Support Group for Abused Duck Keepers

[Ilovemychicks08]

Exotic or avian is okay, but not everyone has access to one, I'm pretty lucky that I found this one, the second nearest is over an hours drive away

I dont have avian or exotic vets within 2 hours of me...

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

I'm not feeling too good today, but had a really good cuddle with Sprightly. She just stood letting me stroke her and giving her kisses while she nibbled my trouser. She's such a sweetheart
She's probably confused why I keep "pecking" her head, but just let's me

I observed some abusive behaviour though, while out. Dougie was vibrating at Spright everytime I offered her food! Jeez some dominance or something going on there. I held her back so Spright could eat her share, and my arm relieved the brunt of Dougie's wrath
She wasn't being that bad, just super hormonal. I'll keep an eye on that tomorrow!

I hope you feel better!

 

[BelovedBirds]

I hope you feel better!

The Sprightly cuddles helped!

 

[Corbdee]

Stopped getting notifs

 

[Nero70002]

Today I’m taking out the towels from the ducklings brooder, and putting in the wood shavings. Is there anything I can use to clean it that’s duckling safe? Also here’s where I’m putting the duckling pictures. I’ll take them daily, but might update every other day, since I’ll have to go through the pictures. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/new-chicks.1565550/page-2#post-26698687
I’m also going to start adding the nutritional yeast, broiler booster, and quik chik to their food (kalmbachs 20% flock maker crumbles). Their food bowl has a capacity of 7 ounces. How much of each would I put into a full bowl? Also my friend says she would die for them, and to give them lots of kisses. I think they’ll be named figgy, blackberry, and mango, but I still want more fruit name ideas. Also do I really need to listen to all the safety things on each packet? And does it actually need to be mixed fresh daily; because I only have 3 ducklings, and I don’t think they’ll drink it all.
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The yeast is 1tbs to 1cup feed
I haven’t used the drink ones but maybe just do 1/4 packet per day In a smaller water bowl as I don’t think you would be using the bigger buckets yet
I use pine shavings and have for almost 2 years no issues

I have other food bowls I can put the water in, but they only hold 6-7 ounces. The waterer is 101 ounces, but I fill it halfway so it doesn’t spill. Still the same amount for the broiler booster and quik chik? Also towel is for me to sit on, they like laying on it. I fold it in half when I’m not there so they don’t poop on the top.
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So for the yeast, quik chik, and broiler booster, the yeast goes in the food (a little less than a tablespoon for 7 ounces), and 1/4 of each packet per day in 50 ounces of water? For 3, 1 week old welsh harlequins.

 

[Corbdee]

I'm not feeling too good today, but had a really good cuddle with Sprightly. She just stood letting me stroke her and giving her kisses while she nibbled my trouser. She's such a sweetheart
She's probably confused why I keep "pecking" her head, but just let's me

I observed some abusive behaviour though, while out. Dougie was vibrating at Spright everytime I offered her food! Jeez some dominance or something going on there. I held her back so Spright could eat her share, and my arm relieved the brunt of Dougie's wrath
She wasn't being that bad, just super hormonal. I'll keep an eye on that tomorrow!

Aw I'm sorry, thats cute about Spright, though! Anyone know what that vibrating is? My old ducks did that when I'd introduce someone new up close

 

[BelovedBirds]

So for the yeast, quik chik, and broiler booster, the yeast goes in the food (a little less than a tablespoon for 7 ounces), and 1/4 of each packet per day in 50 ounces of water? For 3, 1 week old welsh harlequins.

I don't use these units lol
For the yeast, you mean nutritional yeast right?

 

[BelovedBirds]

Aw I'm sorry, thats cute about Spright, though! Anyone know what that vibrating is? My old ducks did that when I'd introduce someone new up close

The neck vibrating can indicate different things depending on context, it's generally when they get an overload of hormones or emotions. So they may do it when scared, when being dominant, when excited etc.
Usually my girls do it to me when excited or anxious. But it seems they usually do it to eachother as a dominance or anxious thing, especially around food they both want.

 

[Nero70002]

I don't use these units lol
For the yeast, you mean nutritional yeast right?

Yes, I can just Google the conversion if you know how much it is for you though.

 

[Corbdee]

On day 19 with the duck eggs, candled on day 14 with only one quitter and am now with 13 viable, but good lord I'm so nervous about any hatching. Their air cells might not be right and that's because of a problem with my incubator.

I guess I also am getting confused about how RH works. Every few days I'll refill the canals with water, and originally I'd do a whole kettle worth (like 250ml or something Idrk) but then I realized that right away the rh would shoot up to 75% or there abouts, so lately I've only done the smallest little bit of water, maybe 50ml, but I can't seem to get the humidity down to 55%, really at all this hatch. The only difference with doing less and less is that it runs back down to about 30% RH faster, which is when it's empty. I Considered converting to dry hatch but as I've seen, with no water in the canals it only gets to 30%.

So do y'all know how exactly RH works? I've heard that its based on surface area or something but I never really made sense of it. I've always just kept refilling the canals once they got empty and had it even out.