Texas

[Starfire669]

I found my 6 chicken sized wooden eggs and will put them in the ducks nest box tomorrow before letting them out. If Ebony or another duck takes the bait and goes broody, how should I introduce the ducklings when I get them? Do I do a night swap like with a chicken?

 

[lisaterrell88]

We are looking into that option. But the neighbors fence ties to ours at the corner post, and then his neighbor. We can't electrify the whole streets fence. Plus we have an automatic gate in the center of our front fence line. Which means we need a power source for each side, and then figure out how to electrify the gate itself. The gate is the biggest issue. It is maybe 8 feet wide and opens sideways on rollers. That is difficult to figure out.

Yeah it is. Humm that is tricky.

 

[lisaterrell88]

Hi everyone! I'm in Crosby, Tx which is just Northeast of Houston by about 45 minutes.

I have ten chicks in a brooder right now, but I'd really like to add a couple of silkies to the bunch. Is there anyone here locally that might be able to help me find some?

Welcome from gustine tx

 

[Starfire669]

Yeah it is. Humm that is tricky.

It doesn't help that the dogs have dug under the gate. We packed gravel tightly under there, and the car and truck really smashed it down, but there is a gap under the gate where the wheel rolls. On top of that the gate slids between the fence and the posts that support the gate and the motor is right by those support posts. So it's packed pretty tight. I have poured more gravel, and I block up the hole everyday, but I'd rather have a hot wire running along the bottom of the gate and shock the dogs when they try to come under it, as well as hot wire on the top of the fence for jumpers. Blocking it up 2 times a day (when hubby goes and comes back from work) hurts my back.

 

[ShadowsFIAL]

Anyone raise toulouse geese, embden geese, royal palm turkeys, standard bronze turkeys, welsh harlequin ducks, mallard ducks, or muscovy ducks? I am planning ahead and trying to figure out how to set up breeding pens. I want to breed these guys later in life, but I am not sure how many ducks per drake, geese per gander, and hens per tom. With my chicken breeding pens I plan to have 1 rooster per 5 hens, but room for more. I plan on saving up to make a 100x30 building with 20 10x10 coops, and then each coop has a 10x40 run attached. Does this seem adequate? Mind you this is way, way, way in the future. Also what are some good feed recommendations for turkeys, ducks, and geese? Are there diets premade for them that are adequate, or is it simply game bird feed? Thanks much ahead of time!

 

[Starfire669]

Anyone raise toulouse geese, embden geese, royal palm turkeys, standard bronze turkeys, welsh harlequin ducks, mallard ducks, or muscovy ducks? I am planning ahead and trying to figure out how to set up breeding pens. I want to breed these guys later in life, but I am not sure how many ducks per drake, geese per gander, and hens per tom. With my chicken breeding pens I plan to have 1 rooster per 5 hens, but room for more. I plan on saving up to make a 100x30 building with 20 10x10 coops, and then each coop has a 10x40 run attached. Does this seem adequate? Mind you this is way, way, way in the future. Also what are some good feed recommendations for turkeys, ducks, and geese? Are there diets premade for them that are adequate, or is it simply game bird feed? Thanks much ahead of time!

I have no clue about turkeys, and have only had my ducks a week and 2 are now laying. But I have raised my geese from day olds. They are 11 weeks old now. The best feed for geese, other than hard to find waterfowl feed, is non-medicated flock raiser, this is what I was told to put my ducks on as well. Geese needs lots of grass, if they eat all the grass in their run, you have to provide it for them. Also goslings need niacin or they lose their legs and can die. (I lost one due to this). I put my goslings out on grass no later than 1 week old, and grass is their main diet. It is much easier to free range geese than pen raise because of how much grass they need. Romaine lettuce is a good source of niacin for them if you want to start a goose garden. Sprouting is another way to supplement their feed, but again they need young, short grass to eat, long grass can cause crop problms. Geese normally pair up for breeding, but can be kept in trios. The gander will pay more attention to his favorite though. geese also require water to dip their heads in and for mating. A kiddie pool is large enough, and watching them swim and play is very enjoyable.

Hope that helps with you figure out how to keep your geese. Here is a photo taken on May 30 of 6 of my 8 goslings. The youngest 2 are still too small to join the flock.

 

[SlipsWife]

Well it's only 3 hours each way to Abilene, TX. You can get Privett Hatchery chicks from our local ACCO Feed shop pretty much year-round. They have chicks coming in at least weekly this time of year and they'll try to order what you request if the hatchery can supply it any given week. Right now they have a couple hundred chicks of different varieties, some baby turkeys as of last week, and sometimes some ducklings. Call to see what they might have in stock or when their next order is coming in. http://www.jacksonbrosfeed.com/acco.html

Also, look at Abilene's Craigslist, http://abilene.craigslist.org/
There's a local fellow who has a few different breeds for sale just NW of Abilene at Tye, TX. He currently lists fertile eggs but you could check to see if he has any pullets or adults he'd part with. Seems one or more of my silkies is constantly broody anyway so fertile eggs are easy for me. I just let the broody chickens do the hard work.

Clyde, TX is just another 10 minutes East of Abilene. http://abilene.craigslist.org/grd/4432698959.html

-Erik

Thank you, I will check into those. The group I'm looking at are around 6 months and are silkied amerucana (spelling? lol). I tried hatching eggs and I think my dry hatch attempt shrink wrapped them, I added water at the end but it must have been to late.

 

[ShadowsFIAL]

I have no clue about turkeys, and have only had my ducks a week and 2 are now laying. But I have raised my geese from day olds. They are 11 weeks old now. The best feed for geese, other than hard to find waterfowl feed, is non-medicated flock raiser, this is what I was told to put my ducks on as well. Geese needs lots of grass, if they eat all the grass in their run, you have to provide it for them. Also goslings need niacin or they lose their legs and can die. (I lost one due to this). I put my goslings out on grass no later than 1 week old, and grass is their main diet. It is much easier to free range geese than pen raise because of how much grass they need. Romaine lettuce is a good source of niacin for them if you want to start a goose garden. Sprouting is another way to supplement their feed, but again they need young, short grass to eat, long grass can cause crop problms. Geese normally pair up for breeding, but can be kept in trios. The gander will pay more attention to his favorite though. geese also require water to dip their heads in and for mating. A kiddie pool is large enough, and watching them swim and play is very enjoyable.

Hope that helps with you figure out how to keep your geese. Here is a photo taken on May 30 of 6 of my 8 goslings. The youngest 2 are still too small to join the flock.

Do you think I would be ok with 2 ganders and 6 geese then? However I might just keep one trio. I plan on sodding wheat grass when my pens start losing turf. I might also seed patches and fence them off till they have grown in, and do this all around the pen. If I can I plan to free range my flocks when possible, but I can't trust the dogs I have now with birds unless I am out there, and I would like them to have free run of my property to keep predators and uninvited guests away.


On another note, would anyone like a good rodent killer? I have an almost three year old cat who has countless times caught mice, rats, rabbits, and a few small snakes. I mean small, like garter snakes.When I lived out in venus he was an outside cat, but when I moved to dallas I wanted to take him with me. He just doesn't work as an inside cat, he can't figure out he is only supposed to pee in the litter box. He used to get fed once a day when he was an outside cat, in the morning in case he didn't get successful that day, so not much food. If anyone wants to give this guy a home let me know. I can tell you for sure he has drug rabbits into the yard and bedroom for my husband haha. He left my chickens alone, though I didn't have chicks running about, so not sure how he would do with little things. Him and my other cat used to sun bathe with the chickens in the yard. I can get pictures up later, but he is a light grey with slightly darker grey marbling tabby with a white belly, feet and lips. He also has some peach on his cheeks and he has green eyes. He is a sweet boy, I just can't have him peeing on my bed and clothes any more.

 

[RustedOak]

Who was it that posted a "how to" on how they made their pvc chicken waterer attached to a rain barrel awhile back? I'd like to go back and look at that because I want to do something similar but don't want to skim through a couple thousand posts lol

 

[Starfire669]

Do you think I would be ok with 2 ganders and 6 geese then? However I might just keep one trio. I plan on sodding wheat grass when my pens start losing turf. I might also seed patches and fence them off till they have grown in, and do this all around the pen. If I can I plan to free range my flocks when possible, but I can't trust the dogs I have now with birds unless I am out there, and I would like them to have free run of my property to keep predators and uninvited guests away.


On another note, would anyone like a good rodent killer? I have an almost three year old cat who has countless times caught mice, rats, rabbits, and a few small snakes. I mean small, like garter snakes.When I lived out in venus he was an outside cat, but when I moved to dallas I wanted to take him with me. He just doesn't work as an inside cat, he can't figure out he is only supposed to pee in the litter box. He used to get fed once a day when he was an outside cat, in the morning in case he didn't get successful that day, so not much food. If anyone wants to give this guy a home let me know. I can tell you for sure he has drug rabbits into the yard and bedroom for my husband haha. He left my chickens alone, though I didn't have chicks running about, so not sure how he would do with little things. Him and my other cat used to sun bathe with the chickens in the yard. I can get pictures up later, but he is a light grey with slightly darker grey marbling tabby with a white belly, feet and lips. He also has some peach on his cheeks and he has green eyes. He is a sweet boy, I just can't have him peeing on my bed and clothes any more.

You can have more than 1 gander, but they must be separated or have a very large place to roam during breeding season. The ganders will fight for the females, and can seriously injure each other. Some females, especially those raised as sisters are said to be able to share nests and parent duties, but it isn't unheard of for the females to fight over eggs and goslings, which can lead to smashed eggs and dead goslings. According to books i read, 1 gander can cover 4 geese, but experianced goose owners say that trios are the most they have done. Once the gander pairs with his goose, they are bonded, the gander may breed another female but he only helps his mate raise the goslings. Once paired, separating them is impossible. Usually pairing occurs at their 2nd year, first year geese are not good breeders or parents. Geese when grazing pull stuff out, root and all. If their grazing area is too small it will soon become bare earth. My ducks also do this. They prefer young, tender grass which is even easier to pull out by the roots. Maybe making a couple grazing pen that you can put the geese in and block them out of will help keep them in grass. Geese are very easy to herd, and if raised by hand will follow you anywhere just by calling them. Mine follow me everywhere around the yard, I am not allowed out of their sight, lol. I call "here goose, goose, goose" and they come running with wings spread, which is touching and beautiful to watch. There are some excellent goose threads here, it's were I learned all about geese when my baby girls got sick and died. There is also The Book of Geese by Dave Holderread (sorry for misspelling, loaned it to brother in law after he was having geese issues with the pair I gave him as a early b-day present). I started a thread called Baby goslings, care and questions. I gave a short summary of carin for goslings and what to look out for, after the death of my girl Tiny. Other geese owners have chimed in and added to what knowledge I had. The best thing I can tell you is that geese form bonds, with you and each other and they show it. My goose Jas (can't tell if it's Jasmine or Jasper yet, lol) looks for me and climbs in my lap to snuggle!

As for your cat. Lock him in your bathroom and try a litter called yesterday's news.yesterdays news is also excellent for cats that are injured as there is no sand to get into wounds, I use it everytime i have anycat spay/neutered, be it a feral cat or a tame one. Another great litter my indoor kittens LOVE is precious cat. Precious cat clumps like cement, and it does not smell at all! It is by far my favorite litter. But when you can't keep an eye on him, put him in your bathroom, it is tiled and can be easily mopped. With less stuff laying around he will also be more likely to use the litter box. You will need to go in and spend time with him, let him out for supervised play time. But you can get him to understand where he is supposed to do his business. It will just take a while because he was an outside cat.