Thank you. I shed actual crocodile tears over having to make this decision yesterday. I basically had to decide between anconas or giving up my very imprinted muscovies. And, when it came down to it I realized that while Ancona's may of been my original plan. I'm too in love with the personality on the muscovies. As well as my very sweet rouens.
The Duck Thread
- Thread starter ZakoHero
- Start date
Eggs, pets, and unfortunately meat from the males we can't keep.
Those are the same reasons we keep ducks too. It's actually working out really well.
Have you decided on a breed or narrowed it down?
Yes, we'll get two breeds, Cayuga and Khaki Campbell. May be able to keep only one drake of one breed depending on how many females hatch.
Lol, same breeds too! I'm hoping my KCs are good eggers. My Cayuga males are huge, so good meat birds. I'm keeping a pair of them for breeding. I wanted one specific male, but my female chose a different one!!
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After reading a little about ducks and that there are egg laying breeds, among other good qualities, we decided to get ducks next year and invest more in keeping ducks, rather than chickens. We'll of course keep the chickens we have, but not keep hatching as many.
My husband's choice is the Cayuga for the color, and mine is the KC for the eggs. I like the Cayuga color also. I'm sure we'll be breeding also.
I too have not used that hydrometer. I prefer to use one that is a combo thermometer/hydrometer, although I don't go by the temps on it, although it is actually accurate temperature wise. I just use a more precise reptile thermometer instead. I use an accurite or vick's combo and they both work really well. I've had the accurite for years now and I also use one to monitor the humidity in my bearded dragon's vivarium. Here's the Vick's one, I couldn't find the accurite one.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/238/dp/B00F...d=1438806599&sr=8-1&keywords=vicks+hygrometer
As for letting the eggs rest, you let them rest for 24 hours fat end up in an egg carton before putting them in the incubator. This gives the egg time to settle after the stresses of shipping before the stresses of early incubation begin.
I've found a couple of places not far from you in Surrey and Sussex that say they sell Call hatching eggs. There are quite a few more in other areas, but of course it's all somewhat close since you can get from anywhere in England to anywhere else in 4 hours or fewer (3.5 if I'm driving).
I honestly think I'd take a little drive to collect my eggs before I'd have them shipped if driving were at all possible. You take so many problems out of the equation by eliminating shipping. Even if you choose to have them shipped, the two sellers you got them from before might not be out of the question if you don't find them elsewhere. They might not have sold you inferior eggs, and now you have BYC to help you with the incubation of your next batch.
OldMissionChick
Songster
Bought an incubator today since our girls have ZERO interest in sitting on. The eggs will move from the nesting box to the incubator in the morning 
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