Show off your house ducks!

[LadyHawkeAvry]

Building like a madwoman.... New pens, an indoor aviary, half a shed up...
Missy is in the pen of shame today after sneaking into the hatchery and killing quail cots. She is surprisingly cool about it...
Pale girl's leg improved wonderfully. She was walking with only a slight limp but still had swelling. She even started to lay again!!! Then I walked out one morning to find her with a huge cloacal prolapse. There was no reducing something that bad, and I made the hard choice to put her down. Her flock protected her until the end - it was very hard to even get to her because the rest of the group ran interference. It was one of the most heartbreaking things I ever had to do - and I felt awful catching her and carrying her off. She was one of the last of my hatchery birds, and it showed with the constant health issues. She was bred to be eaten at 8 weeks and not to be raised to roam free and live a long life...
In the meantime I have buckets full of young imprints (which makes Missy super jealous), all demanding attention 24/7.
Missy will be so happy when the hatching season ends I'm sure! She also bullies my 85 year old mother when she wants her food, and has gotten into the habit of biting her until she gets what she wants...
There is a duckling yelling for me - I can hear it from outside... But I had to take the geese out to graze... Still have to set up another brooder bucket (#5 I believe), then quality time with Missy so she is less inclined to kill the other birds in the house....

 

[Amykins]

Oh Lady, I'm so sorry...poor Pale Girl. My heart broke reading this. At least she's not suffering anymore, and she had an awesome life with you and all her wonderfully supportive flockmates. Why is Missy trying to kill the baby buttons? They're awfully tiny, is it a jealousy thing or are they just so small she views them as food?

 

[LadyHawkeAvry]

Oh Lady, I'm so sorry...poor Pale Girl. My heart broke reading this. At least she's not suffering anymore, and she had an awesome life with you and all her wonderfully supportive flockmates. Why is Missy trying to kill the baby buttons? They're awfully tiny, is it a jealousy thing or are they just so small she views them as food?

She may view them as food. Our singleton khaki campbell tried to eat them as well. Missy is very aggressive to any other birds, no matter what the size. She still won't go out back, but she has certainly turned the tables and become a force to be reckoned with. MissBehavin is still an obscenely appropriate name for her!! Hopefully my Holderread order will have a drake, because she will make an excellent mother and will defend her ducklings well. I'm getting her used to the Inner Sanctum pen, because it has plenty of nesting boxes, and is still technically inside the house.
She also single handedly put the rooster that attacks everyone firmly in his place today...

 

[Reese7383]

Wow, it's been a while since I've been on the site. I just recently started working full time. SOOO much to catch up with. I can't decide where to begin.

Congratulations to all the new members.
And Hello to everyone else.
Happy weekend.

@LadyHawkeAvry, am so sorry to hear about pale girl. A loss is never really easy to deal with.

Glad to see all the pictures of happy ducks growing up! Its been quite an adventure for me.
My mixed flock (all ducks) are finally getting along and have accepted each other and snuggle most of the time, even in the heat, save little Nyne (maybe a mallard not rouen) she gets left out but never seen more than a few feet away.
My two Pekins, the oldest of the bunch at 8wks, fully feathered (and have just started moulting, THANK GOODNESS I READ THIS THREAD OTHWISE I WOULD HAVE FREAKED OUT) anyway, they - Frank and bean (almost 100% F is a Drake and B is a duck) seem to have taken over as the two seniors of the group. It doesn't seem as if anyone else minds. They all tromp happily after the two.
I still wish I knew what breed this one is... the brown one. And the grey with the bib...

The rest are Rouens /mallards, and my one runner.
Greyfeather who had "shakey leg" a few weeks back still comes inside at nite. Although I add brewers yeast to their food in the morning, I like to know he's getting a good share of vitimanins. He's a very spoiled bed duck, and seems to love it!

AAHHHHHH I could go on and on about the babies! But I think I'll stop for now.

Enjoy the pictures. Oh - @Juliebird, I think of you often as greyfeather and I are snuggled in bed.

I think DH is getting tired of having a bed duck! I'll invest in a diaper or learn to make one soon.

 

[Amykins]

Wow, it's been a while since I've been on the site. I just recently started working full time. SOOO much to catch up with. I can't decide where to begin.

Congratulations to all the new members.
And Hello to everyone else.
Happy weekend.

@LadyHawkeAvry , am so sorry to hear about pale girl. A loss is never really easy to deal with.

Glad to see all the pictures of happy ducks growing up! Its been quite an adventure for me.
My mixed flock (all ducks) are finally getting along and have accepted each other and snuggle most of the time, even in the heat, save little Nyne (maybe a mallard not rouen) she gets left out but never seen more than a few feet away.
My two Pekins, the oldest of the bunch at 8wks, fully feathered (and have just started moulting, THANK GOODNESS I READ THIS THREAD OTHWISE I WOULD HAVE FREAKED OUT) anyway, they - Frank and bean (almost 100% F is a Drake and B is a duck) seem to have taken over as the two seniors of the group. It doesn't seem as if anyone else minds. They all tromp happily after the two.
I still wish I knew what breed this one is... the brown one. And the grey with the bib...



The rest are Rouens /mallards, and my one runner.
Greyfeather who had "shakey leg" a few weeks back still comes inside at nite. Although I add brewers yeast to their food in the morning, I like to know he's getting a good share of vitimanins. He's a very spoiled bed duck, and seems to love it!

AAHHHHHH I could go on and on about the babies! But I think I'll stop for now.

Enjoy the pictures. Oh - @Juliebird , I think of you often as greyfeather and I are snuggled in bed.




I think DH is getting tired of having a bed duck! I'll invest in a diaper or learn to make one soon.

Heyyyy, another Bean! <3 I could use all the happy ducky photos you've got, because I just learned that Pancake passed away last week. So that means none of the babies I hatched out made it. I've been feeling down ever since. Poor Alicia must be gutted.

I love lil' Greyfeather just hanging out on your bed! But yes, a diaper really is a godsend when dealing with a bed-duck.

 

[AmandaVirginia]

Heyyyy, another Bean! <3 I could use all the happy ducky photos you've got, because I just learned that Pancake passed away last week. So that means none of the babies I hatched out made it. I've been feeling down ever since. Poor Alicia must be gutted. 

I love lil' Greyfeather just hanging out on your bed! But yes, a diaper really is a godsend when dealing with a bed-duck.

Oh no! What happened to Pancake?!

 

[Reese7383]

@Amykins yesss what happened to pancake? If it's not to hard to discuss... and I've got tons of duckie pics to share, I just didn't want to overwhelm the thread.

And for Greyfeather.. I'm pretty lucky, he gets his last meal of the note at about 9/10pm, crumbles with brewers yeast topped with some peas and shredded cheese. I believe the cheese binds him up a bit and lessens the amount of poo through the nite. I lay down with him at about 12-1 once he's fully settled from coming in, and I spot clean his messes as needed. Usually I end up waking periodically to clean up anything that's happens while I've been asleep, but honestly by 5/6am when he wakes me (which is all too cute how he does it, little pecks and peeps on my cheek and neck, him resting his head on my pillow pecking my nose...followed by some angry pecks and loud peeps if I don't get up in time).

I've been thinking about integrating him back outside with the rest, cause honestly I think it's taking a toll on my relationship with DH. But I'm so torn! Grey and I have bonded so much I'd be heartbroken! I'm sure he would recover much quicker than I.

 

[LadyHawkeAvry]

@Amykins yesss what happened to pancake? If it's not to hard to discuss... and I've got tons of duckie pics to share, I just didn't want to overwhelm the thread.

And for Greyfeather.. I'm pretty lucky, he gets his last meal of the note at about 9/10pm, crumbles with brewers yeast topped with some peas and shredded cheese. I believe the cheese binds him up a bit and lessens the amount of poo through the nite. I lay down with him at about 12-1 once he's fully settled from coming in, and I spot clean his messes as needed. Usually I end up waking periodically to clean up anything that's happens while I've been asleep, but honestly by 5/6am when he wakes me (which is all too cute how he does it, little pecks and peeps on my cheek and neck, him resting his head on my pillow pecking my nose...followed by some angry pecks and loud peeps if I don't get up in time).

I've been thinking about integrating him back outside with the rest, cause honestly I think it's taking a toll on my relationship with DH. But I'm so torn! Grey and I have bonded so much I'd be heartbroken! I'm sure he would recover much quicker than I.

I use drop cloths - I layer every part of the bed except for where my head sticks out. I use them everywhere, especially with imprints galore! Missy has her diaper, and is SO PROUD when she manages to get it off. I cover the floors and the furniture in the hatchery room with them, and throw them in the wash at the end of the day! With a single bird, diapers are the way to go though! I love the wake up taps. I replaced the fouton mattress in the hatchery with a sectional, and am missing waking up to a duck on my head.. Unlike Shorty, who yells to be let up onto the couch for cuddles, Missy hasn't figured the couch thing out...

Missy's siblings call for her daily now. They come to the back door and try to coax her out. Even when she is in the big inner sanctum pen, they call to her through the open door. She talks back, but won't even look outside.
While Narcissus has mellowed (Aramis took over the flock), and her mother is decidedly more friendly, Missy has become a feathered terror to any bird that crosses her path, no matter how big.... as long as they are inside...

 

[Amykins]

Oh no!

What happened to Pancake?!

I'm not really sure. Alicia said she just came out one morning and he was dead in the pool. Poor Ali...if I'm taking it this hard, I can't believe how terribly she must feel. He was her little chocolate baby. :/ I feel so horrible. She loved him so much...

 

[duckies1230]

My ducks live inside, in their "bed" I put the pine shavings as bedding. Most people say straw is better but I'm thinking that's for outside ducks in their pen. I want whatever is more comfortable for them. Any suggestions? I'm gonna be leaving as soon as tsc opens, my kids need mealworms, they aren't too happy right now. So I need to know asap! Thanks!!!