**~~>>Second Annual Cinco de Mayo Turkey Hatchathon<<~~**all poultry welcome!

[Arielle]

Quote: A youngster needs a willing partner to work on his skills. And he needs to earn his way to the top of the pecking order. A tall order for a youngster.

 

[debs_flock]

Quote: The biggest help with the mess is I'm good friends with the livestock supt. at the CA State Fair. She wanted to borrow ducks for the display for the public. I delivered 16 ten day old ducklings to her (half pekin and half runner). They took care of them, fed them and cleaned up after them.

I just picked them up today (fair is over on Sunday and they were sick of them, LOL). I brought them home and just put them into an outside pen. They aren't feathered yet, but the weather has been nearly 100 degrees around here.

They will now be mudballs until they move into the freezer.

 

[Arielle]

Glad to hear 16 weeks is a good time for ducks to go to freezer camp. I just put eggs under my determined muscovy. THought she was done as she was laying again after a failed attempt that netted only 2 ducklings . . . . guess she is up to the job. . . . as long as I can have them gone by Christmas.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

The biggest help with the mess is I'm good friends with the livestock supt. at the CA State Fair. She wanted to borrow ducks for the display for the public. I delivered 16 ten day old ducklings to her (half pekin and half runner). They took care of them, fed them and cleaned up after them.

I just picked them up today (fair is over on Sunday and they were sick of them, LOL). I brought them home and just put them into an outside pen. They aren't feathered yet, but the weather has been nearly 100 degrees around here.

They will now be mudballs until they move into the freezer.

That was an excellent idea! Ducks are fine in coolish temperatures. I kept my ducklings in the basement where it was about 70 degrees, without a heat lamp and gave them water to swim in, too. They are much hardier than chicks. Mine also move outside in winter... in Maine around 6 weeks. I'm sure yours will be fine.

Glad to hear 16 weeks is a good time for ducks to go to freezer camp. I just put eggs under my determined muscovy. THought she was done as she was laying again after a failed attempt that netted only 2 ducklings . . . . guess she is up to the job. . . . as long as I can have them gone by Christmas.

It depends on the breed, but my Cinco de Mayo pekin is gigantic, and she doesn't get fed that well. Not that I'm starving her, mind you, but she was raised by a broody chicken, and still thinks she is a chicken. She spends all day trying to get into the chicken run, and stares forlornly at all the chickens. The rest of the duck flock doesn't really like her, and she doesn't like them. Her food is with the duck flock, though. When I let the chickens out to free range I find her in the chicken coop at night hoping I won't notice that she doesn't belong. I guess my point is, if you feed them well and they're a large breed, they should be ready by 16 weeks. This picture is from July 1st, you can see she's happy scratching away with her social group. That's my mostly full sized flock, with a few exceptions, plus last years CdM turkeys.

 

[Arielle]

Muscovys-- should work out if I feed them well.

 

[Wisher1000]

SCG! Let that duck be a chicken if she wants! It's not a lifestyle choice, she was born that way! Bless her heart.........

 

[chiques chicks]

SCG! Let that duck be a chicken if she wants! It's not a lifestyle choice, she was born that way! Bless her heart.........

ROFL! Thanks, I needed that this morning!

 

[gryeyes]

I am now able to definitely say my Narragansett poult is Nigel, not Nancy. Not sure he knows he's a turkey, as he's got a major case of hero worship on Kevin the peacock. First it was to be able to perch on the top of the five foot garden fence like Kevin. Then it was balance walk along the top of that fence (it's made from conduit pipe and chicken wire only intended to protect the garden from poultry) to the pergola and perch there, just like Kevin. Then it was fly to the deck cover and perch THERE like a vulture, always looking down at the action in the yard. Like Kevin.

THEN he learned to follow Kevin to the roof of the house.

He hasn't managed to fly to the coop roof from the house, yet, or fly into any trees to perch. Kevin's latest trick it to maneuver through tree branches to perch on the power drop to the house from the PG&E utility light post (on my property), then fly to the TOP of that post and roost on the street lamp itself. That's on the side of the house opposite the garden side, where Nigel was raised and is is most comfortable.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

SCG! Let that duck be a chicken if she wants! It's not a lifestyle choice, she was born that way! Bless her heart.........

I would have no problem with it if she wouldn't dig in the dirt and then the water. Makes a nasty mess for the biddy waterer. It's going to especially be a problem in winter, when it will cause large monolithic sheets of ice to form on the coop floor that won't melt until probably March.

As is, the duck house is a icy disaster in the winter. I'd like to try and keep unnatural glaciers confined to one area for safety sake. Goodness knows I fell enough last year just in the driveway and yard thanks to Mother Nature...

 

[Arielle]

Quote: I keep water action small in the winter, as long as the beak can get in a sm tub of water, like the top of a cake carrier . . . .and fill the sand box every once in a while with cool water for a swim . . . .Keeps water issues down to a minimum. I have muscovey, if that makes a diff and they live in the hen house.