The Ducklings are Coming, well maybe...*PICTURE UPDATE*

[CSisley]

I ordered some Saxony eggs and 4 out of 6 are for sure developing! I hate to count my ducklings before they hatch but I'm so excited, I've never owned ducks before. I had to modify my Brinsea egg tray with a dremel tool so they would turn. I knew duck eggs were big compared to chicken eggs but I didn't realize they would be THAT big. They are due June 1st.

 

[DUCKGIRL89]

WHOOHOO!!!!!!! Congrats! You will love the breed!

 

[CSisley]

Thanks Duckgirl, do you have saxonys? If so what are they like?

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

Congrats! I have them. They are sweet ducks. Very calm. Mine are anyway. They are a little more slow growing in my opinion.

 

[mominoz]

I have some one year old Saxony, they are very friendly, especially the girls, but I find this true of most of my ducks, the females are less fearful and friendlier.... They are pretty things , but get big.good foragers, sometimes they literally get underfoot.

 

[mm22kids]

I'm so excited for you. I also have some ducks incubating right now. I can't wait to see there furry little bodies.

 

[CSisley]

Quacker - Slow growing is fine for me; I'm not going to eat them, just their eggs.

Mominoz - I was hoping they would be the "get underfoot" kind of duck which is part of why I chose the saxony. I have chickens that are that way and I just love how personable they are. The only downside is that it makes it impossible to herd them because they are just too tame and don't understand what waving arms and the word "shoo" means.

mm22kids - What kind are you incubating and when are they due?

 

[CSisley]

3 days left, eek! All four look to still be on their way.

 

[CSisley]

So now I've got a question. All four pipped yesterday(they are due today). One little duck was working hard at coming out and had made a good size hole. I could see all of his beak when I realized there was something wrong. I noticed his beak and the surrounding hole looked sort of yellowish as if it had dried yolk. I thought maybe his yolk sack had busted somehow but I left him alone until I realized he had quit moving and breathing. When I was sure he was a goner I opened the shell up to find that his yolk sac wasn't busted but there was a lot of greenish yellow mucus surrounding him. He was fully formed with the exception of the yolk sac being absorbed. I also noticed that the shell of the egg around the air cell had become discolored, sort of grayish. It may just be me but I also think the mucus had a bad smell. His beak was clear of the mucus so I'm sure he didn't drown but I thought maybe the egg had some some sort of infection? It was the pooiest egg out of the bunch... Anyone have experience with greenish mucus?

 

[CSisley]

So I had three ducklings hatch. I watched a Metzer youtube video on how to vent sex them and if I did it correctly then I have one male and two females. I checked the females twice just to make sure I wasn't missing err something. They are ridiculously cute and get very excited when they see me. I was a little worried at first that I had imprinted on them too well because they would peep in distress when I would walk away. I solve this by covering the side of the cage they can see out with a towel and when I hear them distress peep I talk to them soothingly. That seems to convince them that even though they can't see me, I'm just on the other side of the towel and they go back to eating, drinking and sleeping. I usually wait a few minutes listening for contentment before leaving for real. I don't know how this works but if I don't put a towel on the front of the cage and they can see out, they will peep and peep until I come back.