the goslings trampling the ducklings. Tufted Romans are little geese. He did end up growing faster than them, but he was careful of his little charges. Here's a picture with them together when they were a little older and he was starting to outpace them growth-wise:

So he did grow faster and much larger than them but he never hurt any of them.

@Pyxis How cute is that! He's so dignified in that sea of ducklings. I'm closer to Buffalo but hubby is in Albany and Saratoga weekly. Then again any excuse for a road trip!

Saratoga is about an hour and 15 minutes from me Perhaps we could meet up in Fort Ann at Walkers.

How much bigger is Zilla than them now? Any recent pics?

I really need to get some current pictures of them together, lol. Best I have for size comparison are these pictures with them all around the water bucket:

Zilla to the right, a Call to his left, then a pekin, then another Call, then a WH drake at the bottom of the picture.

In this one Jujube, who is a Call, is pretty much right underneath him, lol:

 

[Ruralhideaway]

Tufted Romans aren't very big as geese go are they? Probably exactly what I need.

 

[Pyxis]

Tufted Romans aren't very big as geese go are they? Probably exactly what I need.

They're the smallest domestic breed of goose