Texas

[LightningTFarm]

I don't have a pond, just a couple of kiddie pools. I just tump them over every day and refill with the hose. Very easy, even in the summer! I do try to put them in the shade, so the water doesn't get too hot. They love them, cleaning off in them, just hanging around, and mating in them like crazy. At least they are not very deep so I don't have to worry so much about the drakes accidentally drowning one of my ducks during their enthusiastic mating sessions.

If you want to see something scary, search "ballistic penis" on the web. It's all about duck mating, but be warned it could scar you for life!

 

[RachaelS]

Quote: From the ad it sounds like they are ordering them from someone, could be Ideal.

 

[RachaelS]

I don't have a pond, just a couple of kiddie pools. I just tump them over every day and refill with the hose. Very easy, even in the summer! I do try to put them in the shade, so the water doesn't get too hot. They love them, cleaning off in them, just hanging around, and mating in them like crazy. At least they are not very deep so I don't have to worry so much about the drakes accidentally drowning one of my ducks during their enthusiastic mating sessions.

If you want to see something scary, search "ballistic penis" on the web. It's all about duck mating, but be warned it could scar you for life!

I am on rain water, so filling up a kiddie pool would be expensive during the summer

. Can you post pics of your guys, would love to see them! I am going to have to search that when the kids go to bed

 

[LightningTFarm]

I call this picture "Break Out The Margarita Machine - She's Filling The Pool!!!"


I need to take some new photos, as this one is old. It cracked me up, though, the way they all lined up around the pool to watch me fill it. This was when I just had Welsh Harlequins and one Cayuga. That drake with the really wide neck ring went into the gumbo pot.

This was one of the bigger kiddie pools, and my dad helped me put a drain on it. At the time it was in the run on the duck house so I couldn't just tump it over. I still have this pool and a small kiddie pool, but they are both just outside now. This one is about dead, so when I replace it in the spring I think I will just get another small pool. I will try to take some new pictures this week, that show the Welsh Harlequins, the Saxonies, and the two White Appleyards I still have.

 

[gameandmore]

From the ad it sounds like they are ordering them from someone, could be Ideal.

I saw the add and it thosesound like they order them from somewhere but could be wrong and honestly sounds like a fun trip.

 

[Ms Jellybean]

Where are you in north texas? Maybe we could carpool together? I want to get a two or three birds from her myself!

This is their add for what they have right now. =) LINK

I'm in McKinney, but I can't get chickens this year. I had to pay for a roof. :/ I love the roof though.

How funny, if I ever get Ducks these are the guys I want. Have had my eye on them for a year now

. I just wish I had a pond. I know you don't HAVE to have one, but cleaning out a water source seems hard during the summer.

The city park around a lake here has Muscovy ducks. I think some are mixed with other ducks. The lake is dumping ground for "Easter ducks". We have an interesting mix of ducks and geese there.

 

[mi2bugz]

Have any of you heard of ChickenvilleUSA? I found them on CL this week and their birds have vaccines. I was wondering if anyone had ever gotten birds from them. They are in Terrel, Tx. =)

Since we are only 30 mins or so from there we got our 4 chicks from there. They were all in good health and 1 day old, They only carry certain breeds (all of which can withstand the Texas heat). One thing they told me is that they don't carry white leghorns because they stand out as prey to hawks. So they make sure to be able to start you off on the right foot. Very knowledgeable, helpful and tell it like it is. We ARE going back for more once we set up our quarantine area. She even gives you emailed info to help start you off and tells you to call with any questions. I don't remember if we stated we wanted 4 girls or not BUT we did end up with 1 roo. We got a barred Plymouth Rock, New Hampshire red, speckled Sussex and a silver laced Wyandotte.

 

[RachaelS]

Quote:
It sure does! One of the good (if you can call it that) things is the chicks they are selling will be the ones healthy and strong enough to survive the shipping. Sorry, did not mean to come off sounding negative. I like Ideal chicks and the company, just wanted to say, I don't think this person is hatching them themselves.

 

[mi2bugz]

It sure does!  One of the good (if you can call it that) things is the chicks they are selling will be the ones healthy and strong enough to survive the shipping. Sorry, did not mean to come off sounding negative.  I like Ideal chicks and the company, just wanted to say, I don't think this person is hatching them themselves.

No they are not hatching them their selves. They told me the shipment I got mine from was a shipment of 600! If i remember correctly they hatch one day and they arrive the next.

 

[jajeanpierre]

We have food safe blue barrels for our rain barrels. One of days I might paint them so they look nicer. I'd like to have more barrels too. Long term goal is a cistern for rain barrel run off storage.

Even at our old place down in central TX where we had trees and more water, we really tried to do xeriscaping for any landscaping plants that we used. If I am going to give water to something, I prefer to save that precious commodity for growing things that are food or medicinal in nature.

I'll have to look at that book and see if there is anything in there that I haven't seen before.

I think you'll like the book.

Where did you get your blue rain barrels and how much did they cost? I bought the only two I saw at the feed store for $49 they had little brass taps already at the bottom. My goal is to put a cistern under my back deck which is about 6 feet off the ground. My worry is that diverting all that water that my giant oaks have been used to will cause them to suffer. I'm sure most is just run off, anyway, such as when I got 13 inches in one night recently. I don't understand why everybody doesn't have cisterns here in Texas. In the Caribbean, everyone had a cistern because water was so scarce. You could have either rain water or really expensive de-sal water, which is really expensive to make.